Distance is no problem

With the Internet highway allowing people to connect like never before it was only a matter of time before video conferencing became popular, and it has quickly developed into mainstream culture

Videoconferencing or video teleconferencing (VC), allows two or more people at different locations to communicate visually.

Videoconferencing can be achieved with a mobile phone, wireless video conferencing system; a broadcast streaming and content delivery tool an integrated audiovisual system - or a combination of the above.

Alternatively you can use a basic web cam application - a computer with internet access, web cam and microphone are all that's needed.

Video conferencing has many applications: people who live away from home and want to stay in contact with their loved ones, education around the world and in businesses.

The medical profession also uses video conferencing for communication between patients and care-givers. The entertainment industry also uses this technology to broadcast medical procedures and for interviews with people in different locations.

Video conferencing is not a new technology, although it was only in the 1980s that digital telephony transmission networks became possible. They quickly began to appear in the market and expanded throughout the world.

VC systems throughout the 1990s quickly changed from expensive equipment, to standard technology that was easily available to the general public at a reasonable cost.

This resulted in videoconferencing becoming more available, and with free services from the likes of MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger, video conferencing began a speedy launch into everyday usage.

High speed Internet connectivity has become more widely available at a reasonable cost and the cost of video capture and display technology has decreased.

Consequently personal video teleconference systems based on a web cam, personal computer system, and broadband internet connection has become affordable for the general public.

Also, the hardware used for this technology has continued to improve in quality, and prices have dropped dramatically. This has become an increasingly popular way to keep in contact with loved ones when living in away from home.

"It's a great way to speak to my family. Its cheaper than making a phone call and I actually get to see my loved ones rather than just hear them and sometimes two or three family members come to the computer and I get to see them all the same time.

"So it's great. Its much better and more efficient than sending an email, which can take 30 to 40 minutes to write, or writing on MSN Messenger," said Chris Clarke, Mechanical Engineer, on the Kerzner Atlantis project.

Education
Videoconferencing also provides huge advantages in education. It has enhanced and changed the way in which online degrees can be taken. Video conferencing provides students with the opportunity to learn by participating in a two-way communication platform.

Students are able to participate more actively in online classes, it offers the opportunity to explore, communicate, analyse and share information and ideas with other students.

"Taking online courses is very flexible, and as I was working part time. It fitted in with my schedule."

Says Vineetha Menon Sub-editor of TH!NK magazine, who completed her online Computing and Business Application degree at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

"There are many benefits. Of course attendance records were kept so it didn't mean that I could go online whenever I wanted, but it did give me more leeway. You are able to take part in discussions on the web cam and talk to other members of the class and the professor in real time. Which is a big advantage."

Video conferencing has numerous benefits within a campus environment.

For instance, guest speakers can be brought into a classroom from another institution, researchers can collaborate with colleagues at other institutions on a regular basis without loss of time due to travel, it allows members of the faculty committee to hold auditions for scholarship candidates, again cutting costs. It also enables students to participate in interviews with prospective employers in other cities.

Interviews and discussions
"I studied at the University of Tampa, Florida. They have a great staff that will help look into different areas of your chosen profession. About three months before I was due to graduate I was applying for jobs around the country and in Dubai.

"Using the technology within a school environment allowed me to speak to different employers in a professional and efficient manner," said David Mothersill, recent graduate.

"It was great, I couldn't afford to go to all these places for an interview and most companies are not really willing to fly you out to them, so this really helped me out. It was a great way of communicating.

"That's why I'm here now, I did well in both of my video conference interviews and now the company has flown me over to discuss a possible position," added Mothersill.

Videoconferencing can be a useful piece of technology for the medical and health care professions, around the world. Telemedicine and tele nursing allow patients and their physicians to consult, discuss diagnosis, and transmit medical images, in real time.

By using VC, patients are able to contact nurses and physicians in an emergency or in routine situations. This enables physicians and other paramedical professionals to discuss individual cases across the country or world and not waste any time.

"Telemedicine is great way to communicate with patients. It's much more time efficient and many patients prefer this method of communication, the elderly especially. They feel more comfortable simply by seeing our faces as we explain a particular diagnosis or preventative measure," said Dr Adelle Fishlock of the Medical Clinic Dubai.

Video conferencing is also being used to combine medial advances with entertainment. Many would say this is unethical but it still manages to draw in large audiences.

In the United Kingdom this became a topic of discussion, when TV personality Vanessa Fletz hosted the Channel Five show Cosmetic Surgery Live, which showed surgical procedures performed in other countries as well as in the UK.

The surgeries were sent to the studio in London via video conferencing from Los Angeles in the actual operating theatre, allowing the surgeon to talk to Feltz and the audience throughout the procedure and giving Feltz the opportunity to ask questions about what was been performed.

With technological advancements constantly been developed video conferencing is only a small step into what the future holds for the communication network.