<s>
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
,	O
an	O
acronym	O
for	O
Diversified	O
Information	O
and	O
Assistance	O
NEtwork	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
very	O
early	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
based	O
community	O
service	O
network	O
created	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DIANE	O
was	O
a	O
grassroots	O
driven	O
regional	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
consortium	O
which	O
promoted	O
and	O
supported	O
cooperative	O
electronic	O
alliances	O
in	O
education	O
,	O
community	O
service	O
,	O
and	O
economic	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Created	O
in	O
1992	O
in	O
Nashville	O
,	O
Tennessee	O
,	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
was	O
in	O
active	O
operation	O
as	O
a	O
centrally	O
managed	O
public	O
service	O
network	O
until	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Portions	O
of	O
the	O
network	O
still	O
remain	O
in	O
service	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
though	O
no	O
longer	O
under	O
the	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
moniker	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
was	O
first	O
proposed	O
by	O
Dr.	O
Stephen	O
P	O
.	O
Shao	O
,	O
Jr.	O
in	O
1992	O
as	O
a	O
regional	O
diversity	O
development	O
project	O
collaboration	O
between	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Tennessee	O
Valley	O
Authority	O
(	O
TVA	O
)	O
and	O
a	O
small	O
consortium	O
of	O
public	O
and	O
private	O
universities	O
located	O
within	O
TVA	O
's	O
six	O
state	O
service	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
year	O
of	O
deliberations	O
and	O
two	O
successful	O
community	O
based	O
field	O
pilots	O
,	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
was	O
given	O
startup	O
funding	O
by	O
the	O
TVA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
field	O
pilots	O
,	O
named	O
the	O
Nashville	O
Pilot	O
and	O
the	O
City	O
Share	O
Pilot	O
were	O
instrumental	O
in	O
demonstrating	O
that	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
technology	I-Application
was	O
a	O
viable	O
and	O
highly	O
flexible	O
mechanism	O
through	O
which	O
to	O
deliver	O
a	O
broad	O
array	O
of	O
educational	O
,	O
economic	O
development	O
and	O
public	O
service	O
resources	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Primary	O
sponsors	O
and	O
underwriters	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
pilots	O
included	O
TVA	O
,	O
BellSouth	O
,	O
IBM	O
led	O
by	O
Steven	O
Wilkinson	O
,	O
and	O
PictureTel	B-Application
(	O
later	O
purchased	O
by	O
Polycom	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nashville	O
Pilot	O
was	O
an	O
intracity	O
test	O
of	O
desktop	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
technology	I-Application
with	O
application	O
test	O
sites	O
in	O
Nashville	O
,	O
Tennessee	O
constructed	O
at	O
Tennessee	O
State	O
University	O
,	O
Cumberland	O
Science	O
Museum	O
(	O
later	O
renamed	O
the	O
Adventure	O
Science	O
Center	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
Looby	O
Public	O
Library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
City	O
Share	O
pilot	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
ever	O
intercity	O
videoconference	B-Application
link	O
ever	O
constructed	O
for	O
non-commercial	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
's	O
primary	O
objectives	O
were	O
to	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
consortium	O
included	O
family	O
and	O
community	O
centers	O
,	O
speech	O
&	O
hearing	O
treatment	O
centers	O
,	O
K-12	O
schools	O
,	O
zoos	B-Application
,	O
museums	O
,	O
public	O
libraries	O
,	O
universities	O
,	O
language	O
institutes	O
,	O
skill	O
training	O
centers	O
,	O
chambers	O
of	O
commerce	O
,	O
economic	O
development	O
agencies	O
,	O
healthcare	O
groups	O
,	O
overseas	O
military	O
bases	O
&	O
dependents	O
schools	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
service	O
organizations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Specific	O
notable	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
project	O
included	O
the	O
Small	O
