Page 18 - Intelligent Communication Systems

CHAPTER I/INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY 3
a lot of money to construct, enhance, and maintain each of these networks. To over-
come this problem, the integrated service digital network has been constructed to
accommodate all of these services.
Recently the Internet has evolved, by which local area networks, long-distance
lines, dedicated lines, and public analog/digital networks have been interconnected.
Over the Internet, customers can easily access the network, send e-mail, access
service providers such as Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer, or access
information providers. The number of customers on the Internet is increasing year
by year. According to one forecast, the total number of users will reach 400 mil-
lion by the end of 2002.
It will be very important to provide barrier-free and universal services to cus-
tomers, young and old, around the globe. Users' requests are given in a variety of
ways, such as spoken language, writing, gesture, and images. Somebody says in
Japanese, "I would like to buy a book on IT, in particular on voice recognition."
Or someone says in English, "I will go to Hawaii next week. Would you be kind
enough to reserve two seats in business class on United Airlines." Or two people ex-
change e-mail messages over the Internet, one in English and the other in Japanese.
Or someone handles a virtual object by hand gesture wearing a data glove in vir-
tual space.
In the first example, spoken language is analyzed and converted into the
canonical form of the sentence by a human-machine interface module. The system
understands that the user would like to purchase a book on IT and then accesses
the website of the bookstore and receives the answer "yes" or "no." This process-
ing is done by an intelligent processing module. In the second example, the system
analyzes the spoken language and understands the intention that the user would
like to reserve two seats in business class on UA next week. This processing is done
by a human-machine interface module. Then the system accesses the website of
a travel agent and receives the answer. In the third example, the system analyzes
the sentences by means of a human-machine interface module. The translation
between Japanese and English is accomplished by an intelligent processing
module. In the fourth example, the system analyzes a hand gesture and understands
the meaning. This is done via a human-machine interface module. Then the system
converts the gesture to the motion. According to the hand motion, the object is
moved by an intelligent processing module.
As these examples show, human-machine interface modules and intelligent pro-
cessing modules are needed to analyze, understand, and fulfill users' requests. To
achieve this, these modules have to be installed in the system, which is running on
the telecommunication network. The system comprises the communication network,
terminals, human-machine interface modules, and intelligent processing modules,
where human-machine interface modules are installed in the client stationed in the
terminal, intelligent processing modules are installed in the server, and the client and
server are interconnected over the communication network.
The structure of the IT system is shown in Figure 1.1. Its characteristics are
as follows.