Project Summary

The GigLab is a public gigabit experimentation laboratory housed on the 4th Floor of the Chattanooga Public Library. The GigLab offers:

• Access to a system of computers with specialized software, servers, I2 compatible network equipment, and other cutting edge hardware needed to experiment with application development on a gigabit network.
• Educational resources such as expert-led classes on how to best take advantage of the gig to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and developers. (see supporting material for a list of classes)
• A connection to projects taking place in GigLabs in other cities, like Kansas City, Burlington, and more.

The GigLab augments and enhances much of the work that is already going on in the public library’s 4th Floor, whose mission is to support the production, connection, and sharing of knowledge by offering access to tools and instruction. Currently the 4th Floor offers public access to a diversity of tools and equipment, including 3D printers, microcontrollers, a vinyl cutter, and more. Some gigabit-specific equipment is also already housed on the 4th Floor, including two LOLA (LOw LAtency audio visual streaming system) video conferencing systems; these are integrated into the GigLab’s offerings.

Sharing, teaching, and equitable public access are core elements of both the library’s and the GigLab’s mission. The library has made constructive, strategic collaborations its highest priority. In the past two years has acted as host, partner, and test bed for a multitude of gigabit-centric startups, organizations, and programs. The GigLab represents the continuation and expansion of this trend as we connect to other cities, states, and countries with next generation networks.

Project Timeline

Week 1:

• Drafting design of GigLab space
• Evaluate purchasing decisions between funding sources

Week 2:

• Begin designing first hands on lab
• Submit equipment purchases

Week 3:

• Testing hands on lab
• Begin assessing power upgrades necessary for lab's long-term success (paid for with non-grant funds)
• Continue purchasing equipment

Week 4:

• Begin testing and provisioning of lab resources (routers and wireless access points)
• Contractors assessment of The GigLab's electrical needs
• Begin clearing out The GigLab's space, currently only utilized as storage

Week 5:

• Negotiate contract with City of Chattanooga approved electricians for power upgrades
• Apply for Library Services and Technology Act grant from State of Tennessee
• Establish partnership with Burlington VA Public Library for gigabit and I2 testing.

Week 6:

• Continue provisioning new hardware for addition to The GigLab (4K Display, 4K workstation)
• Negotiating server and switch purchases with vendors
• Begin designing possible pilot of a mesh network in an area of Chattanooga Public Housing
• Establish guidelines for the use of computational resources

Week 7:

• Clearing out the space is completed
• Electricians begin power upgrades, new transformer and all new outlets to drive GigLab services
• Demo first hands-on lab at Creative Discovery Museum in preparation for launch
• Continue assessing curriculum needs
• Testing mesh equipment for public demo in partnership with Open Chattanooga

Week 8:

• Allow company to utilize GigLab resources for testing and refinement
• Procure 4K footage from community partners for streaming demo purposes
• Run public mesh networking session in partnership with Open Chattanooga

Week 9:

• Attend MozFest 2014 where the mesh networking session is duplicated
• Polishing of floors and painting of walls to ready space for public launch

Week 10:

• Reach out to area educators and technologist to begin development of curriculum and sessions for GigLab
• Finalize contract with LSTA for second grant to grow GigLab post-pilot development
• Finalize space renovations
• Begin planning launch event as a joint Hive Chattanooga + Gigabit Community Fund Demo party

Week 11:

• Demo The GigLab for Library Directors from Library Journal Director's Summit, test-opening for public launch day in week 12
• Finalize initial equipment setup for immediate public use post-launch event

Week 12:

• Host joint Hive Chattanooga + Gigabit Community Fund Demo party as GigLab launch

Moving Forward:

• Release scheduling app on GigLab site for reserving resources post-launch
• Schedule and announce post-pilot educational sessions and hands on labs
• Continue developing service model
• Continue establishing partnerships with community organizations and startups

Project Partners

The Public Library, the Company Lab, and the Enterprise Center are the primary partners on this project. The public library and the Colab have a history of successful partnerships, and the Enterprise Center is Mayor of Chattanooga Andy Berke's new initiative addressing digital inclusion issues, gigabit development opportunities, and the formation of an innovation district in Chattanooga. This three-way primary partnership is intentionally aligned to bring in as many other successful collaborators as possible. One of these such partners was the Burlington Public Library in Virginia, a gigabit enabled public library which will act as a partner on a multitude of gigabit collaborations with The GigLab.

Metrics and Outcomes

Technical Outcomes

The GigLab represents the first public space of its kind. We expect people to come in and try to push boundaries, break things, and make terrible mistakes. This approach is contrary to standard IT practices that are designed to minimize such risks. GigLab has created an open network and equipment stack designed for public experimentation, and acts as a device lab of sorts targeted specifically at high-bandwidth hardware.

A list of GigLab's available hardware resources is available here.

Learning Outcomes

By participating in the pilot, X number of people will learning the following...

We will measure these learning outcomes by X, Y, and Z, methods.

Community Outcomes

What, if any, are the impacts of this project on the broader community? What are you producing that can be shared, remixed, and/or scaled?

Visuals

Add screenshots, video, etc.

Learn More

Our project progress will be documented via weekly updates on our blog. You can also find us on Twitter. We also use Trello as our task management system, so you can see what we're currently working on and track our progress here.