The CISCAI-PCU made Hanoi City as its second and final leg (after Vientiane, Laos PDR)  of the  projects  quarterly monitoring  activities.  The CISCAI-PCU team, which was led by Dr. Jose Edgardo Aban, CISCAI Project Coordinator and Mr. Bambang Wijayanto, CISCAI Systems Administrator held meetings with key Vietnamese counterparts from  June  1 to 4, 2009.

Among the salient points that were agreed upon during the meetings with Prof. Tran Bah Thai  and Mr. Vu  The Binh, Director and Deputy Director of NetNam, respectively,  were  the implementation  on  the use of  the IP-STAR*  portable  VSAT** ground receiving stations (GRS), for the  CISCAI projects requirements for  mobile  internet-via-satellite connectivity applications,  in tandem with the design and development of   mobile, on-the-fly WIMAX (Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Access) base stations. The  WIMAX and the IP-STAR GRS will be  retrofitted on a vehicle  to  be  provided by and through the courtesy of  the National Institute of Health and Epidemiology (NIHE) of the Vietnam Ministry of Health. 

 

On June 2, Tuesday, detailed technical presentations were made by Mr. Ong Tran Kiem Dung and  Mr. Nguyen Bao Trung, Director and Deputy Director, respectively,  of  the Information and Communication Technology Department for Natural Resources and Environment (CIREN) of the  Vietnam Ministry  of Natural Resources and  Environment.  The presentations highlighted the use of mobile geographic information systems (GIS) and the application  of  Free Open Source Software (FOSS) on the CISCAI project. The use of FOSS and GIS are  two key features   which would make CISCAI project highly replicable in many member states of  ASEAN. 

Likewise, the CISCAI PCU Team on several occasions, met with other key Vietnamese stakeholders, among whom were  with  Dr.  Vu Dinh Thiem, Dr. Mr. Nguyen Cong Khanh both of the NIHE; with Dr. Tran Ngoc Thang,  Director of Planning, International Cooperation and Science Division and  Dr. Van Dang Ky, Chief of  Epidemiology Division, Vietnam  Department of Animal Health (DAH). (CISCAI-PCU)

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