Design of a low cost Television White Space Z antenna

Abstract: The use of Television White Spaces (TVWS) for broadband communication has raised interest of late. In respect of rural areas, wireless is the only viable alternative for providing affordable telecommunications services. One limiting factor to the growth of wireless broadband penetration is the lack of available spectrum. White Spaces refer to regions of radio spectrum that are not used all the time in a specific geographical location. An assessment study on TV White Spaces availability in Malawi using affordable tools has been described and it was concluded that it is possible to assess the spectrum usage using low cost equipment. In this paper, the design aspects and the measured results of a low cost Television White Space Z antenna are described

Malawi's TV white space regulations : a review and comparison with FCC and Ofcom regulations

Regulators are in the process of framing regulations to allow secondary use of vacant TV channels while protecting TV broadcast services from harmful interference. While the US and UK regulators have already passed such regulations in 2008 and 2015 respectively, other countries are still in drafting stages and the underlying circumstances in these countries could be different from those of the US and UK. Malawi released its final draft regulations in 2016. While the US and UK legislate for dynamic spectrum access and licence-exemption for secondary users, Malawi’s draft regulations require such users to apply for a licence for assigned TV white space spectrum. This paper provides an analytical review of Malawi’s regulations and a comparison with FCC and Ofcom regulations, which new regulations can build on. This analysis will also inform future work on network management tools that can enable practical deployment and coexistence of large-scale TV white space networks in a dynamic spectrum access environment in Africa

Scoping Research Report on Assistive Technology - On The Road For Universal Assistive Technology Coverage

Over one billion people – largely disabled people and older people – are currently in need of Assistive Technology (AT). By 2050, this number is predicted to double. Despite the proven advantages of AT for disabled and older people, their families, and society, there is still a vast and stubborn gap between the need and the supply; currently only 10% of those who need AT currently have access to it. This Scoping Research Report on Assistive Technology (AT) seeks to unpick and understand the multi-layered and multifaceted ways in which economic, social, and political factors interplay and interact to create barriers to AT for those who need it the most. Through primary and secondary research, they explore the current landscape, the limitations, and current initiatives, ultimately answering the question: “How best should a target intervention around AT sphere affect positive change for poor, disabled and older people in Global South priority countries?”. To understand this question, the research team asked two specific questions: What are the barriers which prevent access to AT for the people that need it, with a focus on those living in low resource settings within DFID priority Global South countries? How should DFID, in partnership with others best direct its intervention toward overcoming these barriers? The work reveals that, while levels of AT market development vary across countries, key barriers are common. These barriers can be classified into 5 main categories related to both supply and demand factors and across the 5Ps of People, Products, Provision, Personnel, and Policy. This work is part of the ‘Frontier Technology Livestreaming’ programm

