Federation Information Network

            The Federation is an advanced technological society and handling data is an extremely important part of its operation. Though all the homeworlds developed an equivalent of the ‘internet’ before Contact, these systems generally worked on a few different types of protocol, but were universal on their worlds of origin. However the Federation is much larger than any of these original existing networks, and a new interlinked, universal system has developed which is built from many different protocols. Though incredibly complex it functions in a similar way the terrestrial originals.

The network is composed of a web of connected machines, each of which contains information and/or is terminal for exploring this web. The primary problem is working out which machines have the information you are looking for, the second is translating the information in a way which is compatible to your system. The second task not so much of a problem, as most modern software is built to understand most common protocols and programming languages. The first problem is solved on two different levels, the first solution is by giving each machine within the network a unique identifier, this address can be used to link information with that machine, this allows specific communication with any machine within the network. On top of this system each machine keeps a manifest of its network available content, the content and address can then be compiled in databases which can then be searched. Though these are the principles of any network,  there are almost an infinite variety of different operating systems, all of which can be almost completely customised, and all of which are undergoing evolution. The universal capacity for systems to communicate does not rely on their ability to emulate the other operating system, but instead by communicating data which has itself information on how it is to be read. In this way any document will contain information about the type of data it contains, and give any program an intelligent basis to display it, whatever its origin.

Though the network is universal and its whole can be accessed at any terminal, there are specialist subsets of the network, the most important of which are instrumentation streams. The Federation generates colossal amounts of data each day, all of this usually ends being processed in some way and recorded. The information comes from instruments of all kinds, satellites and other measurement vehicles, terrestrial observation sensors, even starships. This data flows as an unceasing network of data streams. This stream network is essential for supplying data about the physical world, though most people will not generally dip into this portion of the greater network it is the life blood of computational modelling and for all sorts of other services.

The data stream network is not the only ‘silent’ part of the network that gets unnoticed, all sorts of other messages get processed and other types of information exchanged, often never participating with any sentient being at all. When you call up a vehicle to take you to a friend’s house, you seldom think about how the vehicle works out its route or knows where your friend lives, you may not even realise it may adapt its route to avoid network failures or heavy traffic, but all of these processes are underpinned by this service traffic on the network. In addition to these silent network functions most aspects of daily living are at some stage passed through the network. Information about power supply and demands are handled without supervision, allocation of goods and food are also processed in this manner.

Though the network underpins many of the major functions of the Federation in near autonomy there are many user interactions it can be put to. The network allows any citizen access nearly all established knowledge, and can provide information on any subject. Using the network you can find out everything on anything, in addition to these ‘passive’ information services it can be used in communicative activities such as speaking with your relatives, to sending messages and announcements about a forthcoming party. The network can also provide you information on any news in any particular field without you having to resort to searching it out for yourself. The network can also be used to coordinate all ranges of non social activities such as making sure there is a vehicle waiting outside when you want to leave in the morning, to making sure that if you fall down or badly injure yourself a medical crew will arrive promptly, even if you are unconscious.

The greater network in short is an indispensable tool for exploring the wider world, and though it can not surpass face to face meetings and social events of this nature, it is more than capable of doing things that would otherwise be time consuming or hard to arrange, such as sending a message to someone in a different star system to remind them to water your pot plants whilst you are on holiday.