"Improving Governance of Next-generation ICT Infrastructure"

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Ross Stapleton-Gray <ross () stapleton-gray com>
> Date: September 16, 2009 14:33:23 EDT
> To: Vint Cerf <vint () google com>, dave () farber net
> Subject: "Improving Governance of Next-generation ICT Infrastructure"

> Amazing.  I wonder if you could get comparable results with two  
> gorillas labeled "Telcos" and "Cable Operators," and run them  
> through some Monte Carlo sims... :-)
>
> http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0941310
>
> Award Abstract #0941310
> Improving Governance of Next-generation ICT Infrastructure
>
> NSF Org:    SBE
> Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences
> Initial Amendment Date:    September 15, 2009
> Latest Amendment Date:    September 15, 2009
> Award Number:    0941310
> Award Instrument:    Standard Grant
> Program Manager:    Elizabeth Tran
> SBE Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences
> SBE Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences
> Start Date:    September 15, 2009
> Expires:    August 31, 2012 (Estimated)
> Awarded Amount to Date:    $698030
> Investigator(s):    Johannes Bauer bauerj () msu edu(Principal  
> Investigator)
> Erik Goodman (Co-Principal Investigator)
> Kurt DeMaagd (Co-Principal Investigator)
> Sponsor:    Michigan State University
> CONTRACT AND GRANT ADMINISTRATIO
> EAST LANSING, MI 48824 517/355-5040
> NSF Program(s):    CDI TYPE I
> Field Application(s):    0000099 Other Applications NEC,
> 0116000 Human Subjects
> Program Reference Code(s):    OTHR, 7725, 7722, 0000
> Program Element Code(s):    7750
>
> ABSTRACT
>
> Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become an  
> integral part of work and social relations. They enhance the quality  
> of life and are prerequisites for continued economic growth and  
> international competitiveness. Next-generation ICT infrastructure  
> (e.g., fiber optical networks, broadband wireless) will support  
> further innovative applications and services in health care,  
> education, and commerce and expand the opportunities for civic  
> participation in public affairs. Successful deployment of next- 
> generation networks and services requires the collaboration of an  
> increasing number of specialized firms. Their working is therefore  
> contingent upon many technical, legal, regulatory, and business  
> agreements. Some of these governance arrangements will emerge from  
> private, decentralized negotiations but others will have to be  
> developed jointly by users, suppliers, and government. Past  
> experience and existing tools used by managers and policy makers are  
> deficient for addressing the upcoming challenges. Most importantly,  
> they do not take into account the multiple interdependencies and  
> feedbacks that characterize modern ICT. This project sets out to  
> develop new conceptual foundations and practical modeling tools that  
> are appropriate for state-of-the-art ICT. These tools will help  
> improve governance arrangements (including voluntary industry  
> agreements, government regulation, and legislation). To this end,  
> the research team will develop simulations of the U.S. ICT  
> infrastructure that capture the key technological, economic, and  
> policy aspects of the ICT infrastructure. Combining genetic  
> programming and agent-based modeling techniques will allow first  
> finding a reasonable representation of this complex adaptive system.  
> This framework will then guide systematic exploration of the effects  
> of different governance choices on ICT infrastructure performance.  
> Alternative governance choices modify behavior of individuals or  
> groups of stakeholders which will be captured in the rules followed  
> by the agents in the simulation. The computational approach allows  
> the systematic exploration of how such governance choices affect the  
> performance of the ICT system after relevant feedbacks and indirect  
> effects are taken into account.
>
> During the next decade, the U.S. will have to make important ICT  
> governance decisions that may influence the course of ICT  
> development for a long time with substantial economic and social  
> implications. The project will develop a modeling framework in  
> which, for the first time in the field of ICT, the performance  
> consequences of alternative management and public policy choices can  
> be explored in virtual space rather than by potentially costly trial- 
> and-error. It will contribute to the formation of new theories of  
> the interaction between governance and the performance of complex  
> adaptive systems but also spawn practical tools that can be used to  
> improve such decisions. Experts in industry, government, and  
> research will be briefed and consulted throughout the whole project  
> to improve the relevance of the research and share preliminary  
> findings with practitioners. Moreover, the project will generate new  
> modules that can be used in teaching. As ICT infrastructure is one  
> example of a class of complex adaptive systems, the project will  
> also develop groundwork for similar approaches in other areas.
>
> Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch () nsf gov 
> .



-------------------------------------------
Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com