Sustainable urbanisation. Developing an informal settlement into a resilient urban centre in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Human induced stress on the natural environment has strengthened significantly due to global population growth and rapid urbanisation. These developments have inflicted an environmental crisis which threatens the ecosystems that the human survival depends upon. While the population and cities continue to grow worldwide, most of the future growth is anticipated to occur in Africa. As the future world will be mostly urban, cities will be key to solving sustainability issues. This thesis takes Zanzibar in Tanzania as an example to study how urban design and planning can be utilised to support resilient development in cities and thus contribute to achieving global sustainability — to ensure human well-being within the limits of planet Earth. This thesis comprises two parts: a theoretical part and a case study. The theoretical part is based on literature studies, which first present the developments and projections in global population growth and urbanisation and the emergence of informal settlements. Then, the problematic concept of sustainable development is investigated to find out how it should be redefined. The first part concludes by presenting the key concept of resilience. In a rapidly and unexpectedly changing world, resilience — the ability to adapt to change — is considered key to sustainability. The case study is based on field work in spring 2019 in Zanzibar, Tanzania, where design probing, a workshop with school children, semi-structured interviews, and a set of field observation methods were utilised to build an understanding of the studied context. The case study presents the current and projected urban conditions in Zanzibar and analyses the conditions and existing plans in a neighbourhood called Chuini in Zanzibar Town. The case study aims at illustrating how to apply the theory presented in the first part in practice in Chuini, which is suffering from rapid urban sprawl that is encroaching on valuable agricultural land and water catchment and retention areas. The case study concludes by presenting a development framework for urban resilience. The application of the framework is illustrated in Chuini, where it is utilised to plan the transformation of the existing informal settlement into a resilient urban centre. The proposal for the development in Chuini includes three connecting networks, concepts for developing typical areas there, and tools to improve ecological and social resilience by urban design. The main outcome of this thesis, the development framework for urban resilience, defines a planning hierarchy with three steps: first, the ecological components of the social-ecological system — system of humans and nature, in this case a city or a neighbourhood — are prioritised; secondly, social components are enhanced and connected; and thirdly, the system is complemented with economic components. Within this framework, six principles of resilience thinking are proposed to be applied in urban design and planning to improve resilience in cities. This thesis provides tools for urban development in Zanzibar, but the proposed development framework for urban resilience is applicable across the world in urban design and planning. The resilience solutions exemplified in the case study area are also transferable to similar contexts with careful consideration. By utilising the development framework, urban designers can contribute to global sustainability through improving urban resilience, the ability of cities to adapt to change.Ihmisen vahingollinen vaikutus luonnonympäristöön on voimistunut merkittävästi maailmanlaajuisen väestönkasvun ja kaupungistumisen myötä. Tämä kehitys on aiheuttanut ympäristökriisin, joka uhkaa ihmisen eloonjäämiselle välttämättömiä ekosysteemejä. Väestö ja kaupungit jatkavat kasvamistaan ympäri maailman, mutta suurin osa tulevasta kasvusta tapahtuu Afrikassa. Koska suurin osa ihmisistä asuu tulevaisuudessa urbaaneilla alueilla, kaupungit ovat avainasemassa, kun ratkaistaan kestävyyteen liittyviä kysymyksiä. Tässä diplomityössä käytetään esimerkkinä Sansibaria Tansaniassa tutkittaessa, miten kaupunkisuunnittelulla voidaan tukea kaupunkien resilienttiä kehitystä ja siten edistää maailmanlaajuista kestävyyttä – ihmisen hyvinvointia maapallon kantokyvyn rajoissa. Diplomityö koostuu kahdesta osasta: teoreettisesta osasta ja tapaustutkimuksesta. Teoreettinen osa perustuu kirjallisuuskatsaukseen, jossa esitellään ensin maailmanlaajuiseen väestönkasvuun, kaupungistumiseen sekä epävirallisiin asuinalueisiin liittyvää kehitystä sekä ennusteita tulevasta. Tämän jälkeen tarkastellaan kestävään kehitykseen liittyvää problematiikkaa ja sitä, miten käsite tulisi määritellä uudelleen. Ensimmäisen osan lopuksi syvennytään työn keskeisimpään käsitteeseen resilienssiin. Nopeasti muuttuvassa maailmassa resilienssi – kyky sopeutua muutokseen – on keskeisessä roolissa pyrittäessä kohti kestävyyttä. Tapaustutkimus perustuu keväällä 2019 Sansibarilla tehtyyn kenttätyöhön, jossa tutkittavaan alueeseen tutustuttiin osallistavien suunnittelumenetelmien ja kenttähavaintomenetelmien avulla. Tapaustutkimuksessa esitellään Sansibarin kaupunkikehitystä ja siinä tapahtuvaksi arvioituja muutoksia sekä analysoidaan aiempia suunnitelmia ja vallitsevia oloja Chuinin kaupunginosassa Zanzibar Townissa. Tapaustutkimuksen tavoitteena on havainnollistaa, miten ensimmäisen osan teoriaa voidaan soveltaa käytännössä Chuinissa, joka kärsii asutuksen hallitsemattomasta leviämisestä arvokkaille viljelysmaille ja sadeveden imeytysalueille. Tapaustutkimuksen päätteeksi esitellään suunnittelun viitekehys resilientille kaupunkikehitykselle ja havainnollistetaan viitekehyksen käyttöä Chuinissa, missä tämänhetkisestä epävirallisesta asuinalueesta suunnitellaan resilientti kaupunkikeskus viitekehyksen avulla. Kehitysehdotus Chuiniin sisältää kolme toisiaan täydentävää verkostoa, konseptit erityyppisten alueiden kehittämiseen ja kaupunkisuunnittelun työkaluja ekologisen ja sosiaalisen resilienssin parantamiseen. Diplomityön tärkein tulos, teoreettisen osan pohjalta kehitetty suunnittelun viitekehys resilientille kaupunkikehitykselle määrittelee hierarkian kolmelle suunnittelun osa-alueelle: ensin otetaan huomioon sosioekologisen (ihmisistä ja luonnonympäristöstä koostuvan) systeemin ekologiset osat; toiseksi yhdistetään ja kohennetaan sosiaalisia osatekijöitä; ja kolmanneksi täydennetään systeemiä taloudellisilla komponenteilla. Viitekehyksen sisällä jokaisella suunnittelun osa-alueella noudatetaan kuutta resilienssiajattelun periaatetta, jotka parantavat resilienssiä kaupungeissa. Tämä diplomityö tarjoaa työkaluja kaupunkikehitykseen Sansibarilla, mutta esitettyä suunnittelun viitekehystä voi soveltaa kaupunkisuunnittelussa myös muualla maailmassa. Tapaustutkimuksen kohdealueelle esitettyjä suunnitteluratkaisuja voidaan hyödyntää vastaavissa olosuhteissa harkinnanvaraisesti. Käyttämällä tässä työssä esitettyä viitekehystä kaupunkisuunnittelijat voivat edistää maailmanlaajuista kestävyyttä parantamalla kaupunkien resilienssiä, kykyä sopeutua muutoksiin

