Content *

1. General propositions *

1.1 Introduction. *

1.2 Grounds for work conduction. *

1.3. Aims and purposes of the WWW IDC creation in Moldova. *

2. Organization of the project works *

2.1. Forming of the national structure of coordinators and executors of works on the project in Moldova. *

2.2. Organizations-participants of IDC Moldova creation project. *

2.3. Working out and approbation of the IDC creation Work plan. *

3. Stages of realization IDC Web-site *

3.1. Organization of designing and realization of information database. *

3.2. Programming realization of the project *

4. Information database of IDC Moldova. *

4.1. Information database structure. *

4.2. IDC structure sections. *

5. IDC Moldova services and organization of IDC maintains. *

5.1. Network presence service *

5.2. Library Service *

6. Technical basis for deployment of IDC Moldova Web-site *

7. Perspectives of IDC development. *

7.1. Direction of development of information databases IDC. *

7.3. New possibilities. *

8. Conclusion *

9. Annex. *

“Development of national WWW STACCIS Information Demonstration Centre (IDC) in Moldova”

Information technologies and networking technologies particularly are qualitatively a new phenomenon in science and life. The fact that its development substantially determines now the level of practically all sides of life is the cardinal distinction of new technologies in comparison with other directions of science and engineering. The world experience of information technology usage is indicative of their accretion into economical, research, educational, social and other processes, increasing their efficiency. Networking technologies define a new medium for satisfaction of information needs of all society structures by information infrastructure development on the basis of Intranet/Internet modern technologies. Such services as E-mail, ftp, WWW and other forms of the access to information resources practically from every point of the terrestrial globe are widely spread.

A certain contribution into development and usage of new technologies in Europe and a number of CIS countries is connected with the realization of the international project STACCIS (Support for Telematics Applications Cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States). The present report contains the main results on creation WWW STACCIS Information Demonstration Centre (IDC) in Moldova. The national IDC users have an access not only to the information base of IDC itself and WWW-servers connected with it, but also to the information resources of the Internet global network.

The STACCIS project which started in 1996 is directed to the development of collaboration in the sphere of the applied networking technologies, used in education, scientific research and works on ecology in the states of the European Union (EU) and the European states of CIS: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and the Ukraine. Later on the circle of the CIS countries, participating in STACCIS project, has widened thanks to including of the Middle Asia states of the former USSR.

The principal tasks of the project include:

• Study of the existing networking resources and formation of the specialized national coordination structures;

• Analysis of the achievements, work methods and the problems of the applied networking technology development;

• Elaboration and realization of the information strategy plans.

At the previous stages in 1996-1997 the first two problems were solved and the principles of Information-Demonstration Centres system formation were defined in order to realize the project information strategy. In 1998 the second phase of STACCIS project started. A schedule of work accomplishment and carrying-out of the main organization measures for the period of 1998 beginning – 1999 middle has been elaborated. The creation of the national Web-site IDC in Moldova was planned for 1998 in conformity with the presented work schedule.

The contract Ref/98 STACCIS.01, made between EDNES (Earth Data Network for Education and Scientific Exchange) and the Computer Centre of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova appeared to become the grounds for activation of works on STACCIS project in Moldova in 1998. The principal task, formulated in the contract, is the following:

The contract includes the following stages:

1. Submit to EDNES the work plan of Kishinev IDC development in 1998. Specify - a) equipment and documentation, b) schedule, c) scheme of functioning, d) budget.
2. Deploy local area network of Kishinev IDC, including installation of computer equipment.
3. Staff, equip and after obtaining EDNES approval of the details ensure full operations of STACCIS IDC in Kishinev.
4. Develop the IDC Kishinev Web-site and implement it in the focal national institution.
5. Ensure full operation and permanent linking and mirroring at Moscow STACCIS high speed connection Internet server of Kishinev IDC Web-site. Supply the information to EDNES for updating Kishinev IDC mirror in Moscow.
6. Submit to EDNES final project report (including references from three users) on the progress of Kishinev IDC.

In accordance with the information strategy program for IDC STACCIS in Kishinev the detailed plan of the national WWW IDC practical realization corresponding to the contract conditions (Article 1 point 1,2,4) was submitted to EDNES and approved in September, 1998.

