KnowledgeBoard Technical Newswire #9 - 8 May 2006 http://www.knowledgeboard.com - Your Global KM Community Editor's note

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Welcome to our technical newswire #9, considering Wi-Max technology and an application of it in healthcare, researched and written by Fulvio Iavernaro. As usual, this newswire is only a sample of the work; for the full article and comments, please visit KnowledgeBoard: http://www.knowledgeboard.com/item/2701 We have our own collaborative bookmarks folder for the technical SIG here: http://del.icio.us/KBTechSIG Best regards, Ed Mitchell KnowledgeBoard editor mailto:editor@knowledgeboard.com   Introduction: Wi-Max

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In 2002, a consortium for the promotion of Wi-Max technology was born in collaboration with Intel, Siemens, Alcatel, Fujitsu, Sumitomo Electric, Redline Communications, Wavesat and many producers of devices and semi-conductors such as Alvarion and Flarion, and, later, some big telecommunications companies like British Telecom, France Telecom and Qwest. The objective of the Wi-Max consortium is to promote the creation of wireless networks with high bandwidth and throughput using a global standard and to certifying the adaptability of products and technologies by releasing unique protocols, products certification and qualification for test laboratories. Wi-Max technology uses a wide range of features to ensure the safe exchange of data: data authentication by the Subscriber Station by use of certificate; user authentication by the Extensible Authentication Protocols; data encryption by using Data Encryption Standard or Advanced Encryption Standard that seem to be more safe than the previous WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) used in WLAN. A possible application: the virtual healthcare district

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The process of integration of ICTs in Health, also known as e- Health (Oh et al., 2005), has played a key role in improving health and healthcare system. Although, as underlined by Landoni (2003), there are important aspects related to the success and failure of telemedicine projects, flexibility being maybe the most important, that is necessary to cope with in a highly changing environment. The relevant technological progress of telecommunications, computer science, biomedical and diagnostic technologies in Healthcare, allowed e-health to become reality by providing a wider integration and cooperation of all the functions and components of the Health Care system... Moreover, the high efficiency, both in uplink and downlink, decreases data loss during the transmission and this ensures the integrity of medical information (data and images) during the transfer. A ubiquitous communication network could then empower physicians, ambulances, patients, sanitary structures, etc., and allow them to exchange and share valuable information from each point inside a wide metropolitan area, creating the so-called Virtual Healthcare District. But it does not stop there! (Ed). The article goes on to explore future directions and applications for Wi-Max. Please follow this link for the full article: http://www.knowledgeboard.com/item/2701 COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Copyright (C) 2006 KnowledgeBoard. All rights reserved. May be reproduced in any medium for non-commercial purposes as long as attribution is given to http://www.knowledgeboard.com. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION   This newsletter has been sent to you because you have requested it. If this is incorrect and you no longer wish to receive it, email mailto:unsubscribe@knowledgeboard.com. In the TITLE of the email type: "unsubscribe KB-Technical-Wire". To subscribe to the KB fortnightly community newswire, email mailto:subscribe@knowledgeboard.com. In the TITLE of the message type: "subscribe KNOWLEDGEBOARD-NEWSWIRE". Make sure your email address is the same as the one to which your KnowledgeBoard Newswires are subscribed. Alternatively, you can update your subscriptions by visiting the Profile page and selecting the "My Services" link: http://www.knowledgeboard.com/profile KnowledgeBoard, 100 Victoria Street, Bristol, UK, BS1 6HZ Tel: 44 117 915 9600 Fax: 44 117 915 9630 http://www.knowledgeboard.com