Business	O
Administration	O
sponsored	O
Small	O
Business	O
Development	O
Centers	O
,	O
the	O
Tennessee	O
Foreign	O
Language	O
Institute	O
,	O
the	O
Adventure	O
Science	O
Center	O
,	O
Vanderbilt	O
University	O
,	O
the	O
Tennessee	O
Foreign	O
Language	O
Institute	O
,	O
Tennessee	O
League	O
for	O
the	O
Deaf	O
&	O
Hard	O
of	O
Hearing	O
,	O
the	O
Nashville	O
Zoo	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Metropolitan	O
Action	O
Commission	O
,	O
Urban	O
League	O
of	O
Nashville	O
,	O
the	O
Boys	O
&	O
Girls	O
Club	O
,	O
the	O
Girl	O
Scouts	O
of	O
Middle	O
Tennessee	O
,	O
the	O
Catholic	O
Diocese	O
of	O
Nashville	O
,	O
the	O
Tennessee	O
State	O
Library	O
&	O
Archives	O
,	O
the	O
Elephant	O
Sanctuary	O
of	O
Hohenwald	O
,	O
the	O
Nashville	O
Public	O
Library	O
System	O
,	O
the	O
Bank	O
of	O
America	O
Small	O
Business	O
Resource	O
Centers	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Department	O
of	O
Defense	O
Overseas	O
Dependents	O
School	O
System	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Real-time	O
multimedia	O
information	O
exchanges	O
occurred	O
during	O
videoconferences	B-Application
via	O
electronic	B-Application
whiteboards	I-Application
,	O
remote	B-Protocol
application	I-Protocol
sharing	I-Protocol
,	O
electronic	O
messaging	O
,	O
hi-speed	O
file	O
transfer	O
and	O
other	O
means	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
program	O
descriptions	O
given	O
in	O
this	O
section	O
,	O
interested	O
parties	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
click	O
to	O
the	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
Directory	O
and	O
read	O
the	O
"	O
DIANE	O
Program	O
&	O
Resource	O
Profile	O
"	O
for	O
each	O
individual	O
organization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
specific	O
program	O
activities	O
within	O
these	O
general	O
program	O
areas	O
included	O
the	O
following	O
:	O
The	O
Tennessee	O
League	O
for	O
the	O
Hearing	O
Impaired	O
offered	O
videoconferencing-based	O
Deaf	O
culture	O
workshops	O
,	O
sign	O
language	O
instruction	O
,	O
and	O
translation	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
technology	I-Application
to	O
electronically	O
and	O
interactively	O
take	O
students	O
to	O
exotic	O
and	O
faraway	O
places	O
was	O
pioneered	O
by	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nashville	O
Zoo	B-Application
conducted	O
videoconferences	B-Application
with	O
area	O
schools	O
to	O
bring	O
students	O
safe	O
interactive	O
experiences	O
with	O
rare	O
snow	O
leopards	O
and	O
other	O
wild	O
animals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Often	O
,	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
electronic	O
field	O
trips	O
took	O
the	O
children	O
to	O
international	O
locations	O
such	O
as	O
France	O
,	O
England	O
,	O
Japan	O
,	O
or	O
to	O
meet	O
interesting	O
people	O
such	O
as	O
jet	O
pilots	O
,	O
film	O
actors	O
and	O
corporate	O
executives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tennessee	O
's	O
state	O
information	O
repository	O
,	O
the	O
Tennessee	O
State	O
Library	O
&	O
Archives	O
,	O
provided	O
interactive	O
teleconference-based	O
history	O
seminars	O
,	O
library	O
reference	O
assistance	O
,	O
and	O
live	O
curator	O
based	O
video	O
access	O
to	O
its	O
rare	O
manuscript	O
collection	O
,	O
includes	O
original	O
American	O
Civil	O
War	O
photographs	O
,	O
historic	O
architectural	B-Architecture
drawings	I-Architecture
,	O
original	O
letters	O
of	O
President	O
Andrew	O
Jackson	O
,	O
the	O
1796	O
Tennessee	O
State	O
Constitution	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Regarding	O
business	O
development	O
programs	O
,	O
any	O
area	O
business	O
with	O
compatible	O
technologies	O
could	O
access	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
's	O
online	O
economic	O
development	O
member	O
agencies	O
,	O
including	O
SBRC	O
business	O
experts	O
,	O
SBRC	O
library	O
resources	O
,	O
SBDC	O
business	O
counselors	O
,	O
area	O
chamber	O
of	O
commerce	O
program	O
personnel	O
,	O
university	O
business	O
faculty	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
International	O
recognitions	O
of	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