The national WWW IDC in Moldova is to draw a wide circle of users in the scientific-educational sphere: research workers, professors, post-graduates and students – in the mastering and using of the applied networking technologies. With this goal the ASM specialists carry out works to support the constantly operating WWW-server, containing the main part of the IDC information base. The information base resources are continually renewed, the information exchange with other national IDC and the Major WWW STACCIS IDC in Moscow is conducted.

IDC Moldova infrastructure has been worked out on the basis of recommendations, examined and adopted at the meetings of national coordinators in Kiev (December, 1996) and in Moscow (May, 1997). The main tasks and approaches to IDC creation in Moscow, Kiev, Baku and other countries – STACCIS project participants, permitted to diversify IDC Moldova content and to take into account the experience on working out of the IDC information infrastructure.

The main aims and purposes of Moldova WWW STACCIS IDC include:

• Information exchange development and networking infrastructure creation on the basis of the international standards, using the experience of the European countries;

• Support of direct connections with the specialists working out the networking technologies in various organizations in Moldova;

• Training for users of information and networking technologies, including the methods of distant education;

• Development of direct relations and widening of interaction among scientists and specialists in Moldova and their colleagues in West Europe and CIS countries, including joint participation in international projects.

In July-October, 1996, STACCIS project coordinators from UNESCO and EDNES visited Kishinev in order to acquaint themselves with the real position in the sphere of the development of networking resources, staff qualification and users groups requirements. They had a lot of contacts and discussions in the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, State, Technical and Agricultural Universities. The national coordination structure on STACCIS project in Moldova has been created; the leading institution and the national coordinator was determined as a result of these consultations. In accordance with the plan on STACCIS project in Moldova, being a part of the Telematics Application Programme – Project No. SU 1111 (STACCIS), from the middle of 1996 the Computer Centre of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova was established as the leading institution in Moldova (renamed as the Information Technologies Centre ASM in May, 1998). Later on the process of the STACCIS project development, a number of other institutions of Moldova showed their interest in participation in the project according to some concrete directions. In particular, the working out of the information block being a part of the section “education and training” was a task of the Centre of Technical and Information Services of Moldova State University. The Institute of Geography of ASM took part in the elaboration of the section “ecology of Moldova”.

As a result, to the moment of the initiation of the second phase of the STACCIS project (1998-1999), the list of organizations and persons, responsible for promotion and realization of the project main blocks (education, exchange and accumulation of scientific information, the ecology and environment monitoring, basic telecommunication means), has been formed (Appendix 1). The representatives of the above mentioned establishments participated in preparation and realization of the project of development WWW STACCIS Information and Demonstration Centre in Moldova.

To carry out works on elaboration and realization of Moldova IDC infrastructure the scientists and specialists from various scientific and educational organizations were involved. It gave the opportunity to take into account the specificity and the interests of the users in different establishments on the stage of the designing of a functional structure of a national IDC with the aim of the maximum usage of the accumulated potential and experience.

The work leading executor and coordinator on Moldova IDC creation project is CIT ASM - STACCIS national Focal Point in Moldova. CIT ASM specialists have fulfilled the principle stages of work on design and practical realization of IDC Moldova Web-site. In conformity with the Workplan of IDC Moldova creation and concerted distribution of duties between the organizations-participants CIT ASM handled the following tasks:

• IDC structure elaboration;

• Technical providing of IDC Web-site;

• Software support of IDC Web-site functioning;

• Practical work on information filling of IDC;

• Management of IDC Web-site and the continuous development of databases and information services.

In carrying out separate works, preparation of materials and information for including into IDC Web-site other organizations took part:

• Centre of technical and information services of Moldova State University (education and training of staff, elaboration of training courses, etc);

• Institute of Geography of ASM (climate, soils, ecology of Moldova);

• DNT S.R.L. (Dynamic Network Technology – Web-site IDC design working out);

• Moldova Technical University.

There is an agreement about including in future into the IDC information base a section on sciences about Earth and connected problems (earthquake statistics; the most important results on study of Carpathian earthquakes; information about natural materials utilized in building and industry). It is planned to draw the Institute of Geophysics and Geology of ASM in the working out and filling of this section.

