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PROGRAM TIMELINE
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1963 |
The
first geosynchronous communication satellite is launched
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1966 |
NASA
launches the Application Technology Satellite 1 (ATS-1)
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1967 |
NASA
completes weather information experiments on ATS-1
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1968 |
Dr.
John Bystrom, University of Hawaii responds to the NASA
RFP for innovative uses of ATS-1
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1971 |
NASA
approves Dr. Bystrom’s proposal to initiate PEACESAT.
The original purpose was “…to demonstrate the
benefits of currently available telecommunication technology
when applied specifically to the needs of sparsely populated,
less industrialized areas.”
Dr.
Bystrom, Dr. Paul Yuen, University of Hawaii Engineering,
and Professor Katashi Nose, University of Hawaii Physics,
designed and built the first PEACESAT earth stations.
Total cost was approximately $3000 US per terminal (yagi
antenna and push-to-talk simplex circuits).
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1972 |
PEACESAT
becomes the first educational satellite network in the
world linking the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University
of Hawaii at Hilo, Maui Community College, Wellington Polytechnic
and the University of the South Pacific.
The
PEACESAT Network supports more than 100 earth stations
and becomes the umbrella network for regional sub-networks
such as the USPNet (University of the South Pacific Network),
Micronet (Micronesian Network), AsiaNet (Japan, Indonesia,
and Thailand), Kangaroo-Net (Australia) and DOINet (Department
of Interior Network).
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1985 |
ATS-1
station keeping fuel is depleted. The PEACESAT program
under the leadership of Dr. Donald M. Topping, Principal
Investigator, and Ms. Lori Mukaida, Director, continue
to seek a technical solution for the Pacific Islands.
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1987 |
U.S.
Congress authorizes $3.4 million to re-establish the PEACESAT
program and assigns stewardship to the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department
of Commerce.
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1988 |
NTIA
and PEACESAT initiate the re-establishment of PEACESAT.
The re-establishment was undertaken through a Cooperative
Agreement. A separate agreement among the NTIA and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration provides
authorization for the use of the GOES-3 satellite.
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1990 |
PEACESAT
initiated dial-up bulletin board information service. The
electronic bulletin board was useful for electronic messaging
and file transfers among sites.
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1992 |
Internet
electronic mail and information services are rolled-out
for PEACESAT Sites with funding from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. A Sun Sparc computer is installed with the assistance of the UH Office of Information
Technology Services.
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1993 |
PEACESAT
develops a "Services Improvement Plan" (PEACESAT
SIP) and submits a proposal for implementation to the NTIA.
The design of the SIP calls for the establishment of digital
carriers with time division multiplexing for concurrent
voice and data. The SIP also provides for compressed video
teleconferencing at 128 Kbps. |
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| 1993-94 |
PEACESAT
in collaboration with the Forum Fisheries Agency unveils
a UUCP-based batch electronic mail system. The batch mail
system essentially queues up mail for transfer into the
PEACESAT-HQ electronic mail system. Essentially, the system
functions as an electronic post office. This electronic
post office enables FFA to serve many users at a time.
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1994
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The
PEACESAT SIP plan is approved for the next phase of detailed
design and testing. The plan calls for digital carriers
as an "overlay" to the existing network which
relies on analog (narrowband frequency modulated) carriers.
In
collaboration with the Agricultural Development in the
American Pacific Program (ADAP), PEACESAT tested and rolled
out remote access to Internet and information services.
The development has mixed success owing to level of Site
support and local communication links.
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1995 |
PEACESAT
transitioned to the use of the GOES-2 satellite with the
collaboration of NOAA. The transition was transparent and
all users were able to align their antennas to see GOES-2.
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1994-95 |
In
collaboration with the Pacific Basin Development Council,
Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Department
of Interior, PEACESAT worked with the Pacific Caucus of
Emergency Managers to implement an Emergency Management
Network. The EMN was installed in 1996 in eight locations:
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated
States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap),
Guam (University of Guam), the Republic of the Marshall
Islands, and the Republic of Palau. American Samoa is expected
to come on-line some time in early 1997. |
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1996 |
PEACESAT,
in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Health Officers
Association (PIHOA), submitted a proposal and has received
funding for electronic post offices in health ministries.
