Six
concurrent tracks will cover different aspects of Information
and Communication technologies, with plenaries for topics of
general interest. This aims to form a critical mass of professionals
in networking technologies, information processing, network
services, and project management to foster Internet utilization
in the Latin-American and Caribbean countries, with emphasis
on educational, health improvement and productivity enhancement.
The
Latin American Networking School was established to respond
to the need for training Latin Americans in the design, installation,
management and administration of Computer Networks at the service
of Academic Centers. It has the support of the Abdus Salam International
Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) of Trieste, Italy, and
has become a permanent organization for the development of Information
Technologies. Located in Merida, Venezuela, it has offered five
main events during the years of 1992, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2001
drawing from a group of highly qualified instructors from North
America and Europe, which attracted a large number of participants
from Latin America and the Caribbean Region (AL&C). EsLaRed
had a key role in the organization of the I, II, III, IV and
V Latin American and Caribbean Workshops on Internet Technologies
in Rio de Janeiro on July 1998, in Merida, Venezuela in 1999,
México D.F. in July 2000, in Merida Venezuela, in 2001
and again in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in May 2002.
Objectives
of the conference:
Achieve a critical mass of professionals in networking infrastructure,
information transmission, integrated network services, new technologies
to help in the expansion of activities related to the Internet
development in the Latin American and Caribbean countries, with
emphasis on educational, health improvement and productivity
enhancement.
• Establish and improve individual and institutional links
among the key actors in Information Technologies, Educational
institutions and ONGs.
• Identify and reinforce individual and institutional
links for national and regional activities based on Internet.
• Assess the improvements on Education, Productivity,
Health, Gender Equality and Governance that can be garnered
by a judicious use of IT.
• Address the actions to be taken to diminish the Digital
Divide.
Main
conference activities:
Plenaries
with key actors in ICT in Latin America, followed by hands-on
workshops in six different tracks that address specific topics,
making use of ad hoc laboratory equipment and the facilities
of the Academic Network of Universidad de los Andes, which
includes Gigabit Ethernet, ATM, TDM and wireless networks.
Size
of the conference:
We
expect to have 200 participants from 20 Latin American and Caribbean
countries; 30 instructors from USA, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Type
of participants in the conference in general:
The
participants must be involved in planning activities and Internet
establishment in their home countries, in the development of
a local network or international services, or work in the public
and educational sector, as well as in non-governmental or civil
organizations. The technicians and professionals of the social
sciences will have the opportunity to interact and build ties
that span many countries with a common underlying culture and
language.
Workshop participants from previous events, may attend if they
select a different program that the one in which they assisted
previously, or if they present a clear justification to repeat
a previous program.
