Multimedia Satellite Network System for Communication between Immersive Indoor and Outdoor Environments

We developed a multimedia satellite network system based on the Internet protocol (IP) and personal computers. The system enables collaborative distance education between outdoor and indoor environments. Integration of IP technologies and satellite communications enhances the flexibility of the network system. The satellite communication system enables communicating to and from outdoor environments where terrestrial infrastructures do not exist or are poor. Personal-computer-based systems allow use of currently available software and make outdoor systems portable and easy to install outdoors. We developed some software modules for collaborative distance education. Their functions include IP multicast communications and distributed shared focus presentation such as shared pointers, and they work on personal computers. We conducted an experiment for collaborative distance education between a farm and an immersive display environment by using the multimedia satellite communication system and a transportable earth station outdoors. The experiment shows that our system can be used for collaborative distance education between outdoor and indoor environments, and achieves an enhanced collaborative environment.