In accordance with the Contract No. Ref. 98 STACCIS 01 a detailed Workplan of creation WWW STACCIS IDC in Moldova has been elaborated and submitted to EDNES. The specialists of CIT ASM have worked out the basic variant of the plan. The plan has been discussed with the representatives of the organizations, participated in creation of IDC Moldova. Many of their proposals and additions were included into the next reductions of the Working plan. After the stage had been fulfilled the representatives of the leading organizations of other countries, taking part in the STACCIS project, could acquaint themselves with the working plan. The notes of EDNES STACCIS executive staff have been taken into account in the final variant of the Working plan. The practical realization of IDC Moldova Web-site has been conducted in the absolute accordance with the program, contained in the Workplan.

Information needs of the potential users of IDC Moldova have been examined. The main groups of IDC users have been systematized: those who interact with the IDC information base through the inner infrastructure of the scientific -educational network of Moldova, and those who use Internet resources for the access to IDC information base. The first group includes:

• Research workers, professors, teachers and specialists;

• Post-graduate students;

• Research workers specializing in the sphere of informatics and computers, who study INTERNET network facilites;

• The students of Moldova Universities, having an access to WWW server IDC;

• College pupils;

• Listeners of various courses organized in the framework of the STACCIS project in Moldova.

The second group will possibly include:

• The representatives of the scientific community of European countries, wishing to acquaint themselves with science development in Moldova, with the results of Moldova research workers;

• Foreign scientists and specialists, participating in joint investigations and projects with representatives of the scientific community of Moldova;

• Representatives of the educational organizations, interested in development of contacts and exchange of experience and information with the colleagues in Moldova;

• Representatives of international and state organizations of European countries, wishing to receive information about Moldova according to the directions, being in the frames of the STACCIS project.

Taking into account that the STACCIS project aim is to widen contacts of the communities of the countries from CIS and Europe in various spheres, being of mutual interest, the created information base must be wide enough and facilitate in future the information exchange not only in the scientific-educational domain, but in economics, business, culture, etc.

The obtained information on potential needs of the users was utilized at the design of the IDC information base structure. During the process of the practical exploitation of IDC the corresponding corrections will be introduced into IDC Web-site structure.

Information about the aims of the STACCIS project, the general situation of works according to the project in Moldova, the main results on the creation of IDC Moldova Web-site were presented in two reports at the Republican conference “Internet-98”, taken place in Kishinev on November 18-20, 1998. During discussions on presented reports a number of proposals have been made, which are interesting for the further development of the STACCIS project in Moldova.

During the Web-site development process the questions of convenience of usage, presentation of the information and informative capacity of databases were considered. After discussions on the presented Workplan the updating and additions were done, which have allowed improving structure and design of IDC WEB-site. The works on creation of IDC Moldova Web-site were carried out according to the working schedule of realization of the project (see appendix 2). At the first stage, which was completed by September 10, 1998 the Workplan of creation of the Information-Demonstration Centre (IDC) was prepared. The plan included the detailed information on basic purposes of the project, structure of the project, concept of creation, stages of realization IDC Web-site and necessary equipment. The working plan was submitted to EDNES.

At the following stage, which was completed by October 19, on the basis of the Workplan, developed at the first stage, the recommendations of EDNES and all other useful remarks on updating the created IDC Web-site structure was done. At this stage the including and connecting of information databases of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, State University and other educational institutions of Republic to IDC Web-site was begun. The process of trial exploitation of server operation by the participants of the project, elimination of typing errors and existing bugs began. The creation of the first level Web-site information structure was finished and the second level filling was started. At this stage the fulfillment of the second information level of Web-site continued. Connections to databases and other information arrays on science and education in Moldova were established, the references to others information servers of the Republic were included in Web-site structure, as well as an information about its economy and economic agents, enterprises and firms of Moldova. This stage was finished on November 11, 1998. IDC Web-site was placed on CIT ASM server to URL address as follows - www.idc.asm.md.

