The final report of the project 'AMINE' The Asia Pacific Medical Information Network using with ETS-V

Volunteer groups led by the Tokai University School of Medicine and the Tel emedicine Society of Japan (a Non-Governmental Organization) worked from 19 92 to 1996 to successfully develop a medical network spanning the Asia Paci fic region using the ETS-V Satellite. The effort was part of the Partners p roject, sponsored by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. From 25 ground stations, l inks to the telemedical network were installed at medical institutions at n o cost. The stations included five in Papua New Guinea, five in Thailand, f our in Cambodia, four in Fiji, one in China, and six in Japan. Designed exc lusively for medical applications, the network was operated free of charge for users at these sites. While the 16-kHz FM-based (Frequency Modulation-b ased) network limited applications to the transmission of color still image s and audio and packet networking, the project still achieved impressive re sults. The network allowed liberal and independent use of international com munications, local communications, teleconferences, and teleconsultations, without requiring a hub station. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.