[Opensim-dev] New potential Project for using OpenSim throughout New Zealand

[Ryan McDougall]

Hello, 

I've been asked as a contributor to OpenSim to pass along the
following. 

There is a bid going on for a new public project in NZ, through the
University of Otago, and the principles (researchers at the university)
are making a general call for support for their bid.

If you could sign a letter of support for this bid within the end of the
week, please forward it to me, and I will pass it on.

"Support" can be any thing of your choosing, and is non-binding. Samples
are appended to this email.

I have been authorized to pass along the following excerpt from the
application:

Executive Summary 


Project Title:
National Virtual World Grid
Project overview 

Rationale for the project

The National Virtual World Grid
(NVWG) project will develop an open
access national virtual world grid
based and bring together a community
of researchers and educators with an
interest in playing an innovative
role in the development and usage of
the next wave of the Internet:
Web3.D.  Continual advances in
telecommunications bandwidth and
computer processing power are
already giving users a more
multimedia-intensive experience on
the Web.  Now with the advent of
online virtual worlds (e.g. Google
Lively, Second Life) we have the
harbinger of the next wave of the
Internet: Web3.D, where users
inhabit and participate in a 3D
Virtual World (VW) by means of their
personal in-world avatars.  An IT
industry research and advisory
company, Gartner, has predicted that
by 2011, 80% of all Internet
participants will be regular users
of Web3.D technology.  Already over
500 US universities are offering
courses of instruction in Second
Life, and major companies are
getting involved too (e.g. Vodafone,
IBM, TelstraClear, Sun).  The
commercial nature of the most widely
used Virtual World implementations,
such as Second Life, places high
financial costs on users who are
charged for developing in-world
content and for the traffic
associated with accessing the
remotely located servers.

This proposal describes how through
the development of an national
virtual world grid based on open
source software deployed on KAREN,
and activities to promote the
development of an active user
community, NZ tertiary educators and
researchers can be given an
accelerated opportunity to play an
innovative role in Web3.D
development and usage.

Project outline

The National Virtual World Grid
(NVWG) project will operate NZ-based
computer servers running the OpenSim
software (an open-source clone of
the core functionality of Second
Life) in “grid mode”.  This will
encourage uptake of Web3.D
technology across New Zealand by
enabling organisations connected to
the Kiwi Advanced Research and
Education Network (KAREN) to obtain
free and high speed access to
virtual world “regions” hosted in
our servers, or to interconnect
their own “region servers” with
those of other institutions in NZ.

By developing, managing, and
operating this National Virtual
World Grid, and Web-based community
support tools for users, there will
be an opportunity for all
institutions that are connected to
the KAREN network to:

1) undertake both experimental and
routine use of virtual worlds in
teaching and research;

2) develop engaging, interactive
in-world content customised for New
Zealand use; and

3) develop new context-specific
plugins enabling interaction with
external applications that are
connected to the real (non-virtual)
world and external services.

Expected outcome

The project will:

      * Promote the establishment,
        growth and maintenance of a
        community of NZ users of
        Web3.D technology for
        tertiary education and
        research
      * Provide the environment for
        New Zealand to become an
        innovator in Web3.D
        technology at the
        international level.
      * Facilitate the tertiary
        education sector to produce
        graduates ready to exploit
        Web3.D technology for the
        economic benefit of New
        Zealand

Project partners

University of Otago (Department of
Information Science): Project
leadership and management; grid
development and management of
central grid services and Web-based
community support tools.

University of Canterbury: deployment
and management of Canterbury grid
node (SIM); exemplar VW learning
environments for two learning
application areas.

University of Auckland: deployment
and management of Auckland grid node
(SIM).


 Cheers,


<samples>
<sample>
Martin Purvis

University of Otago

New Zealand



Dear Martin


The National Virtual World project being proposed by Otago University
and other organisations has the support of <company>. The challenge of
delivering virtual worlds includes how to connect with mobile and other
communications systems and how to deliver next generation converged
solutions based on this. 


<Company’s> work in the development of open communications standards and
platforms clearly aligns with this project: the work to date having
already delivered valuable and innovative approaches. Providing the
interconnection between the virtual and physical worlds is an exciting
area that promises to open up new ways of conducting business.


<Company> will continue to provide access to technology and consultancy
where it is required.



Yours sincerely
</sample>

<sample>
Department of Information Science

University of Otago

Attention: Prof Martin Purvis, Head of Department



SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL VIRTUAL WORLD GRID


<Company> would like to express its support for the National Virtual
World Grid which Otago University has initiated and believes this effort
is a major technology capability for KAREN and all connected
institutions (and others through connection from commercial networks),
which will result in fundamentally new modes of eLearning as well as a
major platform for Web 3.D research. 


<Company> is pleased to be able to support the initiative with the
donation of five high performance servers for use in establishing the
core of the Grid. In addition, <Company> will provide support in
establishing and operating the operational governance of the Grid and,
from time to time, with post-graduate research funding.


Yours sincerely
</sample>
</samples>