Communication Technologies and Their Applications - Essay Example

Cliftons (2012) rightly argues that videoconferencing “overcomes the problems inherent in communications between regional business centers as well as enabling [the management] to keep in touch with key people whilst away from their office.” It is a matter of in-depth research to determine the exact nature of this technology, explaining the principle behind its operation and conferencing process. An excellent resource for videoconferencing as is the case for almost all things, people, places, and so forth is, of course, Wikipedia. This website has detailed information on this technology. However, it is widely recognized that the site is unreliable and is not often recommended by academic institutions as a resource. Nonetheless, the website proved an effective starting ground that informed this researcher’s efforts at investigating videoconferencing technology. The information provided on the website offered insights as to what specific aspects of the technology should be examined and documented.

The preliminary research enabled the identification of at least two types of videoconferencing platforms. There is the case of the software designed as a standalone application used to communicate with others over the Internet using computers, cameras, and other tools. For example, there is Windows Live, Yahoo Messenger, and Skype. These are popular examples of software developed for videoconferencing. Users can download these applications for free or for a fee and they can use them to communicate with others through the web.
Using Internet connections, videoconferencing software is installed in the personal computer and it could allow users to make video and/or audio calls with others who have installed the same application in their computers. Skype is capable of accommodating up to ten participants in an audio-video conference.
The conference takes place in real-time. Some of these tools can accommodate two or more participants, hence, successfully achieving the nature of the conferencing concept. The second type of videoconferencing tool includes those designed to work on Internet browsers. These are systems called web applications and are built by web developers and embedded in websites. Internet users can log in to these browser-based video conferencing platforms. These are also called video chat rooms over the Internet. For example, www.videoconference.com is a straightforward website that lets visitors create video chat rooms easily and immediately. A user can create a video conferencing room and can inform those he or she wants to talk to and directs them to the web address where the video conferencing is to take place. During the 1990s, videoconferencing was an expensive affair, and organizations and individuals were averse to spending huge amounts on technology (Webopedia 2012). Today, however, they are sold cheaply and most of them are offered for free. This fact, in addition to its capabilities outlined above, makes videoconferencing a popular and beneficial tool both for personal and business use. Of course, as with the case of other Internet technological applications, it is dependent on the Internet bandwidth, which may be slow in other countries. This could prove problematic in using technology to communicate with people from such areas.

Geostationary Satellites
According to the website, www.reformation.org, “geostationary or communications satellites are parked in space 22,300 miles (35,900 km) above the equator of the STATIONARY earth,” and that they are “used for weather forecasting, satellite TV, satellite radio and most other types of global communications.” The difference between these types of satellites is their ability to provide continuous monitoring because of their capability to orbit the equatorial plane of the earth at a speed that exactly matches the rotation of the planet in its axis (USOSO 2012). What this means is that the geostationary satellites are stationary unlike the other type of satellite technology, the polar-orbiting satellites. It revolves around the earth for a specific period. As the world turns, the geostationary satellites turn with it.

The geostationary satellites have great utility for communications as well as meteorology and the study of Earth’s weather. For instance, meteorologists use geostationary satellite scans to predict rainfalls, and thunderstorms and provide snow advisories in addition to detecting ice fields and ice movements (USOSO). Around six meteorological satellites are currently positioned above the planet, which is enough to cover the entire face of the Earth. Also, the global positioning system or GPS works because of geostationary satellites.
A website run by the United Kingdom government outlined several advantages of geostationary satellites. These are:
• The ability to view the Earth in its entirety and not just a subsection of it; and,
• The ability to scan the same area very frequently (Dundee Satellite Receiving Station 2012).
On the other hand, geostationary satellites also have several disadvantages, namely:
• Poor image scan quality in comparison with polar-orbiting satellites, which are located nearer the planet;
• The inability to scan and observe the North and South poles since geostationary satellites are always positioned above the equator (Dundee Satellite Receiving Station 2012).