High-speed research networking connection between continents and countries In recent years, the environment and technology of the science technology R&D field has been rapidly changing, in an unprecedented fashion. The high-powered computing and networking- computing power of tera notch and networking of giga notch enable researchers to control their own desktop environment research resources scattered all over the world. This grid offers technology to make it possible to share such joint research resources and on the basis of this, e- Science is providing the common software necessary for application research. In order for the grid or e-Science to be successfully constructed and utilized, first and foremost high-speed national research network plaiting equipment, information as well as human power of the entire world, is necessary. As a consequence, the GLORIAD (Global Ring Network for Advanced Application Development) project is under way, equipping the entire world with the Lambda Network, and with priority given to the United States. With a view to securing global dominance in the science technology R&D infra field, science technology powers such as the United States, China, and Russia launched the GLORIAD project as part of ambitious projects of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), which united cooperation between the United States, Russia and China as one. Circular research network GLORIAD is a circular research network starting in the United States (Chicago) and connecting the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Russia (Moscow, Novosibirsk etc.), China(Beijing, Hong Kong), Korea (Daejeon) and is geared to the United States (Seattle), Canada (Calgary), and the United States (Chicago). According to research trend analyses at home and abroad, the demand for research network bandwidth which is needed to deal with research data volume to be generated from cutting-edge science technology R&D within the coming 5-10 years, is expected to increase more than 200-fold compared with today. The U.S. Department of Energy has also predicted that the volume of data to be generated from 11 application research fields such as climate, fusion energy, hadron structure, quark-gluon plasma, material science-neutrons, materials science- photons, chemistry-combustion, chemistry-environmental, genomes to life, particle physics, and university asymmetry will increase by geometric progression over the coming five years in comparison with the past 5 years. Accordingly, it can be presumed that an optical networking infrastructure of 100~200Gbps notch will be demanded after 4~5 years to support R&D of the hitech science technology field. For the sake of advanced science technology R&D, a senior researcher, Dr. Jai- Seung Kwak, of the High Performance Research Networking Dept., the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) said it is indispensable to construct and operate a high-speed research network of Gigabit Ethernet LAN level. The worldwide GLORIAD community allows utilization of GLORIAD by selecting and supporting information on astronomy, the atmosphere/environment science, aviation space, nuclear fusion energy, geological resources, grid/computing, high energy physics, bioengineering/medical science and networking as the core international joint research fields which need networking of high bandwidth. Some of the most important GLORIAD utilization application research examples are as follows: For instance in the field of high energy physics research, 6,000 scientists from 250 universities as well as laboratories in 60 countries are cooperating in experimenting with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Through such experiments, the volume of data by 2015 is forecasted to increase by up to the several Exabytes (EBs) stage. Simultaneously with substantial cooperation between researchers dispersed by regional groups through joint utilization of the sole LHC experimental equipment in the world, to collect, analyze vast volumes of data to be generated by this and to gain access to materials, needs a network with a large-sized capacity like GLORIAD. In the case of astronomy, research to compare and analyze astronomical data acquired by using diverse technology and methods, is under way in various countries and such an attempt needs sufficient bandwidth security. To collect observation materials gathered from countries worldwide and to provide domestic astronomers as well as astronomers all over the world with such observation materials in step with international standards, needs a network with a large high-speed volume. Experts say that by utilizing GLORIAD, within two years current research speed will be able to be reduced. An epochal development in the science technology field The United States has been initiating continuous investment and leadership for global science technology hub construction by forming diverse programs since the late 1980s to fulfill a central role in science technology cooperation research networks covering the whole world. Recently, the United States has selected five research network connection projects between continents and between countries while pursuing the International Research Network Connection (IRNC) program since the beginning of 2004. These five projects for research network cooperation in the IRNC program consists of TransLight/Pacific Wave, TransLight/StarLight, GLORIAD, CIREN (Consortium of International Research & Education Network), and WHREN (Western Hemisphere Research & Education Networks). First of all, TransLight which has been developed over the past seven years is composed of StarLight and Pacific Wave. TransLight/StarLight connects Chicago, New York (the United States), and Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and TransLight/Pacific Wave is gearing Seattle, Los Angeles (the United States) and major Pan-Pacific countries. In this way, the Pacific Wave project offers necessary networking equipment and services to connect the western part of the United States and Pan-Pacific countries with a high-speed network focusing on Northwest GigaPoP in Seattle and LAAP in Los Angeles. Furthermore, the TransLight/StarLight project stands for technical solution method for the sake of bandwidth security between the U.S. and Europe, performance improvement as well as cutting-edge network service. Also, GLORIAD, an international science technology cooperation research network, aims to provide advanced network infra of science technology network in regions that included the United States, Russia, China, Korea, Canada, the Netherlands, Europe area, East Asia as well as up to Central Asia. This GLORIAD constructs a global circular opt science technology research network, the most developed form globally, to form a firm groundwork for the development of the future science technology network. In addition, CIREN (Consortium of International Research & Education Network) aims to provide the best education as well as research network to link the United States digitally with the Asia region. And finally, in the case of WHREN (Western Hemisphere Research & Education Networks), it will fulfill its role as an important network infrastructure to offer an e-Science core to the South/North American continents by providing research equipment and a high-speed research networking service. In summary, the advanced countries of the world are briskly promoting a research network connection among continents and among countries for the purpose of international joint research in the field of science technology. In conclusion, the GLORIAD construction project is to operate an optical networking- based circular international research network of 10/40 giga notch, with priority given to six countries -- namely Korea, the United States., China, Canada, the Netherlands, and Russia -- and through this, to pave the way for science technology power with an epochal development of the innovative science technology field, including high energy physics, nuclear fusion, bioengineering and so forth.