EUR-OCEANS Web Conference tool

An efficient way to broadcast lectures online and interact with a wider global audience

Think carbon footprint reduction!Think money saving!

CO2

CO2

CO2

$ £ €

IMBER used the Web broadcast tool twice:

1) CLIMECO, a training for young scientistsApril 2008, Brest, France

Broadcast led by EUR-OCEANS staff with “EUR-OCEANS WebConference tool” Doubled our audience to the lectures

2) E2E EcoModel Summer School August 2008, Ankara, Turkey

Broadcast led by local organizers with a tool developed by METU

What is EUR-OCEANS Web broadcast tool?

• “Web conference tool” was develop by the EUR-OCEANS communication team

• Gives the ability to stream live video of meetings, conferences, lectures etc….

• A worldwide audience can follow the talk from home and interact through a Q & A session

• Possibility to use it on all platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OS …). All it takes is a computer, a camera, a microphone and an internet connection.

Video window: Lecturer talkingQ&A window

presentation

http://www.eur-oceans.info/live/player.php

What it looks like?

How it works?

Lecturer and local audience

Broadcaster

Flash streaming server

Internet

Viewers aroundthe world

Local network

Solutions and Costs

Option 1: EUR-OCEANS webconference tool as used during CLIMECO.

Provides:• Capacity for web meetings: 10 platforms max• Capacity for summer schools: 150 connections, Q&A system, recording of lectures still in development

Pros: cheap when split between EUROCEANS and IMBER; The IT guy from IUEM continues development

Cons: no professional technical support; service is as good as the userIPO must be trained

Cost for 2009: 1728€ VAT included

Equipment: a microphone, a webcam, a decent laptop over 1000€

Option 2: An alternative Web conference tool, provided at IUEM, proposed by the developers and by Oceanopolis

Provides:• Capacity for web meetings: 10 platforms max• Capacity for summer schools: Q&A system, recording done by user, 2-150 connections

Pros: full technical support

Cons: cheap for Web meetings, but limited summer school capacity; expensive to have both!

Cost for 2009:- 2 to 20 connections = 866€ VAT included + 0.36€ per user per min (120min meeting of 10 platforms = 400€ plus the monthly charge!)

- 21 to 150 connections = 3500€ per year

Equipment: a microphone, a webcam, a decent laptop over 1000€

Solutions and Costs

Option 3: Professional sound & image for Summer Schools or Conferences

Option as you see AAAS and AGU do all the time, example at http://webtv.illipack.com/

Provides:• No web meetings capacity• Capacity for summer schools: full service, 150 connections, re-transmission

Pros: full service provided, re-transmission of summer schools, optimal quality and back-up

Cons: high price! (CLIMECO would have cost 10 000€)

Cost PER DAY: 2000€ VAT not included for a professional staff of 5-6

Solutions and Costs

Pros ConsIncreases the audience for free Quality depends on the internet

connection

Facilitates participation of scientists from developing countries

Quality depends on the material

Decreases the travel costsEx: good for an Exec Meeting

Quality depends on technical support: service is as good as

the user

Decreases the Carbon footprint Requires a full time person during the meeting, dedicated to

this duty.

Simple material required: a computer, a good webcam, a micro, an internet connection

The user must have good technical knowledge of the tool

Cheap …. …or expensive, depending on the chosen option

IMBER would like to use this system (or a comparable system) for next training activities or

conferences.

but there is an associated cost and technical constrains!

QUESTIONS FROM IMBER

Did the other projects use this kind of tools?Experience from every projects? Is there a sustainable need from each project?

If there is a need, maybe SCOR could:

1) bring a financial contribution

or

2) develop a tool or work with a company ( as SCOR did with Conf Manager for meeting organization).

Other slides if needed:Technical aspect

Technical Aspect

System based on “The Flash Streaming”

The main advantage is the possibility to use it on all platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OS …). Moreover it is less expensive than video conference systems requiring the renting of a RTC line and specialized material.Indeed, an Internet connection, a webcam and a microphone plugged on the computer are only needed.

The three components

The system is composed of three inter-dependant components:

The Broadcaster is responsible for creating and producing the content to be broadcast over the internet, audio and/or video and making it available to the content distributor. Generally through an Encoder and broadband connection to the distributor network.

The Content Distributor (server) is responsible for accessing your broadcast, and delivering it effectively to your audience.

The purpose of any internet broadcast is to deliver the best possible experience to an audience, and to make it as easy as possible for them

to view a broadcast. All a viewer (or listener) needs to do is click on a hyperlink in a website, or in an email, to automatically begin receiving the broadcaster's stream (through the distributor). The viewer will need to have an internet connection with enough bandwidth to receive the data at the same rate you are broadcasting at, and have a player installed that is able to play the broadcast .

The broadcaster view

-Internet connection: 256kb upload and 512kb download

- Equipment: Computer :

1 Pentium 4, 500Mb RAM, Windows XP (for the Encoder or the Player) 1 Centrino, 1G RAM, Windows XM (for the broadcaster)

Webcam with high quality image: minimum price ~70 €

Unidirectional Microphone

-Service of a flash streaming server (2 solutions): Limited number of connections and high pass band (in our case, 150 simultaneous connections and 3Gb total pass band cost 150€ per month including all the pass band used by the broadcaster, and the viewers).or Limited pass band for a unlimited number of connections.

Technical features for an optimal broadcast

How it works

Control room