In December 1996, leaders of the governments of the Americas met at the Santa Cruz (Bolivia) Summit on Sustainable Development. Government leaders recognized the importance of reliable and accurate information on biodiversity in decision making and the need for cooperation among the countries of the Western Hemisphere to link information sources together. Summit leaders agreed to: Seek to establish an Inter-American Biodiversity Network (IABIN), primarily through the Internet, that will promote compatible means of collection, communication, and exchange of information relevant to decision-making and education on biodiversity conservation and that build upon such initiatives as the Clearing-House Mechanism provided for in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the Man and Biosphere network (MABNET Americas), and the Biodiversity Conservation Information System (BCIS), an initiative of nine programs of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and partner organizations.
The above declaration (Initiative 31) prompted a series of informal meetings among interested parties, including two OAS sponsored experts meeting, regarding the establishment of IABIN. More information on IABIN's concept, including the reports of both expert meetings can be found at http://www.nbii.gov/iabin/ .
The Government of Brazil offered to host a major international conference to bring IABIN into existence, and to bring to closure an intensive planning and consultative period. This meeting is tentatively scheduled for December 2-4, 1998. Background papers and pilot activities are being prepared and will be presented at IABIN-BRAZIL. The Fundacao Andre Tosello was contracted by OAS to coordinate the preparation of a background paper for the upcoming IABIN meeting on "Internet Topology and Connectivity in the Americas."
Internet connectivity plays a major role in the success of the network, and therefore must be thoroughly studied and an action plan with a view of guaranteeing full internet capacity to all IABIN parties must be presented. For this purpose, current and planned Internet connectivity and communication technologies of IABIN focal points must be assessed. The aim should be to establish fully functional focal points with a minimum set of services to provide standards of connectivity sufficient for full IABIN participation Funding sources that may be utilized in order to improve the level of Internet Connectivity to the level required must also be assessed.
IABIN experts plan to meet in Brazil in December 1998 to launch IABIN. The goal of this Terms of Reference is to enable experts to have a clear view on the status and trends of the Internet connectivity in the Americas, enabling the establishment of a strategic plan for this sector.
The consultant will be expected to present a report with the description and analysis of the following items:
1. Number and throughput of backbones (national, regional, international)
2. Backbone reliability (routing and redundancy)
3. Traffic and usage rates
4. Growth rates of domains, web users and servers
5. Plans for upgrading backbones and links (including high speed technology)
6. National telecommunication policies
7. Status of Information Service Providers (ISPs)
8. Regional and international telecommunication agreements
9. Funding sources
To the extend feasible, a country by country assessment is desirable. In some cases general or regional assessments may be used as long as IABIN objectives are addressed.
Workplan
1. Review existing information on the status of internet connectivity in the Americas
2. Review national telecommunication policies
3. Review regional and international plans for upgrading backbones and links (including high speed technology)
4. Determine barriers and positive points that will lead to full Internet connectivity of IABIN nodes
5. Estimate necessary funding to achieve the goal of full Internet connectivity of all IABIN nodes
6. Identify possible funding sources
7. Prepare a final report considering all items mentioned in this Terms of Reference
8. Present the result of this work at the IABIN-Brazil meeting in December
1998.
Deliverables and Timetable
Work will begin on September 01, 1998, and the final report must be completed
by October 31, 1998.
| Deliverables | Estimated Completion Date |
| Interim Report on Activities | September 30, 1998 |
| Final Report | October 31, 1998 |
| Workshop Presentations | December 2-4, 1998 |
For additional information contact:
Dora Ann Lange Canhos, dora@bdt.org.br