Data capture and analysis to assess impact of carbon credit schemes

Data enables Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to quantify the impact of their initiatives to themselves and to others. The increasing amount of data stored today can be seen as a direct consequence of the falling costs in obtaining it. Cheap data acquisition harnesses existing communications networks to collect information. Globally, more people are connected by the mobile phone network than by the Internet. We worked with Vita, a development organisation implementing green initiatives to develop an SMS-based data collection application to collect social data surrounding the impacts of their initiatives. We present our system design and lessons learned from on-the-ground testing

Target(ed) Advertising

Targeted advertising—using data about consumers to customize the ads they receive—is deeply controversial. It also creates a regulatory quandary. Targeted ads generate more money than untargeted ones for apps and online platforms. Apps and platforms depend on this revenue stream to offer free services to users, if not for their financial viability altogether. However, targeted advertising also generates significant privacy risks and consumer resentment. Despite sustained attention to this issue, neither legal scholars nor policymakers have crafted interventions that address both concerns, and existing regulatory regimes for targeted advertising have critical gaps. This Article makes three key contributions to the targeted advertising literature. First, it rigorously interrogates the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the practice, concluding that targeted ads generate important benefits for firms, but mixed effects for society. Next, it evaluates the risks and harms of these ads and maps them to existing regulatory regimes to identify gaps. Finally, it elucidates a co-regulatory reform proposal that combines industry expertise with oversight by the Federal Trade Commission to address invasive data collection techniques, insecure data storage, and problematic transactions in consumer data. The proposal closes regulatory loopholes, reduces information asymmetry for enforcement in a fast-changing industry, and offers a pragmatic path to implementation

Desarrollo de una aplicación web que gestione y administre cobros y usuarios para los entrenadores de la Academia de Ecuavoley en Quito

El presente proyecto técnico tiene como objetivo desarrollar una aplicación web, mediante el uso de herramientas de programación, que gestione y administre cobros a los usuarios de la academia de ecuavoley en Quito. Para lo cual se hizo uso del lenguaje de programación NodeJs y el motor de base de datos Mongo DB. En la parte del front-end se utilizó la librería Express con su plantilla handlebars donde se introdujo el paquete de diseño Bootstrap. Para la gestión de datos se implementó Data Tables con AJAX, todo esto bajo la metodología ágil Scrum. El producto final es una aplicación web que permite registrar cobros de los estudiantes, además cuenta con un inventario, en el cual los entrenadores podrán gestionar los datos. Cuenta con mensajería para notificar a los estudiantes los pagos realizados o atrasados mediante correo electrónico o WhatsApp. Para terminar, se realizaron pruebas de caja negra los cuales verificaron el cumplimiento de los requerimientos, así mismo se realizaron pruebas de carga simulando una ejecución con 200 peticiones al servidor en un 1 segundo, obteniendo un 100% de éxito. También se realizó pruebas de stress donde se simuló el tráfico mínimo de 500 usuarios, arrojando un 0% de errores, y un tráfico máximo de 1000 usuarios mostrando inconsistencias en ciertas cargas. Al finalizar, se concluyó con una aplicación web óptima, que aporta innovación en la academia, generando aceptación y confianza en otras empresas motivando en la adquisición de softwares que faciliten el trabajo en múltiples actividades aportando mejores resultados.The objective of this technical project is to develop a web application, through the use of programming tools, that manages and administers charges to users of the ecuavoley academy in Quito. For which the NodeJs programming language and the Mongo DB database engine were used. In the front-end part, the Express library was used with its handlebars template where the Bootstrap design package was introduced. For data management, Data Tables with AJAX were implemented, all this under the agile Scrum methodology. The final product is a web application that allows students to record payments, it also has an inventory, in which the coaches can manage the data. It has messaging to notify students of payments made or late by email or WhatsApp. To finish, black box tests were carried out which verified compliance with the requirements, likewise load tests were carried out simulating an execution with 200 requests to the server in 1 second, obtaining 100% success. Stress tests were also carried out where the minimum traffic of 500 users was simulated, showing 0% errors, and a maximum traffic of 1000 users showing inconsistencies in certain loads. At the end, it was concluded with an optimal web application, which provides innovation in the academy, generating acceptance and trust in other companies, motivating the acquisition of software that facilitates work in multiple activities, providing better results

