Pacific Educational Computer Network Study. Final Report.

The Pacific Educational Computer Network Feasibility Study examined technical and non-technical aspects of the formation of an international Pacific Area computer network for higher education. The technical study covered the assessment of the feasibility of a packet-switched satellite and radio ground distribution network for data transmission between computers and terminals in widely dispersed areas. The theory that a satellite operating on a broadcast mode could reasonably service a variety of institutions in the Pacific led to experimental data transmission and exchanges of working papers on hardware development and protocols between universities in Hawaii, Alaska, Japan, New Zealand and Korea. Non-technical efforts were concentrated in determining the level of interest in undertaking network development, the kinds of equipment existing in Pacific Rim institutions, possible uses of the computer network, and an investigation into the organizational, political, and financial aspects of the formation of such a network. (Author)