Car-navigation Software taps Internet Connection

The Science University of Tokyo's Information Medica Center has developed car navigation software that takes advantage of the Internet to quickly provide drivers the shortest route to their destinations and help them avoid traffic jams. With this software, drivers can find routes faster than is possible with existing car navigation systems based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and digital maps.

The work is part of a larger effort to develop the "Internet Car", a vehicle equipped with a cellular phone or other telecommunications device that turns the car into a type of mobile base station. Since such cars could also send data back to the service center, the overall system could be used to monitor traffic conditions and provide timely information about congestion, assuming that enough internet cars are on the road.

The university group is still at the basic stage of research, but the researchers report some success already in experiments using a van equipped with a personal computer, a GPS device, a camera and a cellular phone and linked to the Internet.

— Dr. VT Chitnis, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Tokyo, Japan

Glass emerges as Data-storage contender

High pulse laser, hole burning technique combine to give small glass cubes potential capacity of thousands of DVDs. By combining laser that pulse at the rate of 1000 trillion times per second, known as femtosecond lasers, with hole burning optical storage techniques, the team has developed a technology that promises to store as many as 100 trillion bits of data in a cubic centimeter of space. At that rate, a year's worth of digital TV programming could be stored in a glass cube no bigger than a die. That is the equivalent of 2000 DVDs. The Hirao Active Glass Project is sponsored by Japan Science and Technology Corporation and led by Kazuyuki Hirao of Kyoto University. The aim is to investigate the various ways glass can be used as an active material to amplify, switch, store and change light. The team earlier demostrated a way to boost data storage with a photochemical hole burining technique in which the glass material is processed to store data bits not simply by burning out pits, but by burning out light of different wave lenghts, or colours.

This method of writing data boosts the storage capacity by a factor of 100. Now the team has also demonstrated a way to store data bits by using a femtosecond laser to change the electrical state of minute particles of the rare-earth element samarium mixed into the glass.

— Dr. VT Chitnis, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Tokyo, Japan

Sound generator Chip with Software Modem function

Yamaha Corporation has started distributing samples of a sound generator chip YMF738 with built in software modem functions which enables communications control with software without a special purpose card. Up till now, the company has been developing and manufacturing sound generator chips, but the demand for chips integrating sound and communications functions is increasing due to the popularity of the Internet System.

In March this year, the company developed the sound generator chip with soft modem functions based in its relationships with PC-Tel Corporation and Intel Corporation of the United States. YMF738 is designed with the functions of supporting central processing unit (CPU) data processing by enabling smooth operation of the PC-Tel software modem (modern driver) and Intel Audio Modem Riser Card (a type of modem card specification) announced on Spetember 8. Generators are based on the specifications of the sound generator chip YMF724 that was marketed for the first time this year, and a memory function has been newly added to accumulate modem data.

— Dr. VT Chitnis, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Tokyo, Japan

Superconducting connectors speed up parallel processing

NEC Corporation said it has superconducting elements to develop a circuit that connects paralle processors, enabling faster exchange of data. A parallel processing computer uses a number of microprocessors operating in a parallel to achieve greater computing power. But the data transfer speed between processors is a bottleneck. Conventional circuits are appraching the speed limit for data procesing. The heat generated by the circuits is becoming severe enough to affect performance. What is needed is a circuit that has no resistance. That's where superconducting materials come in. NEC's prototype circuit is made from a superconductingmaterial of noibium, alumina and other substances layered on a 6-sq. mm substrate. The device incorporates a function to accept data from numerous processors and pass the data on to other processors at frequencies of about 2 gigahertz. In one set of experiments using the prototype circuit connected to three computers, information was exchanged between the processors at a rate of around 80 megahertz. NEC said the limiting factor on speed was the interface box used to mediate frequency and voltage conversions between the semiconductor devices of the processors and the superconducting elements of the prototype circuit. If this interface can be improved, the speed will also increase and the superconducting circuit can boost the performance of parallel processing computers. The once drawback is that the device must be cooled to minus 269 degree C (minus 452 degree F) before becoming superconducting.

— Dr. VT Chitnis, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Tokyo, Japan

Japan Railway West to install Digital Information vending machines

West Japan Railway (JR West) -9021- will make trial installations of a new type of vending machine that writes digital information, such as economic news, schedules, and maps, to a PC Card — which is a computer recording medium —the user selects from some 30 menu choices and can record the chose contents within about 30 seconds. The fee will be about 100 yen per recording. Beginning in September 1999, the railway operator will install a total of 30 units at various stations in Kansai region. Some eleven firms, such as telephone companies and newspaper firms, are also participating in the venture, subsidized by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

— Dr. VT Chitnis, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Tokyo, Japan

