society as a whole through building large-scale simulations. The work of the Club of Rome begins to show how collective work can be undertaken by a "community of minds," by collective intelligence. World Future Society Demonstration . How are these games, or simulations, undertaken? At the World Future Society Conference to be held in New York City in July 1986, United Nations and American Arbitration Association personnel plan to demonstrate "computer conferencing" and slow-scan TV in New York, using A. Onishi's FUGI model in Japan. FUGI is a computer-aided global macroeconomic model on the interdependent world economy. It aims to forecast for 62 · countries/regions economic factors, such as economic growth rate, employment, wages, prices, money supply, interest rates, public finance, trade, private capital movement, international balance of payment, and foreign exchange rates. Other possible uses of simulation modeling for international issues include the creation of scenarios about alternative structures for the United Nations, global police forces, strategies for monitoring potential crises in advance, mod~ling cases that are not .allowed to come before the World Court to see what 'the outcome might be, and so forth. Expanding Existing Models As any given game enlarges and becomes complex, dimensions of it can be divided amoung groups in different places. As data.banks are developed, more and more groups can involve themselves· in continuing computer' conferences, allowing more and more people to put their heads together. Amateurs, therefore, in a spirit of play, can explore possibilities that are not yet pohible for official agencies. By simulating Summer 1986 RAJN Page 45 disarmament alternatives, for example, there is no risk of destroying anything. in our real world, but the way can be paved to encourage optimism instead of pessimism. A next step in preparing for large-scale peace gaming is expected to ·be experimentation with using and expanding the · Onishi FUGI model, .which already has data bases from many countries. The FUGI model has already been used by the United Nations and various governments for economic and other simulations. In enlarging the FUGI model, the submodels of individual countries will be distributed to computers located .in varying countries. Each data base will be autonomously maintained and improved by experts o'f the individual countries. The submodels will be interconnected via global VANs in such a way that the integration of them all will act as a single global model. Software can then be developed to make available sc.enarios and to share experience witb, and lessons from, interactive games among experts of various countries. War games must be secret, but peace strategizing can involve many qualified persons. In time there can be global game plans which groups, large and small, global and local, ca~ plug into and use. An important use will be for educating and training negotiators, po,litical scientists, and students of international ·affairs. Education, through computer networks and .conferencing of this type, can be an important forerunner for world peace and progress. (For a more journalistic introduction to some of these idea see,. Computers: Bridges to the Future, by P. Rossman, Judson Press, Valley Forge, PA, 1985.) . Reprinted by permission from Netweaver Newsletter. Parker Rossman, 'Ph.D. is former Dean of Ecumenical Continuing Education Center of Yale University. Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., is President of Global Information Services and Technical Director of the Japan GWSAS Association. · NEWSBRIEFS International Worker Communication A·workshop on international worker communication by computer was held in the Netherlands on October 27, · 1985. Representatives from Pakistan, India, Yugoslavia, Iceland, the USA, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom were in attendance. The workshop proceedings have been published in a 104 page publication, The Comintercomdoc Papers. Contributio·ns include: "Information and the Construction of Socialism,." "From Bartering to Communication: Human Rights Information Handling in the _ Future," and "Standard Formats for H·uman Rights Information." Contact Peter Waterman at the Institute of Social Studies, PO Box 90733, 2509 LS, The Hague, The Netherlands. National Community Computer Training Network In March, the Information Technology Institute (ITI) participated in a meet-· ing to increase communication and · information sharing among the handful of community computer training centers arQund ·the c9untry. The meeting was initiated by ITI, the Benton Foundation, and the Public Interest Computer Association (PICA) in Washington, DC. The Benton Foundation provid~d financial assistance, as well as guidance in organizing the meeting. The meeting was held at PICA's new, well-designed and pleasant computer lab space. Also attending were representatives of Volunteer: The National Center, Partnerships Datanet, the Information Technolo~y Resource Cen~er in Chicago, Southern California Center for Nonprofit Management's Computer Assistance Program (CHIPS), the Center. for Nonprofit Mangement in Dallas that runs a program called Technical Leaming Center (TLC), ·and Mark Vermillion of Apple Computer Company. It was an exciting meeting. In an evening and a day, the group accomplished ,several of its goals. The formation of an informal network of centers to share information and skills, represent no11profit .computer concerns. to the computer industry, and provide better local services as well as expand services to communities without community computer training centers, were among several key issues agreed upon by the groups. Participants divided up tasks to implement several proposed joint programs, and will work on them further at a follow up meeting scheduled for July.
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