CRC researchers can communicate better with their research partners in Canada and abroad through weekly videoconference sessions; a four-way videoconference, taking place in the CRC BADLAB, is depicted here.

Working with partners across the ocean and in another time zone doesn’t keep the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC) from making that all-important, personal connection. A group of researchers at CRC are maximizing the quality of communication with both local and international project partners, through the use of several high-tech tools.

The CRC researchers hold videoconference sessions with three other partners – the University of Ottawa, a Montreal-based start-up called Inocybe Technologies Inc. and the i2CAT Foundation, a technology lab based at the Technical University of Catalonia in Spain. During the sessions, which take place once a week and can last up to three hours, the four groups share information about their common project goal – the development of a next-generation User-Controlled LightPath (UCLP) software program.

UCLP is a new technology that fundamentally changes the current approach to the management and control of optical Internet networks. By using UCLP software, users have the ability to create and manage their own private optical networks, and can increase their level of bandwidth and quality of service by drawing on resources from more than one supplier. This type of network flexibility is especially important for communities of users who generate huge amounts of data, such as scientists sharing information about high energy physics, astronomy and bio-informatics.

For consumers, UCLP offers the potential for increasing the quality of high-definition video conferencing, as well as improving virtual learning applications. These are both situations where high quality audio and video, with minimal delay, are extremely important.

In addition to weekly videoconference sessions, the researchers stay connected daily by a voice-over IP system called Skype. Using this tool with a personal computer, a researcher from CRC can instantly initiate a conversation with any colleague using Skype, and even engage in a multi-point conference session. This enables information to be shared quickly between Ottawa and Spain, for example, without the need to craft an e-mail or place a long-distance phone call. Festoon, a plug-in for Skype, also offers optional video capabilities. CRC researchers praise the tools, emphasizing that they wouldn’t be nearly as productive without them.

Under the terms of the project, which is funded by CANARIE Inc., CRC and its partners are aiming to deliver a working, open-source UCLP system by the end of June. This will be the second version of UCLP software that CRC has participated in developing.

*For more information about CRC’s work with User-Controlled LightPath (UCLP) software, please contact Scott Campbell at scott.campbell@crc.gc.ca.