The final report on creation of IDC Ìoldova Web-site was developed and prepared for investigation by November 25, 1998. The remarks and proposals presented by IDC users during preliminary approbation and testing were included in it. The information about STACCIS project Information - Demonstration Center created in Moldova, was introduced on information retrieval servers of Moldova, such as “Moldova Internet Resources” – http://www.ournet.md. The basic principles of IDC Moldova development, its structure and databases content description were presented in the reports "The Concept of creation of the STACCIS project Information-Demonstration Center in Moldova" and "The structure of IDC Moldova information database" at the conference "INTERNET 98", which took place in Kishinev on November 18-20, 1998.

In this section the information on the basic educational institutions of the Republic is given also. Moldova State University, Polytechnic University, the Independent Universities are submitted at the corresponding sites. The information on faculties and departments, basic specialties and qualifications, a term of training and requirement to the entrants is given. Such information is useful for those who wish to make an exchange of the students with other Universities. Such practice is widely spread in European countries. There the students and postgraduates are trained at the appropriate faculties of other universities in the various countries of Europe. It allows on the one hand acquainting the future experts with the practice of teaching and level of researches in other countries, and on the other hand, allows to establish strong contacts between the future experts of different countries. Such exchange promotes the further integration of various countries and best mutual understanding. In future the connection to the project IDC of other educational institutions of the Republic, including Lyceums and secondary educational institutions is planned. A separate section is intended for creation of the list of the most known scientists of Moldova, their basic achievements and directions of activity.

The second section contains the information on the project STACCIS. The information on the institutes and organizations participating in the project (see the annex 1), responsible for separate sections, purposes and tasks of the project is submitted. The structure of the project is presented in the appendix 5. The section of IDC services and libraries represents the basic information on issued magazines and monographs and is oriented to all persons interested in publications of Moldavian scientists. It is supposed to transfer to the electronic form and include in the library services databases some journals and other scientific editions. It is necessary to note that for the last ten years scientists and teachers of the Republic have no opportunities to be familiar with the scientific activities of other countries. The economic difficulties do not allow receiving the necessary scientific literature. Besides because of the same economic difficulties the number of the published journals and books was essentially reduced. Scientific business trips into other countries have almost stopped. All this causes large problems and creates some isolation of the scientists of Moldova from the world scientific community.

During the last two years, owing the usage of Internet, the situation with the access to the scientific publications from other countries was improved. But the knowledge of the foreign scientists about works of their Moldavian colleagues leaves much to be desired. Therefore creation and conducting of the electronic versions of the basic journals will allow informing foreign scientists about our achievements and will include a scientific community of Moldova into the world information space. In the world there is a plenty of electronic libraries, accessible through Internet, for example of American and European mathematical societies, electronic libraries of Michigan and Stanford universities. Similar works are carried out in Novosibirsk, in the Institute of computing technologies and at other universities and educational institutions of Russia and other countries of CIS.

The fourth section is devoted to the information about EDNES. EDNES is an non governmental, noncommercial, association registered in Strasbourg in 1993. In the same year, under the contract from UNESCO, the works on creation of a network infrastructure for training and science in Russian Federation were executed. Since 1994 Moscow office of UNESCO appeared. In 1994-1995 years the contracts founded UNESCO and UNIDO for a series of the programs on applied telematics for other European countries of East Europe were made. The general view of the first Web-site page is given in a fig. 1. The basic sections of the IDC Moldova project are displayed in it and the basic subdivisions of the second level are shown.

Within the framework of the project section on development and introduction of applied remote information technologies by the Computer Center of Moldova State University and Department of Computer Science and Computer Techniques of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova training a wide circle of personal (science officers, engineering personnel, post-graduates, students) use of modern network information technologies are carried out. The following training courses are organized by the Computer Center of Moldova State University:

- The course of navigation in INTÅRNET gives to the users a basis of work with NETSCAPE COMMUNICATOR, MS EXPLORER and imparts skills of work in INTÅRNET. The complete sets of 5 books developed by the employees of the Computer Center of the University of Moldova in Russian and Romanian languages were offered to the students of the given course;

At the Department of Computer Science and Computer Techniques of ASM more than 100 postgraduates, competitors and employees of research institutes and other scientific organizations of the Academy and Kishinev are trained annually. The courses are intended for three categories of the students:

• Physical, mathematical and engineering sciences;

- Chemical, biological and medical sciences;

- Humanities.

The subjects of courses include:

- Operational systems (Windows 95, 98), word-processors (MS Word 7, Word 8); - programming languages (C ++, Basic, Fortran);

- Network technologies;

- Database (Access, Fox Pro).

