USDLA Newsletter

October 2015


Government

Federal Government Distance Learning Association Will Support 2015 Government Video Expo

The Federal Government Distance Learning Association (FGDLA) will support the 2015 Government Video Expo to be held December 1 through 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. The expo will focus on the use of video in distance learning. Additionally, the FGDLA will feature a live, fully interactive HD video virtual tour, of the U.S. Air Force Air Technology Network (ATN) video origination studio located at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH. This engaging and interactive tour will highlight the integrated video components that support the live delivery of distance learning programs originating from 13 remote TV video studios throughout the U.S. These studios work in support of the Veterans Health Administration and Department of Defense Medical Interagency Satellite Training (MIST) program. This live event will be made possible through the support of Polycom (www.polycom.com), a FGDLA premium sponsor. The FGDLA will host its annual awards ceremony at the expo on December 2. For more information, visit www.gvexpo.com/federal-government-distance/.

 

Collaborative Distance Learning Initiative between Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense
Jolly Holden, Executive Director of the Federal Government Distance Learning Association

Background

Public Law 107-314 of the FY03 Defense Authorization Act directed the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a Health Care Incentive Fund. In 2005, the VA (as lead agent) proposed a joint agency, satellite-based, distance learning educational channel using current medical content from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), VA, DOD, and other providers. Consequently, the Medical Interagency Satellite Training (MIST) program was created.

MIST Program Overview

The Air Technology Network (ATN), a dedicated, interactive television (ITV), satellite-based distance learning network, providing one-way video and two-way audio, expanded its applications to support the MIST program. This expansion was a VHA-DOD initiative. Due to the need for shared medical training within the federal government, the VHA-DOD Health Education Council, through the DOD Joint Incentive Fund, has ordered the expansion and use of existing DOD satellite distance learning networks to support joint medical training requirements unavailable through the Internet.

Due to the MIST initiative, the ATN now reaches medical facilities at all Air Force (AF) bases and many other military/DOD installations. The initial deployment of the program was completed in 2008. And with the ATN acting as the DOD’s gateway for turnaround of medical training developed by VHA, the MIST broadcasts accounted for more than 878,000 student-training-hours, government-wide in prior fiscal years.

MIST - Next Generation

In 2013, the “MIST-Next Generation” (MIST-NG) initiative was launched, which greatly enhanced its capability. The enhancement included adding 13 additional video origination studios with terrestrial connectivity to the ATN (satellite) hub at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB) in Dayton, OH. In addition, satellite classrooms were added to all remaining medical centers, hospitals, and clinics both inside and outside the continental U.S. Additionally, the MIST-NG will integrate Internet Protocol television (IPTV) satellite downlink capability at all medical centers, hospitals, and most clinics worldwide. Since downlinks will be installed at local military bases and posts, IPTV will be available for other DOD distance learning applications. In 2015, the Defense Health Agency (DHA), a key component of the U.S. Military Health System, completed the installation of the first distance learning medical origination site located in Falls Church, VA.

MIST Programs

Programming offered through MIST come from a variety of sources and covers a wide range of topics. Programming ranges from immunization, pandemic flu planning, emergency response, or the latest medical techniques. Examples of content programs and providers include:

MIST Capability

Through the ATN and the Defense Education and Training Network (DETN), the MIST program will have the capability to reach more than 730 remote classrooms across the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii; and 21 locations in Europe, Southwest Asia, and the Western Pacific. Education and training programs will originate from 18 broadcast centers linked terrestrially to the central satellite uplink facility at the Wright-Patterson AFB. The Global Broadcast Service, with a gateway uplink at Norfolk, VA, can reach Europe and West Asia, while the Western Pacific can be reached via a satellite gateway at Fairchild AFB, Spokane County, WA.

For more information on the MIST program, download the MIST brochure at http://detn.govdl.org/docs/Mist_brochure1.pdf.