PRONET — MULTIMEDIA COMPUTER BASED ON-LINE TRAINING AND SUPPORT SERVICE 
FOR PROFESSIONALS 
Wolfgang Kainz 
Department of Geoinformatics 
International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences ITC 
P.O. Box 6, 7500 AA Enschede, The Netherlands 
E-mail: kainz Q itc.nl 
Nicholas G. Antimisiaris, Veronika Samara 
EUROCOM Expertise S.A. 
372 Messogion Ave., 15341 Ag. Paraskevi, Athens, Greece 
E-mail: nant@ eurocom.intranet.gr, vsam@ eurocom.intranet.gr 
Commission VI, Working Group 1 
KEYWORDS: Engineering, Environment, Medicine, Technology, Development, Education, Learning, Training 
ABSTRACT 
This paper describes PRONET, a project supported by the European Commission in the context of multimedia computer 
based training for three highly-competitive professional groups: telecommunications engineers and professionals, envi- 
ronmental scientists and remote sensing specialists, and biomedical engineers and medical physicists. The PRONET 
project develops, tests, and validates an integrated telematics network service for the education and training of re- 
searchers and professional specialists. The main objectives of the project include the development and validation of 
telematics learning services for researchers and professionals, multimedia communication systems based on open 
standards with applications for tutorials, guidance, and delivery of seminars, and an integrated service network includ- 
ing integrated service management systems and scenarios for broadening the service to meet the needs of other pro- 
fessional groups and geographic areas. 
KURZFASSUNG 
Dieser Beitrag beschreibt PRONET, ein Projekt, welches von der Europàischen Kommission gefórdert wird und sich der 
rechnergestützten multimedia-basierten Ausbildung für drei wichtige Anwendungsbereiche widmet: Telekommuni- 
kationsingenieure, Umweltwissenschafter und Fernerkundungsspezialisten sowie biomedizinische Techniker und 
medizinische Physiker. PRONET entwickelt, testet und validiert ein integriertes Telematiknetzwerkservice für die Aus- 
bildung und das Training von Forschern und Fachkráften. Die Hauptzielrichtungen des Projektes beinhalten die 
Entwicklung und Validierung von telematischen Lernservices für Forscher und Praktiker, multimedia Kommuni- 
kationssysteme basierend auf offenen Standards mit Anwendungen für Tutorials, Leitung und Durchführung von Semi- 
naren sowie ein integriertes Servicenetzwerk mit integriertem Servicemanagement sowie Szenarios für die Erweiterung 
des Angebotes in andere Fachbereiche und Regionen. 
1. INTRODUCTION Professionals initiated by EUROCOM Expertise S.A. of 
Athens, Greece, was submitted to the Telematics Educa- 
There is a growing need for continuous training of tion and Training Program of the European Commission. 
professionals, in order to keep pace with technological The proposal was successful and PRONET started in 
innovations. Currently, this need is fulfilled by reading and January 1996 as a joint activity of a consortium con- 
subscribing to publications and magazines, attending sisting of: 
training sessions, seminars and conferences, joining pro- 
fessional societies and user groups, browsing the World e EUROCOM Expertise S.A, Athens, Greece 
Wide Web (WWW) or communicating with other (consortium leader) 
professionals in their respective fields. e FYCSA Formacion y Consultoria S.A., Madrid, Spain 
| ; INTRACOM S.A., Athens, Greece 
Today, we see an increased use of telematics services in^ + International Institute for Aerospace Survey and 
training and education. Terms like distance teaching and Earth Sciences ITC, Enschede, The Netherlands 
dist ance gaming become moro and more common mn — 5 University of Patras, Laboratory of Medical Physics, 
training and education environments. In 1995 a project Dattas, Qrooco 
proposal with the title PRONET — Multimedia Computer yi at 
Based On-Line Training and Support Service for e (Commission of the European Communities Joint Re- 
search Center - CEO, Ispra, Italy 
74 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B6. Vienna 1996 
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