What is KolaNet?

The KolaNet consortia is an open and informal consortia of independent organisations joined by common interests in establishing an Internet Communications Infrastructure for the Barents Region and to promote significant application projects, such as environmental monitoring, mapping and management, that are likely to benefit from an improved telecommunications infrastructure

• Definition and Scope of Kolanet Programme
• Current Partners of the Kolanet Programme
• Kolanet Programme Status Report'95

Definition and Scope of Kolanet Programme

The Kolanet Programme aims at creating a distributed network of environmental databases, files and documents spanning the countries, and cities of the Barents Region. The initial focus will be the establishment of an integrated network of monitoring stations for radiation measurements linked with computer databases for the analysis of real-time information, and high-speed telephone network connections with emergency and crisis management centres.

In the medium to longer term it is intended to extend the application of the Kolanet to cover ALL aspects and perspectives of the Barents Regional Environment. These would include the levels of chemicals, toxic gases, heavy metals and atmospheric particles within the Barents regional eco-systems of the lakes, forests, rivers and seas.

It is intended to use the Internet as the basic communications infrastructure for the Kolanet in order to support the open flow of environmental information between the countries and cities of the Barents Region. In addition, special dedicated circuits within the telephone network will be used to support the high-speed alarm services that would be necessary to execute emergency procedures in the case of a nuclear or environmental accident within the region.

Current Partners of the Kolanet Programme

The existing members of the Kolanet Programme include the following organizations :

RUSSIA

1. Institute of Ecological Problems of the North (INEP), Kola Science Centre, Apatity
2. Mayor's office, Apatity City Administration
3. Murmansk Ecological Committee, Murmansk
4. Murmansk Hydromet, Murmansk
5. Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Russia
6. Petrozavodsk State University, Karelia
7. Ministry of Environmental Protection (MinPriroda), Moscow
8. Typhoon Centre, Hydromet, Obninsk, Moscow Region
9. The Kola Regional Ecological Information Center Ekonord
10. Arkhangelsk Ecological Committee, Arkhangel
11. Marine Biological Institute, Murmansk
12. Institute for Seismic Research, Kola Science Centre, Apatity
13. Kola Atomic Power Station, Polarnye Zori, Murmansk Region
14. Kolatelecom, Murmansk, Russia
15. NetSL, Network Solutions, Murmansk
16. CREDO Geographical Information Systems, St. Petersburg
17. EMERCOM, Murmansk Regional Headquarters
18. Khibiny Technical College, Kirovsk, Murmansk Region
19. Khlopin Radium Institute,St.Petersburg

NORWAY

1. Svanhovd Environmental Centre, Svanvik, NORWAY
2. Norwegian NORSAR Centre, Oslo, NORWAY

GERMANY

1. Dornier/Dasa Environmental Group, Friedrichshafen, GERMANY

ENGLAND

1. DIGITAL Equipment Corporation, Reading, ENGLAND

FINLAND

1. Lapland Regional Environment Centre, Rovaniemi, FINLAND

SWEDEN

1. Swedish Defense Research Establishment, Umea, SWEDEN

Kolanet Programme Status Report

The Kolanet Programme was initiated during November 1994, and "officially" launched during the Barents Regional IT Conference in Kirkenes, Norway during March 1995.

Kolanet Workshops were held during June, September and November 1995, and hosted by INEP, Kola Science Centre in the city of Apatity, Murmansk Region, Russia. It is hoped that future workshops and events will be hosted by other members of the Kolanet Association within other cities and countries of the Barents Region of the Northern Europe.

Kolanet Training courses were held during March 95 in Svanhovd, Norway (12 students) and more recently during November/December 1995 in Apatity, Russia (21 students). These in-depth technical courses cover all the necessary background for the establishment of networked computing systems based upon open Internet standards and software.

The final significant concrete result from the completion of the 1st year of the "official" Kolanet Programme is the creation of the 1st Kolanet World-Wide-Web Site (WWW) within the Institute for Ecological Problems, Kola Science Centre. Apatity. This web-site is connected to the Norsar Satellite Station that links Apatity and Oslo (64kbit/sec). This database will contain all relevant information on the Kolanet Programme together with images and text on the cities and environment of the Kola Peninsula, Russia.

During the recent November '95 Kolanet Workshop, the team had in-depth discussions on a range of topics together with an initial review of the proposed budget for the coming years 1996/1997.