“Exploring the contribution of alternative food systems towards food security: a case study of the siyazenzela food garden project”

In South African urban centres the development of Alternative Food Systems (AFS) have been partially attributed with seeking to overcome the exclusion enforced through the apartheid regime’s racial planning policies. It was during this period that poor African households were forcibly relocated to the periphery of urban areas, creating even greater distances between themselves and everyday amenities, such as food retailers, which were typically found in more affluent zones. As a result, AFS emerged through informal activities to reduce the lack of access to necessary resources that these underserved communities experienced. Even at the end of the apartheid regime and the subsequent increased expansion of formal food retailers in many of these low-income communities, access to food continues to be major challenge. Consequently, AFS fulfil an essential role by providing low income neighbourhoods with alternative and affordable sources of food. This research examines the extent to which AFS, such as the Siyazenzela food garden project, contribute to food security for the Phiri community in Soweto and if it is feasible for the project to meet these needs single-handedly. The results indicate that the project plays an important role by providing locals with accessible, fresh, diverse, affordable and culturally acceptable foods. However, one of the considerable challenges for the initiative is its inability to maintain a constant supply of produce throughout the year. This leaves many of its patrons having to seek food from other sources, which may not necessarily offer the same quality and affordable goods, or they resort to consuming less fresh produce. Therefore, the study brings to the surface the need to question how such systems function and if their methods always result in safe, healthier and environmentally friendly grown produce as the literature assert

Empirical Study on Performance Evaluation Between Long Term Evolution (LTE), Third Generation (3G) and TV White Space Availability for Wireless Campus Network

Abstract—University campuses are increasingly relying on wireless communication as the preferred media to access the web. Hence, there is a need to conduct on site performance evaluation on the existing wireless standards with the view of analyzing their expected and actual performance. In this paper, a drive-test was performed on three (3) wireless standards of LTE Release 8, 3G and Television White Space (TVWS). The drive-test was performed in both in-building and outdoor environments in a sub-urban campus settings. Results from LTE Release 8, 3G indicate that user mobility affects the received user throughput and Reference Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). The test cases are executed by using a real LTE user equipment, equipped with ASCOM’s TEMS software on a live 3G and 4G mobile networks for the both Malaysian mobile service providers; Maxis and Celcom. The results showed sufficient coverage within the campus area from both operators. On the other hand, results from field experiment indicate that TVWS is available on the campus. TVWS presents significant new opportunities within the context of emerging 4G networks for deploying new wireless access technology capable of meeting students expectation in terms of throughput and increasing broadband access for the fraction when the legacy 4G networks experience coverage blackout

