The First CISCAI  WiMAX Engineering Workshop  was successfully  held from 16-20 March  2009, at the  Mahanakorn Gypsum Building  Training Center National Electronics and Computer  Technology Center (NECTEC) in Bangkok,   Thailand. The Workshop was co-organized by the ASEAN Foundation with the National Electronics and Computer  Center (NECTEC) of Thailand.  The workshop was aimed at  increasing  the human resource capability of key   partner agencies,  in the area of information and communications technologies or ICT,  and  in support of the on-going project Communication and Information Systems for the Control of Avian Influenza (CISCAI).

The maiden Workshop provided the necessary background knowledge on the technology called Wireless Interoperability  for Microwave Access, more popularly known as WIMAX, for implementing and administering securely and effectively, the numerous CISCAI wireless systems that  are being put in place during the implementation of the project, which include  servers and computer networks. The 4-day workshop was  co-organized and facilitated Dr. Kitti Wongthavarawat and his team  from  NECTECs Wireless Innovation & Security Technology Laboratory (WIS) and ThaiCERT. The workshop included lectures as well as hand-on training exercises. 

The workshop was formally opened by Ms. Kullaprapa Navanugraha, Senior Director  of NECTECs Program Management Office. In her welcoming speech, she stressed on the importance  of the  CISCAI project in possibly helping the ASEAN countries avert the effects of  Avian Influenza (AI) and other animal borne diseases.  She also  expressed  NECTEC  managements full  support  to the CISCAI project, and  conveyed   NECTECs  willingness  to assist in any way possible, towards the achievement of CISCAIs goals and its successful implementation.

All in all,  there were eight participants in the Workshop  who consisted of  computer network engineers from the Information  Technology Research Institute (ITRI)  of Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and the NetNam Corporation of Viet Nam,  namely:  Mr. Wangthanousith Bouaphanh, Mr. Phonepaseuth Soulinthone, Ms. Kittisack Pasomsouk, Ms. Boualee Thammavongsy, Mr. Nguyen Quang Thanh, Mr. Tran Tuan Son, Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh, and Mr. Do Ngoc Quang.

This  team of engineers   will be in charged of testing and administering  the CISCAI WiMAX network   in their respective countries.  

The Workshop was also broadcasted live over the Internet, using video  streaming technology and protocols  developed in-house by Mr. Bambang  Wijayanto, CISCAI Systems Administrator. The live  video stream could be considered as monumental, since it was a first-of-a-kind technology adopted and implemented in any of ASEAN Foundations previous events. The internet viewership response was quite significant. There were    134 viewers  during the whole length of  the 4-day workshop, who  hooked up to  this live video feed. Due to its huge success, similar video streaming technologies will be implemented  in future CISCAI events. 

The event  is the first of two technical  WiMAX engineering workshops that will be conducted  during the duration of the CISCAI project.  The second CISCAI WiMAX Engineering Workshop will be held sometime in  November this year, also under the auspices of NECTEC in Thailand. 

(CISCAI-PCU)