# Minutes GAIA group at IETF 114 {#minutes-gaia-group-at-ietf-114} * Date: 2022-07-27 (Wednesday) * Time: 14:00 UTC (GMT/UTC) 120 mins * Documents: https://datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/114/session/gaia # Welcome {#welcome} Agenda Bashing, Minutes taker, Blue Sheets, etc. (10 min) Introduction of a new co-chair, Kurtis Heimerl, welcome! Leandro will plan to step down after this meeting but still participate. # Satellite-integrated community networks {#satellite-integrated-community-networks} Peng Hu, University of Waterloo https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/slides-114-gaia-satellite-integrated-community-networks/ Starlink and OneWeb constellations, current low-earth-orbit satellite Internet providers. have global coverage. Satellite platforms driven by decreased costs of satellite launches; potentially very small/light satellites (shoebox-size) Some new satellite platforms proposed, with high bandwidth. Satellite a key option for community networks on global scale; has the most coverage possible. 3gpp considering integration of leo satellites into 5G. Notes that some organizations like ISOC have LEOs in their action plan with respect to Community Networks (CNs). Presenter notes that LEOs could be part of an integrated CN systems and are called SICNs in this presentation. Network management gap is key to address, and presentation posits that autonomous maintenance is critical, a hierarchical approach to self-maintenance should be part of SITNs. Introduced a case study with Mininet VMs ith FRRouting stack for BGP and Zebra dump parser. Results show that promising ML algorithms are available. Also performance improvements for a hierarchical approach. Conclusions SICNs provide possible future options for community coverage. Q From Rajeev: Noting the "coverage map" on Slide 8, it seems overly sparse for dense areas of the US. A: Graph is based on specific data and their definitions. Q from Kurtis: Failure does not required ML, usually it is the power. We are going into the community to run courses about the technology. How does this fit into your vision of creating resilient network? A: Lots of different networks with lots of different failure modes. Some can be helped by ML. No "one-size-fits-all" solution to resiliance. Q from John: Are you concerned about "space junk" or is that out of scope? A: Not out of scope, very concerning. Q from Nabil: You used mininet for simulation. It has scaling issues. Could use Linux namespace instead. A: Thanks for the info. # Resilient Education Information Infrastructure for the New Normal (REIINN) project {#resilient-education-information-infrastructure-for-the-new-normal-reiinn-project} Philip A. Martinez, Philippines' Department of Science and Technology https://datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/114/materials/slides-114-gaia-resilient-education-information-infrastructure-for-the-new-normal-reiinn-project-00 Project REIINN. Lots of areas missing Internet connectivity which doesn't allow for remote learning during COVID. Use UHF to provide LTE service to remote areas and provide education content. LokaLTE architecture is described. Broadcast educational content through specialized UEs "set top box". Implementation challenges discussed including permits, import restrictions, and redunancy. Questions/comments include how to connect and share learnings. Kurtis asked about how to provide information and education on how to join the internet, how the technology works and issues like what is fake news. # N50 Digital Inclusion Pilot @Luumbo, Zambia {#n50-digital-inclusion-pilot-luumbo-zambia} R. K. Rajeev, picoNETS N50 Partner & Kevin Schwartz, GeeksWithoutFrontiers N50 Lead Partner https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/slides-114-gaia-ietf114-gaia-n50-intro-luumbo-pilot/ Kevin: n50 project is a consortium of organizations focused on the usage gap -- there are many barriers, not just access, but lack of applications or costs. Demonstrate novel, replicable solutions that include services that support the adoption of broadband; models that communities can replicate with other partners. Curating projects, and matching partners as needed for each project and community. Pilot project in Luumbo, Zambia: 4000 residents, mostly subsistence farmers. Rajeev: factors including costs, digital literacy. pilot project in a small-knit community so that we can clearly see the impact of interventions. working with a telco in that area, which was currently 2g or spotty 3g. observed how the community responded to the rollout of 4g access. Seeding the community with 4g capable devices, in particular the school or healthcare. Collecting usage data on trends. Next, the content side: with access and devices, what will the people actually consume? want to provide specific, relevant content that is accessible at a reasonable cost. AMN provided a 4g tower, with a satellite backhaul which is a constrained network. Made a replicable stack for the local tower: including radio, CDN