An e-learning instructional design framework for mobile devices in Africa

English text, with summaries in English, Afrikaans and ZuluThis study aims to propose an e-learning framework for mobile devices in Africa to help improve enrolment rates and education standards in the FET (Further Education and Training) phase. The study is qualitative in nature and employs document analysis as main research method. An overview of the South African education context with supporting statistical data to motivate why an e-learning alternative is crucial for improving South African and African education is provided. The literature review includes a descriptive analysis of 7 existing e- and m-learning frameworks, with key features highlighted for possible adaptation or incorporation into an e-learning framework for Africa. Behaviourism, Constructivism and Connectivism are discussed as applicable learning theories to pedagogically underpin this proposed e-learning framework. Thereafter, a critical evaluation of current South African education policy documents (White Papers, the Norms and Standards for Educators and the Draft Policy for the Provision and Management of Learning Teaching and Support Materials) is conducted to determine whether these policies support and enable e-learning effectively. Part 2 of Chapter 5 comprises a critical analysis and comparison of education systems and applicable legislation in the USA, Finland and Malawi to establish how education is structured and how e-learning is administered in these countries to make relevant recommendations for South Africa and to inform the design of an e-learning framework for Africa. Research findings are presented as answers to the research questions posed and the proposed e-learning framework with further recommendations are presented to the South African Department of Basic Education, teachers and researchers.Die doel van hierdie studie is om ‘n e-onderrig-en-leer raamwerk vir mobiele toestelle vir Afrika voor te stel, sodat inskrywingsgetalle en onderrig- en leerstandaarde in die Verdere Onderrig en Opleidings (VOO) fase verbeter kan word. Dit is ‘n kwalitatiewe studie en dokumentanalise word as navorsingsmetode toegepas. ‘n Oorsig van die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysstelsel en konteks met ondersteunende statistiese bevindinge word verduidelik om e-onderrig-en-leer as noodsaaklike alternatief vir Suid-Afrika en Afrika te motiveer. Die literatuuroorsig sluit ‘n beskrywende analise van sewe bestaande e- en m-onderrig-en-leer (mobiele-onderrig-en-leer) raamwerke in. Hoofkenmerke van elke raamwerk word uitgelig vir moontlike aanpassing en inkorporering in ‘n e-onderrig-en-leer raamwerk vir die Afrika-konteks. Leerteorië, nl Behaviourisme, Konstruktivisme en Konnektivisme (Connectivism) word in diepte bespreek as pedagogies fundamenteel om die e-onderrig-en-leer raamwerk te onderbou en te ondersteun. ‘n Kritiese evaluasie van Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysbeleid (d.w.s. Witskrifte, die Norme and Standaarde vir Onderwysers en die konsepdokument oor die Voorsiening en Bestuur van Onderrig-, Leer- en Ondersteuningsmateriaal) is gedoen om vas te stel of die beleid wel e-onderrig-en-leer effektief ondersteun en prakties moontlik maak. ‘n Krities analitiese en vergelykende studie van die VSA (Verenigde State van Amerika), Finland en Malawi se onderwysstelsels- en wetgewing is gedoen in hoofstuk 5 deel 2 om te bepaal hoe dié lande onderwys struktureer en hoe e-onderrig-en–leer geadministreer word, sodat relevante voorstelle vir Suid-Afrika gemaak kan word en om insae te lewer in die ontwerp van ‘n e-onderrig-en-leer raamwerk toepaslik vir die Afrika-kontinent. Navorsingsbevindinge word voorgelê aan die Suid-Afrikaanse Departement van Basiese Onderwys, onderwysers sowel as aan navorsers.Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuphakamisa uhlaka lwe-e-learning lamadivaysi eselula e-Afrika ukusiza ukuthuthukisa izinga lokubhalisa nezindinganiso zemfundo kwiSigaba se-FET (Further Education and Training). Ucwaningo luyimfanelo enemvelo futhi lusebenzisa ukuhlaziywa kwedokhumenti njengendlela yokucwaninga eyinhloko. Ukuhlolisisa umongo wezemfundo waseNingizimu Afrika ngokusekela imniningwane yezibalo ukugqugquzela ukuthi kungani enye yokufunda email ibalulekile ekuthuthukiseni imfundo yaseNingizimu Afrika ne-Afrika. Ukubuyekezwa kwezincwadi kuhlanganisa ukuhlaziywa okuchazayo kwezinhlaka eziyisikhombisa ezisekhona ze-e- e-m-learning, nezici eziyinhloko eziqokonyiswe ukukhishwa kwe-adaption noma ukufakwa kwisakhiwo se-e-learning se-Afrika. Ukuzikhethela, Ukwakhiwa kwe-Constructivism (Kwe Zokwakha) kanye ne-Connectivism (Kwe Zokuxhumana) kuxoxwa njengezifundo ezifanele zokufunda ukusekela lolu hlelo oluhlongozwayo lwe-e-learning. Ngemuva kwaloko, ukuhlolwa okubalulekile kwemibhalo yamanje yemfundo yaseNingizimu Afrika (Amaphepha Asemhlophe, Imigomo Nemigomo Yabafundisi kanye neNqubomgomo Yohlaka Lokufundiswa Nezifundo Nokusekela) kwenziwa ukuze kutholakale ukuthi lezi zinqubomgomo zisekela futhi zikwazi yini ukufundisa nge-e-ephumelelayo. Ingxenye yesibili yeSahluko sesihlanu iqukethe ukuhlaziywa okubucayi kanye nokuqhathaniswa kwezinhlelo zemfundo kanye nemithetho esebenzayo eMelika, eFinland nase Malawi ukuqinisekisa ukuthi imfundo ihlelwe kanjani nokuthi i-e-learning inikezwa kanjani ukwenza izincomo ezifanele eNingizimu Afrika nokwazisa ukuklama uhlaka lwe-e-learning lwe-Afrika. Imiphumela yokucwaninga inikezwa njengezimpendulo zemibuzo yokucwaninga ephakanyisiwe kanye nohlaka oluhlongozwayo lwe-e-learning kanye nezincomo ezengeziwe ezethulwa eMnyangweni wezemfundo Eyisisekelo, othisha nabacwaningi baseNingizimu Afrika.Curriculum and Instructional StudiesM. Ed. (Curriculum Studies

