Design and simulation of global backbone networks for global picture archiving and communications systems.

Abstract

The global picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) and telemedicine applications can provide time efficient treatments for patients and can save time and cost of health care services. Global multimedia communications networks are essential for supporting global PACS and telemedicine applications. However, global PACS internetwork environments are expensive to implement. Thus, the general internetworking designs for backbone networks are investigated. The differences between global multi-media communications networks and the traditional data communications networks are presented. The communications requirements for time-sensitive voice and video communications services and for error-sensitive data and image communications services are considered in the global backbone network designs for global PACS. The impacts of constant-bit-rate services, variable-bit-rate services, effective end-user bit rates, aggregate network bit rates, and the high-bandwidth and large end-to-end delay factors are investigated for the designs of global backbone networks. Based on considerations of the factors listed above, a national backbone network for global PACS in the United States is designed and proposed. The design is simulated using COMNET II.5, and the simulation results, which meet the two-second PACS medical image transfer requirement of global PACS, are presented.