The release of reserved domain names

At the most recent meeting of the .aero council (DAC), on 6 June, it was recommended that SITA should release currently reserved special industry and other reserved domain names for registration by eligible members of the aviation community.

Domain names will be released for registration as of 1 November 2007. This list has been reviewed by the DAC and was correct as this newsletter was published, although a final review was still being undertaken by members of the DAC.

Universal Aviation

Active in more than 50 countries, Universal Aviation is the ground support division of Universal Weather and Aviation Inc., which began operations almost 50 years ago providing weather briefings for Corporate aviation.

Universal Aviation covers Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, as well as the US. It offers services through independent ground handling providers, dealing with the administrative and other details needed for international travel.

Virtual aviation

With the success of Second Life and other virtual worlds that exist only within the Internet and the WorldWideWeb, a growing number of individuals and organizations are asking if they can register their virtual names within the .aero domain.

As the organization responsible for the integrity of the ,aero name, SITA is eager to welcome registrants from the virtual community. However, the eligibility criteria for those involved in the virtual community is the same as for those in the real community.

What's happening to the digital divide?

You may not have realized it, but 17 May was World Information Society Day, a moment set by the UN to remind the world of the vision set out at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005 to build "a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society".

The drivers behind the rhetoric are, of course, relevant to the global air transport community. The WSIS vision, after all, was for societies where information and communication are the main drivers of development.

When NATA decided to launch a new website...

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) also recognized the importance of a clearer identification with the air transport community. The previous domain name – www.nata-online.org (nata.org was not available – it's the National Athletic Trainer's Association) was replaced by the more logical www.nata.aero.

The makeover was part of a strategic move to create a more user-friendly homepage and some sections that are password-protected and accessible only by NATA members.

Who owns and runs the Internet - the evolving role of ICANN

When the Internet Protocol was first developed, a crowd of networks evolved beginning with the US Government-funded ARPANET. Ultimately they were linked together to create what we know today as the Internet. From the outset, no-one owned the Internet.

Who owns and runs the Internet: the role of W3C

It's easy to forget that, when Tim Berners-Lee first thought up what he called the World Wide Web in 1990, it was intended simply as a tool for the use of fellow scientists associated with CERN, the particle physics research centre that straddles the French/Swiss border near Geneva. The TCP/IP protocol was already offering the infrastructure. Berners-Lee's genius was to find a way of connecting hypertext with the Internet and personal computers.

Who owns and runs the Internet: the special role of ISOC

The Internet Society (ISOC) was launched in January 1992 to "provide assistance and support to groups and organizations involved in the use, operation, and evolution of the Internet". Initially it was envisaged as a professional society supporting development of the Internet as a global research communications infrastructure, led by key luminaries Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn and Lyman Chapin.

Not surprisingly, the purpose of ISOC has subsequently evolved as the Internet has become near-ubiquitous.

www.jcg.aero: "Securing the future of commercial aviation"

The Joint Co-Ordination Group (JCG) was formed by a group of aerospace industry information security experts to ensure harmonization between the information security efforts of all of the standards bodies affecting the commercial air transport industry.

The Group does not make standards of its own, but serves as an informal central forum for co-ordination and dissemination of information of interest to the civil air transport security community. It meets only as needed, with an agenda built on recommendations of representatives.