Gendered geographies of food security in Blantyre, Malawi

This dissertation addresses the need for a deeper understanding of how gender roles and identities shape household access to food in African cities. The case study of Blantyre, Malawi, is similar to other medium-sized cities in southern Africa where the colonial legacies of structural poverty shape contemporary food insecurity, intra-household gender relations, and urban development. Five conceptual threads run throughout the dissertation and draw together the overarching theoretical and empirical contributions of the research. The first conceptual thread is that urban food insecurity in Blantyre is characterised by a growing level of precarity and vulnerability. Informal, seasonal, and inconsistent incomes often fail to provide reliable access to food, resulting in scarcity at daily, monthly, or seasonal intervals. Secondly, this precarity has a gendered impact on household food security. Women command lower incomes than men, but many also have access to resources such as customary farmland. The geographical focus of the research highlights the effects of gendered mobilities on accessing these resources and on accessing food. The third thread focuses on theoretical problems of African urbanism, particularly regarding the interconnectedness of urban and rural households and the blurred distinction between urban and rural spaces. Access to rural resources, including physical access and hence mobility, is crucial for many low-income households to be food secure. The fourth thread draws attention to political economic issues of local governance, urban planning, and Malawi\u27s production-oriented food security strategy. Recent policies have undermined urban food security and low-income urban households have insufficient political influence over policies that directly shape their livelihoods. The final thread traces the colonial legacies embedded in this political economy, with particular attention paid to the effects of the geographical legacies of colonialism on Blantyre\u27s built environment. A feminist postcolonial epistemology guided the planning, execution, and analysis of the qualitative methods that empirically ground this dissertation. The result is a layered and richly contextualised demonstration of the centrality of gender and power relations at multiple scales in shaping household food security in Blantyre. The dissertation makes a vital contribution to understanding the urban context of food security, changing gender roles, and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa

ESRC-DFID Power of Partnership: Research to Alleviate Poverty

This booklet provides an overview of poverty alleviation research encompassing 172 projects focused in 77 countries, and globally, which have been enabled by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID) Strategic Partnership.ESRC-DFI

Taking English Planning Law Scholarship Seriously

Planning is at the heart of the response to many of the significant challenges of our time, from the climate and environmental crises to social and economic inequalities. It is embedded in, as well as partially constituting, our democratic systems, so that the challenges of democratic decision-making in a complex society cannot be avoided when thinking about planning. Planning law raises some of the most fundamental questions faced by legal scholars, from the legitimacy of authority to the relationship between public and private rights and interests. And yet, planning law has been relatively neglected by legal scholars. The objective of Taking English Planning Law Scholarship Seriously is to create space for planning law scholarship in all of its variety, and for curiosity about law in all of its complexity. The chapters reflect this diversity and complexity, covering a range of the objects of planning (from housing to energy to highways) and a multiplicity of planning tasks and tools (from compulsory purchase to contracting to planning inquiries)