MITI Supports Bioindustry's information effort

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) will support the bioindustry's efforts to become information-oriented. National research institutes will set up a "Bioindustry Information-wise Consortium", and the Ministry will support development and practical testing by this consortium of an information-orienting model system, to create a common research format to accelerate biotechnology research and industrialization. Specifically, the consortium will be formed from bio-oriented enterprises such as chemical, pharmaceutical and foodstuffs manufacturers and information-oriented enterprises such as electronics and equipment manufacturers, with national research institutes and universities as collaborating entities. It will create s coordinated utilization environment for biological information, bringing together information on DNA and proteins, genome sequencing, analytical software and other bio-related subjects which have hitherto been handled discretely. Via a biological materials order handing system incorporated into the coordinated utilization environment, bio-related enterprises will receive supplies of biological materials from the collaborating entities, undetake actual bio-research and feed their results back so as to enrich the system.

— Dr. VT Chitnis, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Tokyo, Japan

Portable phone usage reaches 30% of Japanese population

According to statistics gathered by the Ministry of Posts and Communications on "recent portable phone and PHS tendencies", the total number of portable phone and PHS subscribers has reached 44 million at the end of November 1998. This translates into 34.9% of Japan's population is currently subscribing to either a portable phone or PHS. At the end of November 1998, the total number of portable phone subscribers had reached 38.6 million, up 769000 from the previous month. PHS subscriptions, however have fallen 1.3% tp 6.08 million users, the fourteenth consecutive month showing a decline. PHS manufacturers are hurrying to develop products able to handle high capacity data transmission.

— Dr. VT Chitnis, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Tokyo, Japan

An advance method for high-volume of Digital data flow

A total research team from Nikon Corp. and California Institute of Technology has reported the successful completion of basic experiments on a phenomenon called quantum teleportation, which exploits the dual nature of light to transmit large volumes of digital information.

The work moves on step closer to a technology that promises to break through the current barriers in telecommunications and information processing, ushering in an era of ultra fast computers and the transmission of nearly limitless volumes of data.

Over extremely short distances, light behaves like a collection of particles, or photons. At the same time, each photon takes on a different wave pattern. The variety of wave pattern is limitless, meaning that each photon could in theory carry an unlimited amount of digital information.

But when photons are sent over ordinary communications lines, the waves patterns break down during transmission and cannot be regenerated.

The team from Nikon and the U.S. University solved this problem by converting the wave-pattern information of the photon into a random pattern on the transmission side, sending it as a regular electronic signal and then receiving the information on the receiving side. The method was first proposed in 1993 by a scientist at International Business Machines Corporation of the U.S. but was never realised until these experiments.

In the technique, both parties possess a photon wave pattern that acts liek an "encryption key" to prepare data for sending and to return the data to the original, meaningful form upon receiving. The same method could be used for secure communications.

In theory, a limitless volume of information could be sent as light signals with this technique. But in reality, energy loss and other factors cap its practical applications. Nevertheless, quantum teleportation could transfer data in volumes 1,000 to 10,000 times greater than now possible.

— Dr. VT Chitnis, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Tokyo, Japan

VIP Business card with 40 MB CDROM

The Hamburg-based company Seiko Precision (Europe) is going to present its multimedia business card at this year's computer fair CeBIT in Hanover in March. Measuring 80 x 55 mm, it is only slightly larger than conventional cards, but it has a storage capacity of up to 18MB for almost all kinds of data such as photographs, texts, music, videos, multimedia presentations or catalogues. The capacity can even be extended to 40 MB if compression techniques are used. A CD Writer accepting CD singles can be used to put the data on the CD, and the labelling can be done industrially as well as with a CD printer. The Seiko VIP card is supposed to be available immediately after CeBIT and will cost about DM 10.00 per piece.

— Dr. R Balasubramanian, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Bonn, Germany

Training Software for University students

Students at Saarbrucken University have started using the learning software Incops (Introduction to cognitive psychology). The program, for which only a PC with an Internet access is required, works like a personal trainer, adapting itself to the individual performance of the respective student. Systematic leaning is made possible by questions, problems, tests and animations. The answers are corrected automatically and in the case of mistakes, help is given or a possible solution is suggested. Unlike static hypertexts, the pages are dynamicalycreated by the techniques of artificial intelligence. The interactive and adaptive multimedia program, which has met great acceptance, has been developed together with the Paedagogic University of Freiburg. As soon as the user has entered his online student identification and a password at http://www.incops.de, the system starts with the current level of the student, which is retrieved on the basis of data stored earlier. Thus it is also excluded that the students cheat and leave out difficult lessons. The software can also be adapted to other Internet-based courses. It lends itself in particular to the training of employees, allowing them to learn whereever and whenever they like, and to determine their own speed of learning.

