Messages from the Organizers of the Workshop on Emergency and Lifeline Support of the Internet

Over the past few years, the Internet has been revolutionizing the way we communicate by technical advances such as fiber optic networks, high-speed IP switching, DSL and CATV broadband accesses, along with the increasing performance of PCs and workstations. This growth has helped to identify the need for the Internet to support a broader scope of communications.

Recent events have shown that the way of communication via the Internet can be more effective in natural disasters, power outages, fiber cable cuts, etc. where telephone services may not work. E-mails and WWW-based information exchange can be robust and invulnerable due to the Internet's flexible routing and information transfer. The Internet is expected to support communications when emergency situations occur.

On the other hand, the Internet is also expected to improve lifeline communications. As an example, emergency calls conveyed by e-mails or instant messages can also include locations, based on GPS, and the time they occur, by which ambulance and hospitals may advance their treatment. These features will be of help in further securing our social welfare and infrastructure.

This Workshop may be the first occasion to address this theme, and is intended to share knowledge and exchange ideas, thereby promoting studies and researches. 

Workshop Organizers :

	Hideki Sunahara
	Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
	suna@wide.ad.jp

	Katsuyuki Yamazaki
	KDDI Labs., Japan
	ymzk@kddilabs.jp