The electronic post offices are to be established in collaboration
with the Emergency Management Network.
PEACESAT
collaborated with educational agencies in the Pacific Islands
Region and the Pacific Region Educational Laboratories
(PREL - Hilda Heine and James Bannan) for a Challenge Grant.
The Challenge Grant scores well in regional reviews, but
gets low marks for not having innovative technology.
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1997 |
The
PEACESAT Program of the University of Guam and the University
of Hawaii PEACESAT Honolulu submit a grant proposal to
the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP)
of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
for a Hub Site. The application is successful. The Hub
Site is installed, but just as tests are to begin, Typhoon
Paka destroys the Hub Site antenna. The Emergency Management
antenna at the UOG survives.
An
Institute of Telehealth and Telemedicine is held at the
East-West Center. Over 250 health care and telecommunications
and information technology specialists attend. The Institute
is sponsored by the State of Hawaii Department of Health,
the High Technology Development Corporation, the Social
Science Research Institute of the University of Hawaii,
and the Department of Business, Economic Development and
Tourism. The Co-Chairs of the Institute are Deane Neubauer
and Norman Okamura.
The
American Samoa Government's Office of Federal Programs
and PEACESAT Headquarters submit and receive a grant from
the PTFP/NTIA to develop a PEACESAT Hub Site in American
Samoa. |
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1998
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The
American Samoa Distance Education, Learning, and Telehealth
Consortium is formed by the government of American Samoa.
A link of 384 Kbps is provided by the American Samoa
TeleCommunications Authority (ASTCA). This link is used
for voice, data (Internet
access), and video teleconferencing. The link uses a
Frame Relay Access Device that concurrently supports
voice, data,
and compressed video teleconferencing. It is the first
link in Hawaii the Pacific Islands region that supports
such capability.
Senator
Daniel K. Inouye, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry
Irving, and Mr. Stephen Downs, Director of the Telecommunications
and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program,
visit PEACESAT Headquarters at the UH.
The
School of Public Health delivered two graduate courses
in telehealth and telemedicine to American Samoa. The
Kauai
Community College delivered a non-credit course on cardiac
arrhythmia to nurses and physicians at the LBJ Tropical
Medical Center. The Telecommunications and Information
Policy Group
provided some training on the Internet.
PEACESAT
interconnects the American Samoa DELTA link to the State
of Hawaii Telehealth Access Network that is developed through
a PARTNERSHIP among the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation,
High Technology Development Corporation, and the Telecommunications
and Information Policy Group of the Social Science Research
Institute at the University of Hawaii.
The
Saskawa Pacific Islands Nations Fund (SPINF) supports the
development of Pacific Newsbytes newsletter that is incorporated
into the Hawaii Web and Internet News. The newsletter provides
perspectives and information on telecommunications in the
Pacific Islands Region. The issues cover topics from telecommunications
development, distance learning, regional satellite communication
networks, telehealth and telemedicine and other topics. |
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| 1999 |
The
American Samoa Department of Education received a $3.5
million dollar E-Rate grant from the Schools and Libraries
Program, established by the Federal Communications Commission
in accordance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Continues on-going coordination with NOAA to relocate
GOES-7 to 175 degrees West.
Negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding with NASA for
NASA will provide primary telemetry, tracking and control
of GOES-2 and GOES-7.
PEACESAT
assists the Guam Department of Education and the CNMI
Public School System with the development of E-Rate applications
to the Schools and Libraries Consortium of the FCC Universal
Services Program.
Assists
the University of Guam in initiating the reestablishment
of the PEACESAT Hub Site for enhanced services such as
higher speed data services, video conferencing and concurrent
voice and data communication. This was also supported
through a PTFP planning grant to extend PEACESAT services
beyond the urban areas.
