News for and about the Internet2 community

[Greg Wood <>]

Contacts:
Mike Savic              
VBrick Systems
(203) 265-0101


EDUCATORS WORLDWIDE "BOLDLY GO" UNDERWATER TO NEW ENGLAND SEAMOUNTS

VBrick Systems’ Award-Winning Networked Video Appliances Bring
Video of Deep-Sea Research to Life

WOODS HOLE, MA – May 17, 2004 – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) flagship, the Ronald H. Brown, left the port of 
Woods Hole, MA last week to begin what will be a 17-day expedition to 
explore the New England Seamount Chain.  From May 8th through May 25th, 
the expedition, supported by the NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration, 
will journey out to the “Mountains in the Sea” that lie to the southeast 
of Georges Bank in the Atlantic Ocean.  As the dive team explores the 
peaks and valleys of these underwater mountains, students worldwide will 
be able to witness it all firsthand thanks to VBrick Systems, Inc. 
(www.VBrick.com).  VBrick Systems, the premier provider of digital video 
solutions, has provided their innovative video appliances to expand the 
reach of the expedition so that live exploration footage is available as 
it happens to educators and students worldwide.

The expedition will take place along the chain of seamounts that stretch 
for over 500 miles and feature underwater peaks that rise 12,000 feet 
from the seafloor.  A team consisting of technicians and educators, and 
led by scientists from the University of Connecticut and the University 
of Maine will dive on the mountains’ features with a pair of Remotely 
Operated Vehicles (ROVs) owned and operated by Mystic Aquarium and the 
Institute for Exploration in Mystic, CT.  The ROVs will send images of 
the ancient deep sea volcanoes up to the ship and over a satellite 
system provided by the EDS Corporation to shore.  VBrick Systems’ video 
solutions have enabled the expedition’s crew to stream this live video 
from the ROVs to the World Wide Web and to the Internet2, giving 
students and educators alike the chance to immerse themselves virtually 
into the excitement of live exploration and discovery.

“While we made great advances with last year’s expedition, there is 
still much to be learned,” said Ivar Babb, University of Connecticut’s 
National Undersea Research Center Director.  “We strongly believe that 
the excitement and adventure of this expedition should not be limited to 
a select few.  That is why we are glad to partner with VBrick Systems to 
utilize their technology and the Internet so that everyone who is 
interested can be involved.”

Working in conjunction with the University of Connecticut and the 
Connecticut Education Network, VBrick has implemented a website 
(www.explorethesea.com) to make live video of the expedition available 
worldwide over the Internet and Internet2.  Streaming video from the 
expedition site will be available to the public worldwide for 12 hours a 
day from May 17th through May 24th.

To further engage viewers, students and educators at schools and 
universities will have the opportunity to participate in an hour-long, 
live chat via the website (www.explorethesea.com) each day.  The online 
chat will enable teachers and students at more than 40 schools in the 
northeast region of the United States and educational institutions in 
the Internet2 consortium to ask questions of the crew in a real-time 
setting.

“Last year’s Black Sea expedition proved to be truly groundbreaking, and 
yielded a great amount of new information benefiting students and 
scientists all over the world,” said Richard Mavrogeanes, Founder and 
Chief Technology Officer of VBrick Systems, Inc. “This year we wanted to 
help the expedition not only provide live video, but also add a 
universal element of interaction to the experience.  An important aspect 
of the mission is that technology no longer gets in the way of the 
important work marine researchers and educators do. Students and 
educators fortunate enough to have access to the Internet2 can view the 
live mission via IP multicast in spectacular MPEG-2 format with true 
DVD-quality, while those with conventional Internet connections can view 
the mission using our MPEG-4 webcast technology, provided in conjunction 
with our partner PowerStream”.

In August 2003, VBrick Systems provided robust, reliable video solutions 
for a similar expedition that investigated the ancient deep-sea 
shipwrecks at the bottom of the Black Sea conducted by Mystic Aquarium 
and the Institute for Exploration.  VBrick Systems provided several 
portable, reliable networked video appliances, webcasting, and the 
critical expertise that allowed the deep-sea exploration to have a 
worldwide live audience via the Internet and Internet2.

About VBrick Systems, Inc.
VBrick Systems, Inc. manufactures simple, reliable video solutions that 
enhance communications and reduce costs for organizations large and 
small. VBrick enables enterprises to benefit from high quality visual 
communications through networked video appliances. VBrick MPEG video 
solutions provide the simplest and most dependable visual communications 
to businesses, educational institutions and government agencies ranging 
in use from distributing news and information and distance learning to 
training and surveillance. Based in Wallingford, Connecticut, USA, 
VBrick Systems' products are distributed through industry-leading 
value-added resellers, system integrators and distributors.  Find out 
more at www.VBrick.com.

About NOAA
NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety 
through research to better understand atmospheric and climate 
variability and to manage wisely our nation's coastal and marine 
resources. Learn more about NOAA at: http://www.noaa.gov.

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