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Objectives
The MODUS project builds upon the outcome of the ESA ARTES 3 Skyplex_Net Project and is inspired to a business initiative that the Italian partners are jointly pursuing for delivering multimedia services on a commercial scale.
This project aims to set-up and demonstrate the “modus operandi” for designing and providing effective distance learning applications that:
- exploit the best satellite technologies avalilable today
- integrate satellite and terrestrial telecom infrastructures
- are commercially sustainable.
The focus of MODUS will be on the:
- Integration of a Service Centre based on the Skyplex platform in Lecce, South of Italy
- Development of distance learning applications which relies on the Service Centre to deliver tele-education services to Universities and Schools
- Consolidation of a Business Plan for migrating the Service Centre operations on a commercial scale
- Commercial provision for:
- The services delivery directly to the end user
- The leasing of satellite capacity to third party (terrestrial) service providers
Challenges
- Integration of different media to develop and implement technology that will work well in schools, universities and homes with the minimum of user and supplier intervention
- Migration of the Espresso for Schools/Teachers from Astra towards SkyplexNet
- The Integration and Test of a Service Centre that, although assessed against the distance learning requirements, can be easily evolved toward new classes of services
- Identification of the right mix of integration between satellite and terrestrial based telecommunication infrastructure to be commercially sustainable
Plan
The MODUS project began on November 1st, 1999. The MODUS Service Center is operative since March 2nd, 2001. The pilot services assessment phase will extend until the end of the project (December 2001).
Current Status
The completion of the evaluation process for both the Telematic University and Espresso for Teachers applications has marked the closure of the MODUS main stream of activities.
The MODUS Project has given rise to a number of stable developments beyond the scope of the original proposal. The Service Center is now fully integrated in the SkyPlexNet network and has become a commercial reality.
As far as Telematic University is concerned, a full semester course has been delivered by satellite to the students of the “Corso di Laurea per Educatori Socio-Ambientali” within the Educational Science Faculty of the University of Lecce. Moreover, a full course in “Ingegneria Gestionale” within the Engineering Faculty of the University of Lecce was delivered via satellite during the academic year 2001-2002. The list of the degree courses that will be broadcast from the MODUS originated Service Centre during the academi year 2002-2003 is currently being defined.
The Espresso for Teachers application, designed and developed within MODUS to train primary teachers when, when not and how to make best use of the Espresso for Schools digital media curriculum primary, is currently being commercialised in association with Espresso for Schools.
In the frame of the MODUS follow-on, SSI and ESPRESSO have developed for ESA an Italian/English bilingual module on Space Science and technology using video and stills from the ESA archive. The Space Science module builds on the model of the Espresso for Schools content and has been finalised to tell pupils (mainly aged 10-13) about ESA missions in space and about the role of ESA as a major player in space science and technology.