Facilitated
distance education programs via satellite between Hawaii,
American Samoa, Guam and Micronesia. The undergraduate
and graduate courses on telemedicine, telehealth, nursing,
basic telecommunications were offered by the University
of Hawaii (UH) School of Public Health (‘Public
Health 791 –A Survey of Telehealth’, ‘Public
Health 792 –Telehealth Systems, Networks and Applications’),
the Kauai Community College (‘Nursing 259 –Basic
EKG Interpretation’) and the University of Guam
(UOG) (‘Nutrition for Health Professionals’and ‘Leadership/Management
for Nurses’).
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2001 |
PEACESAT
celebrates its 30th Year Anniversary.
Jackson and Tull completes the installation and implementation
of a 7.2m satellite earth station at the American Samoa
Power Authority on behalf of the American Samoa Distance
Education Learning and Telehealth Applications (DELTA)
Consortium. This PEACESAT Hub site will provide services
to the local hospital, community college, and other government
agencies.
PEACESAT Headquarters receives base level training from
the NOAA Satellite Operations Control Center on satellite
tracking, telemetry and control and satellite navigational
engineering.
Assists the University of Guam and the Guam Department
of Education with the implementation of a distance learning
network with compressed video teleconference capabilities
that interconnects the UOG/PEACESAT, Guam DOE, and other
agencies to the network.
Assists the Public School System (PSS) of the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands with the implementation
of a distance learning network using the E-Rate network
facilities. The video codecs and bridge in this network
was funded under a PTFP/NTIA grant.
Assists with the on-island wide area network extensions
of the Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) and American Samoa,
referred to as the “SAS Link.”PEACESAT worked
with the National University of Samoa to establish a H.323
video teleconferencing link over a fractional T-1 connection
to the ASG DELTA network. The network enables NUS to participate
in region-wide distance learning.
Initiated discussions with the Japan Ministry of Public
management, Home Affairs, Post and Telecommunications regarding
possibilities for future satellites for public service
telecommunication applications, including the Wideband
InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite
(WINDS).
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2002 |
Jackson and Tull completed the
installation of a 7.2m satellite earth station located at
the NASA tracking facilities at the Kokee Park Geophysical
Observatory in Kauai, Hawaii. This earth station, funded
in part by PTFP/NTIA, will provide TT&C functions as
well as back-up operational support.
PEACESAT established operational procedures with the Kokee
Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO), NASA and NOAA for
special eclipse operations and telemetry tracking and control
functions.
PEACESAT and the University of Hawaii enter into a Memorandum
of Agreement between the University of Hawaii and the Pacific
Missile Range Facility (PMRF) to share resources in support
of public service telecommunications. The MOU secures network
capacity between PMRF to KPGO.
Establishes a PEACESAT Operations Maintenance and Improvement
Program (OMIP), funded in part by the Department of Interior
and in cooperation with the American Samoa Power Authority.
Develops agreements with local PEACESAT management for
the commitment of a minimum 25% FTE PEACESAT operator/technician.
Assists in the organization of a United Nations World
Summit on Information Society (WSIS) side event entitled “Pacific
Islands and the WSIS: ICTs for Development: Resources,
Needs and Opportunity,”to provide an opportunity
for Pacific states to share their experiences in communication
development, to raise awareness of Pacific states in the
WSIS process and support their full and effective participation.
Under a research fellowship with the Japan National Institute
of Multimedia Education (NIME), Ms. Christina Higa, PEACESAT
Director studied and trialed the integration of the Space
Collaboration System (SCS) that connects 123 Japan universities
and research institutes with the PEACESAT network. A review
of potential program areas between the U.S., Japan and
the Pacific Islands was conducted. Network applications
include: collaborative research between the Center for
Asia and the Pacific Islands Studies of the University
of Ryukyus and Pacific Islands, Japanese language courses,
cultural exchanges and teacher training programs.
Continues on-going discussions with the Japan Ministry
of Public management, Home Affairs, Post and Telecommunications
regarding possibilities for future satellites for public
service telecommunication applications, including the Wideband
Inter-Networking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite
(WINDS).
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