included	O
:	O
Polycom	O
Corporation	O
's	O
Exceptional	O
Content	O
Provider	O
Award	O
(	O
8/03	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
Top	O
5	O
Rating	O
by	O
the	O
European	O
Commission	O
's	O
Global	O
Bangemann	O
Challenge	O
(	O
Stockholm	O
,	O
6/99	O
)	O
;	O
6	O
NII	O
Global	O
Information	O
Infrastructure	O
award	O
citations	O
(	O
12/96-2/98	O
)	O
including	O
an	O
AT&T	O
Special	O
Telecollaboration	O
Award	O
;	O
a	O
"	O
national	O
success	O
story	O
"	O
citation	O
by	O
the	O
President	O
's	O
National	O
Information	O
Advisory	O
Council	O
(	O
2/96	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
Awards	O
Laureate	O
designation	O
by	O
the	O
Smithsonian	O
Institution	O
Information	O
Technology	O
Awards	O
Program	O
(	O
6/95	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Key	O
invited	O
presentations	O
and	O
demonstrations	O
of	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
programming	O
include	O
national	O
conferences	O
and	O
forums	O
hosted	O
by	O
the	O
American	O
Library	O
Association	O
(	O
Atlanta	O
,	O
GA	O
,	O
6/02	O
)	O
,	O
National	O
Science	O
Foundation	O
(	O
Berkeley	O
,	O
CA	O
,	O
12/00	O
)	O
,	O
U.S.	O
Dept	O
of	O
Commerce	O
(	O
Washington	O
DC	O
,	O
4/98	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
White	B-Application
House	I-Application
(	O
Philadelphia	O
PA	O
,	O
4/97	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
began	O
as	O
an	O
all	O
Integrated	B-Protocol
Services	I-Protocol
Digital	I-Protocol
Network	I-Protocol
(	O
ISDN	B-Protocol
)	O
BRA	O
based	O
community	O
network	O
using	O
desktop	B-Device
personal	I-Device
computers	I-Device
deploying	O
an	O
H.320	B-Application
codec	B-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
later	O
evolved	O
into	O
a	O
hybrid	O
switched	O
digital	O
and	O
Internet	O
IP	B-Protocol
based	O
H.320/H.324	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
equipment	O
used	O
by	O
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
in	O
the	O
Nashville	O
and	O
City	O
Share	O
startup	O
field	O
pilots	O
were	O
all	O
OS/2	B-Application
based	O
videoconference	B-Application
units	O
(	O
PCS/1s	O
)	O
provided	O
through	O
a	O
joint	O
development	O
partnership	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
between	O
PictureTel	B-Application
and	O
the	O
IBM	O
Corporation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
early	O
video	O
units	O
were	O
replaced	O
during	O
the	O
startup	O
phase	O
with	O
Windows	O
OS-based	O
PC	B-Device
desktop	I-Device
units	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
later	O
years	O
,	O
the	O
project	O
's	O
infrastructure	O
also	O
included	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
set	O
top	O
videoconference	B-Application
units	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
several	O
dozen	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
units	O
for	O
conference	O
rooms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
a	O
large	O
corporate	O
donation	O
of	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
hundred	O
new	O
videoconference	B-Application
units	O
more	O
than	O
doubled	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
DIANE	O
to	O
more	O
than	O
two	O
hundred	O
video	O
locations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Project	B-Application
DIANE	I-Application
also	O
later	O
acquired	O
a	O
Tandberg	O
Multipoint	B-Protocol
Control	I-Protocol
Unit	I-Protocol
(	O
MCU	O
)	O
,	O
sometimes	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
a	O
video	O
bridge	O
or	O
gateway	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
the	O
network	O
to	O
deliver	O
its	O
interactive	O
programming	O
to	O
up	O
to	O
16	O
separate	O
locations	O
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Funding	O
for	O
the	O
MCU	O
's	O
required	O
network	O
connections	O
(	O
a	O
Primary	O
Rate	O
Access	O
high	O
speed	O
digital	O
telephone	O
line	O
and	O
an	O
IP	B-Protocol
broadband	O
access	O
line	O
)	O
was	O
provided	O
by	O
Tennessee	O
State	O
University	O
and	O
the	O
Tennessee	O
Department	O
of	O
Human	O
Services	O
,	O
Rehabilitation	O
Services	O
Division	O
.	O
</s>