Three methodical manuals actively used at the lessons are developed and issued by the employees of the Department.

 

Fig. 3.

It is necessary to note that not full IDC project information database is realized at presence. The data of the first and the second levels are fully completed. The third and lower levels are not completely included in IDC and will be replenished during IDC Web-site operation. It is necessary to pay a special attention on creation and connection to Library services, and information on the published scientific papers and monographs. The information about scientific subdivisions of the Academy is not completely reflected, not all Institutes has their Home pages yet. There are not enough training courses for the users of IDC Web-site (both skilled and beginners).

The information about STACCIS project and Web-site IDC Moldova is included in the information retrieval server “Moldova Internet Resources”, referenced by URL address www.ournet.md. The basic users Web-site IDC a Moldova are the employees of the following institutions of the Academy of Sciences:

• Institute of Mathematics;

• Institute of Applied Physics;

• Center of Information Technologies;
• Institute of Power Engineering;
• Institute of Chemistry;
• Institute of Geography;

• Center of Automation and Metrology;
• Specialized Design-Technology Bureau.

The following Universities of Moldova have access to IDC databases:

• State University of Moldova;
• State Technical University;
• Independent University of Moldova.

Total number of the users makes about 380 persons.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5.

The project executive staff consists of 9 persons. On Figure 5 the executive team leaders of the IDC Moldova project are represented (IDC database is carried out on the SUN server and all preparation work was performed on instrumental Pentium 166 computer). On Figure 4 the general view of the Center of Information Technologies of ASM building is shown. On Figures 6 the post-graduate students of ASM working with is Informational - Demonstration Center database created under the project STACCIS Moldova are represented.

Fig. 6.

For the maintenance of normal operation of the Information-Demonstration Centre and ensuring an execution of the tasks in the Centre’s structure there stand out a number of services. At present the following services are the most developed:

• service of network presence service;
• library service.

The network presence service is created on the basis of the existed personal of the networking segment of the Academy of Sciences of the scientific and educational network AMNET. Network presence service expects a support of constantly acting WWW-server. Within the framework of the network presence service IDC WWW-server (http://WWW.IDC.ASM.MD) has been organized and began to operate. The server contains the information for all interested persons about activity, structure, plans, projects, possibilities of all services of IDC Moldova. WWW-server contains information on STACCIS project in Moldova and activity on special applications in the scope of IDC competencies, references to the major WWW-server of STACCIS project in Moscow and on the IDC servers of countries-participants in STACCIS project.

Library service is directed to the realization of systematic collection and organization of a simple access to all own information databases, granting of demonstration and consultation services.

The specialists of library service are:

Manager - a specialist, knowing well equipment and software of an information Web. Manager ensures wholeness, accessibility and confidentiality of information. He ensures a steady reliable operation of servers of Web and communication links between them, keeps a check on working software and changes the INTRANET configuration in time, distributes the rights of access of users and checks their observance;

WEB-master - a specialist knowing deeply the language HTML and having skills of designing applications. He is in charge of the design the INTRANET comfort, creates directories, defines a style of designing documents and develops a general concept, installs search systems and interfaces to other software.

Editor - checks contents of the documents. Decides, what documents are possible for publication, but what material does not correspond to an information policy on the contents or are prepared not duly.

Authors - initiate an origin information, prepare, and correct the documents.

In the IDC project the technical basis created within the framework of the AMNET project is used. As the basis for development of networking information technologies in Moldova a constantly developing Academic scientific-educational network is used. The initiative of the Moldavian Department of Soros Foundation, supported by the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and the largest universities on creation of a scientific and educational network "Moldnet" has served as the onset of this Net. The institutions of the Academy of Sciences, of the State and Technical Universities, and also the Academy of Economic Knowledge of Moldova were originally the participants of the project and main users of resources of the "Moldnet". Later on many colleges, Lyceums, secondary schools of Kishinev were connected to a "Moldnet".

The "Moldnet" is constructed with the use of high-speed radio-modems connections inside Kishinev. Now it has connectivity to Internet through the satellite channel with a capacity of 384 Kbps. In order to realize a constant exploitation and development of "Moldnet" an independent organization, DNT Ltd., has been created. All the above-mentioned organizations - initiators of the project of creation of "Moldnet" became its founders.