and caching, content providers. Education is important; but also a commercial FM station which has financial and agricultural content; religious content; health. Keeping costs low and technology simple so that adding a small site is feasible for a telco. Reporting on how digital utilization grows for different interventions over a 2+ year project. Goal is a sustained improvement in digital literacy and engagement. Highly replicable existing tech stack, a template that should be deployable in any small community. Applications are relevant to the community and to the schools, who have access to lessons/materials they didn't before. Health clinic and remote health services has increased timeliness of health services. Sustainability plan in place from the start; needs a business model that will be worthwhile for businesses to continue to invest. Committed to exit strategies, n50 doesn't want to be a provider for the long term, or create a dependency situation. Whitepaper, and hearing interest in repeating this model in other settings, with other content focus (e.g. agriculture): https://www.n50project.org/luumbo Leandro: technology can bring benefits but also risks. how does it change power structure in the community? new jobs in maintaining infrastructure? have you tried independent analysis of the impact to ensure that the overall impact is positive? Kevin: k12 adoption of computers has demonstrated good and bad. but communities that don't have access are increasingly marginalized because other communities are adopting; disconnected communities are already being negatively effected. try to be purposeful about applying it in the way that the community wants. \[...\] currently focusing on the positive outcomes that we can get. Rajeev: early step was community liaison, prior to technical or measurement work. unless the community feels involved in both planning and execution, there won't be buy-in on the potential of the project. avoiding "helicopter" approach that drops in devices. multiple meetings with the community to understand what they wanted and how to do it safely, so that you don't have to worry about negative effects, including social impacts of jealousy about different deployments. devices come with agreements to participate, so it isn't a device for-free. highly participatory model. Leandro: important findings from ict4d research community to incorporate assessment in the perspective of replication. Kevin: re chat q (Adrian Farrel), project is about adoption by individuals, not just leaders. Sometimes community tends to go to leaders, but n50 insists on getting to children, families, individuals in the community. Leandro: sharing power as a way of helping everyone in the community, but an ongoing challenge. Jane: +1 for community-based approach. recent work in the US. people can often "parachute in", which doesn't create sustainability. planning grants for small networks, bringing in a variety of people in the community is essential, to avoid single points of failure, both in the tech and in the community. how to assess "community readiness"? need different tracks of learning simultaneously. Kevin: experience working with tribal communities in the US. one of the first questions is 'who are you and how long will you be here?' sustainability is a necessary trust-building operation. project curation: community readiness, partner readiness. lots more to talk about (on website or later). # Overall discussion {#overall-discussion} Rajeev: technical solutions of integration with telcos and deep edge caching might be useful start for technical standards or best practices that could become an RFC. where in IETF are community network standards being developed? Leandro: RFCs not a marketing tool, hard to reach non-technical audiences. Rajeev: want to make these projects lower-risk, higher-return so that they can be scaled. Leandro: there is a useful gaia RFC in the past, but community networks, there may be solutions that are well-adapted to those environments. some work on low- connections, energy-related. Leandro: information-centric networking; human rights protocol considerations; decentralized internet -- meetings tomorrow may be relevant. Kevin: completely different solutions for displaced people in/around Ukraine. millions of people. shipping containers with networking, power that can be moved and re-connected. service provided around the container (equipment, not people, inside). can provide wayfinding services so it's useful for people to find info from local agencies. Leandro: relevant project: https://www.computeraid.org/work-projects/projects/our-solar-learning-labs Kurtis: thanks to presenters and notetakers. Gaia a good place for giving presentations like these. Jane: join gaia list if you haven't. could explore/update RFC. * * * \[other presentations not available today\] * Subsea data centers Maxie Reynolds, Subseacloud.com * HolistIX for IXP https://holistix.iijlab.net Marc Bruyere, U Tokio # AOB: Chairs/All {#aob-chairsall} See overall discussion above.