A cross impact methodology for the assessment of US telecommunications system with application to fiber optics development, volume 1

A cross impact model of the U.S. telecommunications system was developed. It was necessary to prepare forecasts of the major segments of the telecommunications system, such as satellites, telephone, TV, CATV, radio broadcasting, etc. In addition, forecasts were prepared of the traffic generated by a variety of new or expanded services, such as electronic check clearing and point of sale electronic funds transfer. Finally, the interactions among the forecasts were estimated (the cross impact). Both the forecasts and the cross impacts were used as inputs to the cross impact model, which could then be used to stimulate the future growth of the entire U.S. telecommunications system. By varying the inputs, technology changes or policy decisions with regard to any segment of the system could be evaluated in the context of the remainder of the system. To illustrate the operation of the model, a specific study was made of the deployment of fiber optics throughout the telecommunications system

Forty Years of Distance Education: Challenges and implications at the Open University of Sri Lanka

Commencing its activities in 1980, the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) has expanded over the years embracing emerging technologies periodically, undergoing a series of technological adoptions gradually through Generations of Distance Education (GDE). The aim of this study is to assess the current status of OUSL, based on Taylor’s conceptual framework of GDE, identify the challenges faced during these technological transformations, and how those challenges were mitigated during its forty years of existence as a single-mode national open and distance learning university in Sri Lanka. This study employs a qualitative research design based on reflective practices of the researchers, narrative accounts of past decision makers, reflections of academics and administrators, and cross-referenced with documentary evidences. The findings show how the OUSL has advanced towards the fifth GDE, amidst challenges and finally propose mitigation strategies that would be useful for future technological interventions

1980-1981 Course Catalog

1980-1981 Course Catalo

1979-1980 Course Catalog

1979-1980 Course Catalo

Design and implementation of an electronic special interest magazine

Thesis (M.S.V.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1986.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.Bibliography: leaves 81-86.Electronic publishing has been established as a unique means for providing information in an interactive and personalized manner. Although scholarly journals have been published electronically, large circulation magazines have not. The trend in these popular magazines towards more specialized content makes their electronic publication particularly attractive. This thesis explores the possibilities for such a publication. A system has been developed which assembles and displays an electronic magazine containing both editorial content and advertisements of specific interest to an individual. Useful methods of interaction with the magazine are provided. The material is presented in a stylized and entertaining manner, in keeping with the nature of popular magazines.by Gitta B. Salomon.M.S.V.S

Art Image Copyright and Licensing: Compilation and Summary of Museum Policies

This document summarizes and compiles terms and conditions governing image rights and reproduction from fifty art museums in the United States. The sample of museums was selected from among the 193 museums accredited by the American Association of Museums that have a primary specialty in art. For each museum, copyright and image licensing information was obtained from the museum's website

1982-1984 Course Catalog

1982-1984 Course Catalo

1981-1983 Course Catalog

1981-1983 Course Catalo

Quality of Service based Retrieval Strategy for Distributed Video on Demand on Multiple Servers

The recent advances and development of inexpensive computers and high speed networking technology have enabled the Video on Demand (VoD) application to connect to shared-computing servers, replacing the traditional computing environments where each application was having its own dedicated computing hardware. The VoD application enables the viewer to select, from a list of video files, his favorite video file and watch its reproduction at will. Early video on demand applications were based on single video server where video streams are initiated from a single server, then with the increase in the number of the clients who became interested in VoD services, the focus became on Distributed VoD architectures (DVoD) where the context of distribution may be distributed system components, distributed streaming servers, distributed media content etc.The VoD server must handle several issues in order to be able to present a successful service. It has to receive the clients’ requests and analyze them, calculate the necessary resources for each request, and decide whether a request can be admitted or not. Once the request is admitted, the server must schedule the request, retrieve the required video data and send the video data in a timely manner so that the client does not suffer data starvation in his buffer during the video reproduction. So, the overall objective of a VoD service provider is to provide a better Quality of Service (QoS). Some issues related to QoS are-efficient use of bandwidth, providing better throughput etc.One of the important issues is to retrieve the video data from the servers in minimum time and to start the playback of the video at client side with a minimum waiting time. The overall time elapsed in retrieving the video data and starting the playback is known as access time. The thesis presents an efficient retrieval strategy for a distributed VoD environment where the basic objective is to minimize the access time by maintaining the presentation continuity at the client side. We have neglected some of the network parameters which may affect the access time, by assuming a high speed network between the servers and the client. The performance of the strategy has been analyzed and is compared with the referred PAR (Play After Retrieval) strategy. Further, the strategy is also analyzed under availability condition which is a more realistic approach