The initiative of the Academy Scinses of Moldova worked out and submitted the project of development of Moldova Academic network - AMNET (Academic Moldavian Network) appeared to be the further development of the idea . The project AMNET supplements and expands ideology and basic principles of realization, being the basis of "Moldnet" creation. New project planned to be fulfilled in three stages. At the first stage the main structure of highways for connection of the ASM principle scientific organizations must be realized and one more satellite data link to provide an access of scientific and educational institutions of Moldova to Internet (annex 2) must be organized. Joining up of the majority of scientific institutions, faculties of the leading universities and other higher educational establishments of Kishinev into network "backbone" on the basis of the existing and additionally created radio channels and leased telephone lines for remote connections (annex 3) is envisaged at the second stage.

The third stage of the project realization provides the expansion of the Academic network on all the territory of Moldova, inclusion of scientific and educational establishments in all large cities of Moldova.

Substantial financial investments are required for the development of the Academic scientific - educational network in a Moldova. The interior resources of Moldova do not allow to finance in full volume such projects. Its realization is carried out thanks to the support of the international organizations and foundations - UNESCO, NATO, Soros and EVRASIA in the framework of their scientific programs. For example, due to the support of the NATO Committee on scientific programs the grants for purchasing equipment in order to realize the first stage of AMNET creation project in 1998 were obtained. It should be noted that the support of the International organizations and foundations includes practically only purchase of computer and networking equipment. However an effective realization of the projects requires enlisting and paying of high-skilled specialists to conduct the necessary managing, scientific, technological, technical and other works. It is necessary to envisage the introduction into budget of future projects of the items for paying the labor of works executors.

At the beginning of this November the question of the perspectives of work prolongation under the project AMNET for the next year was considered in Kishinev with the representatives of the NATO Scientific programme committee. The second stage of the project AMNET realization, envisaging works on the practical creation of the scientific-educational “backbone” of the Academic network in Kishinev, covering all principal higher educational establishments and some other scientific and design institutions of Kishinev has been discussed and specified at the working meeting.

During the last years network complexes and local network of Universities of Moldova have been actively developing. In particular at the Moldavian State University at the present moment more than 200 computers in all buildings (including administration, dean's offices, many faculties, scientific and administrative subdivisions) are connected to the network. That allows using the available possibilities and resources of both local networks and global Internet for the educational process, research work, and administrative needs and for external relations. More than 700 employees and students of the University are E-mail users. For the employees and students a class, connected to Internet, working under non-stop condition is arranged, which about 90 persons per day making use of its services.

Sun SPARC Ultra 1 Model/170 is defined as the basic information server, on which the IDC Web-site information database is placed. The principle characteristics of the information server are:

- volume of the operative memory of 128 Mbytes;

- Digit capacity of 64 bits;

- Frequency 177 Mg;

- HDD - Storage array 23 Gb, interior - 2,1 Gb.

Performances characteristics of the communication server HP 712/60:

The main instrumental and debugging complex SUN SPARC Workstation 5:

• RAM of 64 Mbytes;
• HDD - 2,1 Gigabytes.

The total list of available equipment list and perspective of technical base development are presented in annex 7.

Performances of connection channels to INTERNET:

• Satellite channel with the capacity - 128 kbps to DESY Hamburg (DFN -Win);
• Satellite channel - 384 kbps, to Stockholm, IS provider TIDENET.

The existing technical base doesn’t satisfy completely the demands of the organization of the effective telecommunication service. Therefore the problem on the development of the technical basis and its characteristics, as well as the characteristics of the communication channels became the very important.

The further development of IDC information database should be carried out according to the following principal directions:

• Expansion and addition of sections containing an information about development of base and applied networking technologies in Moldova. This information block should contain an information permitting to evaluate a common level of development of networking technologies in Moldova, characteristics of organizations of a Moldova the most actively working in the sphere of information and especially of networking technologies. Reliable data on the scientific and technical organizations and firms operating in the domain of design and introduction of new Intranet technologies and actively promoting them in Moldova are of the greatest interest for networking specialists, who uses IDC databases. It is necessary to note, that during the last years the very high growth rates of services rendered by Internet service Providers in Moldova are observed. However in this field of information technology development recently the situation appeared, which can brake the process of Internet-technologies development in Moldova. It is explained first of all by the necessity of consolidation Internet-community of Moldova, of elaboration of clear rules of functioning and development of the given business sphere in the whole country, of the creation of a normative basis regulating activity inside the Internet-community, and at the same time promoting to the development of Internet-technologies.