— Dr. R Balasubramanian, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Bonn, Germany

Cable TV networks for telephony & Internet

Cable TV network operators are considering alternative uses of their networks, e.g., telephony or broad-based Internet access. Foresighted operators have designed their networks so that reeverse channels can easily be refitted. The offer of Tss GmbH Berlin/Augusburg has left its experimental stage. Since November 1998, 10000 households in Berlin are being offered to have their telephones connected to the cable TV network. So far 2500 customers have made use of this offer. Cable TV network telephony has the advantage that the cable connections from the local operator to the individual households, the so-called "last mile", need not rented from the German Telecom. Currently the monthly charge is 18 Marks, which is much cheaper than the charges of other telephony providers, and the calls are cheaper, too. The launch of a fast Internet access with a 2 megabits per second is imminet. The refitting of cable TV networks is becoming cheaper and therefore more attractive in particular for local calls.

— Dr. R Balasubramanian, Counsellor (S&T),
Embassy of India, Bonn, Germany

Overseas Importers CDROM

Overseas Importers CDROM with Direcotory of Productwise Harmonised Codes is compiled from Electronic Trading Opportunities (ETOs) hosted on GTPNet and enquiries received by Indian Missions abroad. It contains the following:

n   Details of 35000 Overseas Importers
n   Search options on HS Code, Product and Country
n   User friendly format

Contact: National Centre for Trade Information, New Delhi at ncti[at]x400.nicgw.nic.in or visit their website at http://www.nctiindia.com for more details.

Library visitors prone to allergic disorders

Regular visits to libraries can make students or employees prone to allergic disorders, warns a study that says high levels of allergy causing fungal spores are present in the library air, reporeted PTI.

The study published in an international journal, Acrobiologia, suggests maintenance of libraries by using air-conditioners to lessen the risk of fungal infections on its users.

Seventy four different types of fungi were found in library air during studies at six libraries of Delhi by a team of scientists from the Centre for Biochemical Technology (CBT).

The most contaminated libraries were Vallabhai Patel Chest Library and National Medical Library which are naturally ventilated. British Council Library, a central air-conditioned library showed very low levels of fungi, the study said.

Compared to naturally ventilated libraries, an air-conditioned library shows lower concentration of spores. These fungi cause repiratory diseases like allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma in persons regularly exposed to them.

— SNAPSHOT, July-September 1998, p.28

INFLIBNETs Serial Holding Database

INFLIBNET is creating the databases of union catalogue of serial holdings and current serials of university libraries. 61 libraries have contributed the holding details of over 24000 serials during the last two years. The data so received has been authenticated and is now available online through INFLIBNET website at http://www.inflibnet. ernet.in. The centre has collected the Current Serials data from more than 150 universities, the authentication of which is in the final stage and the same will soon be available for online access.

— INFLIBNET Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 3, p.4

INFLIBNETs Search Engine for its databases

INFLIBNET has developed five union databases viz.books, theses, serials, experts and research projects using CDS/ISIS. To make an effective use of these databases, it has been decided to provide an online access, so that actual resource sharing could take place. For this purpose, the data available in these databases has now been transferred to a RDBMS (Sybase 11.01) using specially designed interfaces (compatible to ISO-2709 format).

Keeping in view the latest trends in IT towards Middle Tier Architecture i.e., to provide access to the databases on Internet using browsers, INFLIBNET has developed a search engine to access all above mentioned databases. The search engine can be accessed through http://www.inflibnet.ernet.in to search the above five databases.

— INFLIBNET Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 3, p.5

Newly funded universities under INFLIBNET

The University Grants Commission has funded 18 universities under INFLIBNET Programme during 1998-99 raising the total number of universities covered to 105. These universities include:

- Amravati University, Amravati
- Bangalore University, Bangalore
- BIT Mesra, Ranchi
- Cochin University of Science & Technology, Cochin
- Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
- Guru Jambheshwar University, Hissar
- Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Hardwar
- International Institute for Populaiton Sciecnes, Mumbai
- Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad
- Kumaun University, Nainital
- Maharshi Dayanand Sarswati University, Ajmer
- Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli
- National Law School of India, Bangalore
- North Gujarat University, Patan
- Nagaland University Campus, Kohima
- Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur
- Tezpur University, Assam
- Vidyasagar University, Midnapore

All these university libraries were given Rs. 6.5 lakhs as one time grant for the purchase of computers, network related equipments, subscribing to telephone lines and preparing the sites, etc.

These universities will also be suported for the first five years with a recurring grant to meet the salary of 'Information Scientist' (a post created specially to take care of INFLIBNET Programme implementation at respective universities), data entry work, telephone charges, consumables and maintenance charges.

Libraries funded under the Programme will have to sign Memorandum of Understanding, follow the guidelines with respect to database creation and automation of libraries given by the INFLIBNET. These libraries will also be provided with SOUL (Software for University Libraries) software.

To have a better understanding of the total responsibility of implementation, INFLIBNET Centre has organised a separate workshop at Ahmedabad from January 4-10, 1999 for Heads of University Libraries of these participating universities.

— Communication received from INFLIBNET