At present the contacts with the representatives of European structures engaged in the problems of development of perspective policy and current regulation of Internet development processes and networking technologies in Europe (TERENA, RIPE, European Council on Top level National Domains registration) are now established. On the basis of their recommendations the work on organization of the necessary national structures, uniting Moldova Internet-community representatives is begun. This process initiated in order to realize the already prepared and accepted in Europe recommendations in the field of regulating and control of the national sub-nets, first of all scientific - educational ones and including official governmental bodies. Creation of the conditions for acceleration of Internet technologies development in a Moldova should become the purpose of this initiative.

• Additional study of the section connected with the information on the ecology and monitoring of the environment in Moldova. It is necessary to take into account that fact, that in Moldova is a very high density of population and the problem of getting and distribution of a reliable information on the environment is rather actual. The detailed elaboration of this issue will be realized by the Institute of Geography ASM. In future the number of organizations participating in working-out and information accumulation of the given IDC information block can be enlarged, taking into account, that the Government of Moldova contains in its structure the Ministry of ecology and environment monitoring, including some specialized organizations, which collect and accumulate the information eligible for inclusion to IDC information block, devoted to ecology

• Preparing and including of new separate section on earth study sciences and connected problems. For working-out and information filling of this issue is planned to use the personal of the Institute of Geophysics and Geology of ASM.

• Further development should receive the training IDC section concerning the formation, preparation and retraining of staff in the field of information technologies. In this direction in Moldova the appreciable work is already made, however it covers not all the actual issues including study and practical assimilation of modern information technologies and software products. At present not enough training courses are worked out, the methodical materials are prepared and the teachers aware of a subject are qualified. The work on creation of new training courses directed on acquaintance and study of modern information systems, assimilation of new perspective networking hardware-software complexes for a construction of developed intranet structures, assimilation of new popular Internet technologies is begun. Should be developed and become available to the IDC Web-site users new perspective information block concerning organization of the remote tutoring in various fields of knowledge, including first of all sections concerning the tutoring of basic and applied networking technologies. At the first stage the remote-tutoring block can begin to function at the expense of use of already being available systems of remote tutoring. However a very important is the task of working-out training courses in various fields of knowledge by the experts inside Moldova .
• Creation of the information section containing data about the leading scientists and experts of Moldova, scientific collectives and schools, proposals on organization of cooperation with the scientists of foreign countries for realization of joint researches in various areas, realization of joint scientific and technological projects.

7.2. Perfecting exploitation technology and access to information databases.

The increment of a capacity of communication links and communication equipment within the framework of AMNET project will allow applying new modern methods of representation of an information and interaction with information databases. Handle the multimedia applications will become possible, on-line interactions with remote tutoring systems and on-line monitoring of student’s knowledge will be organized, the new technologies and applications based on moving objects and also many other modern networking technologies will become available.

A detailed Working plan, defining the aims and purposes of the project realization and containing the description of IDC Web-site information base structure has been elaborated. The Work plan includes basic recommendations on creation of national IDC according to STACCIS project and the investigation of the needs of potential users in the framework of IDC WWW server creation project realization. The aims, purposes, tasks and the worked-out Web-site IDC structure have been discussed and agreed with the organizations - participants of STACCIS project in Moldova. In accordance with the contract Ref. 98 STACCIS01 conditions, the prepared Work plan was submitted to EDNES, which founds the works on WWW IDC creation in Moldova.

Many organizations in Moldova, which are interested and have possibilities to take part in the project, have been engaged in IDC Web-site creation. The realization of the program, information and technological parts of the project is based on the existing networking infrastructure of AMNET scientific-educational network. This network was created by the specialists of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, the leading Universities, due to support of some international organizations (NATO Scientific Division, UNESCO, Soros Foundation and Eurasia Foundation).