A mobile application used for the implementation of home based care: a case study of COVID-19 in Uganda

A Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Embedded and Mobile Systems of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyWith the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) the health sector around the world has been faced with many challenges. This has created a need for alternative methods of offering treatment; and among them is Home Based Care (HBC). Home Based Care is a health system where patients are offered treatment in their localities or homes. The main objective under this project was to develop a mobile system application to facilitate and support monitoring of patients in Home Based Care so as to handle pandemics like COVID 19, and at the same time meant to be used by Village Health Teams (VHTs) to capture information from patients under treatment in their localities. The evolutionary prototyping methodology was used to develop the application system. Furthermore, both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods such as document review, interviews, observation methods and questionnaires were used to collect data about this research project. At last, a government Home Based Care application to facilitate the handling of pandemics like COVID-19 was developed. It shows that majority of the respondents believe the system will be able to reduce or solve the identified problem in this dissertation. Majority of the users and those who got to use the application agree that the application is easy to use and navigate. The respondents also expressed their confidence in the application’s ability to enable the implementation of Home Based Care as an alternative to offering health care in situations of pandemics like COVID 19. In this project, we carried out unit testing, integration testing, and system testing and user acceptance testing as a means of carrying out software validation. The developed application passed successively all of the tests meaning that the developed application perform as it was expected. Based on the scope of this project, many of the features were not included in this prototype. Some of the known future works will be to add an admin account which will be managing the application. This account will be able to oversee all the VHT Officer accounts and will also be able to monitor the patient’s progres

Cyberattacks Strategy for Nonprofit Organizations

Information system security managers (ISSM) in nonprofits face increased cyberattack cases because nonprofits often use basic technology to save on costs. Nonprofit owners and managers need solutions to secure their data from cyberattacks. Grounded in the general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies ISSMs at nonprofit organizations employ to protect against cyberattacks. Participants included five IT managers and directors of information technology in charge of security management in nonprofit organizations in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia. Data was generated through interviews and reviews of archival documents. The data analysis technique used was thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from the analysis: cybersecurity awareness, cybersecurity strategy, and third-party dependence. The nonprofits should consider the following recommendations: first, evaluate cybersecurity health by assessing the existent cyber threat environment. Second, develop and execute a comprehensive strategic plan on cybersecurity, including policies and procedures targeted at protecting sensitive and likely sensitive data. Third, evaluate in-house IT capabilities and consider hiring third-party vendors with expert skills. Fourth, create cybersecurity awareness by training the employees on data protection. The implications for positive social change include the potential for ISSMs conveying effective cybersecurity strategies for nonprofits to mitigate and prevent potential cybersecurity attacks, thus furthering the nonprofits’ missions

Strategies Administrators Use to Mitigate Cloud Computing Data Threats and Breaches

Cloud computing has changed the information technology (IT) infrastructure of U. S. organizations, generating new threats and breaches in data security. Organization leaders estimated the costs from data breaches at approximately $8.5 billion annually, so reducing data breaches can potentially save organizations billions annually. Grounded in the integrated enterprise risk management framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies 4 IT administrators in central North Carolina use to mitigate data security threats and breaches. Data collection included archival documents (e.g., data security plans and organization newsletters), journal notes, and semistructured face-to-face interviews. Using thematic analysis and Yin’s 5 phases of analysis led to three core themes: reliance on third-party risk management services, employee education, and best practices. A key recommendation is that IT administrators and organization leaders collaborate to align IT functions with organizational objectives to sustain competitive advantage. Applying the findings in this study may help IT administrators develop best practices to mitigate data security threats and breaches in cloud computing environments. The implications for positive social change include the potential to reduce occurrences of data and identity theft, the financial risk for organizations, and financial loss for individuals and community members

Improving quality, timeliness and efficacy of data collection and management in population-based surveillance of vital events

Electronic data collection (EDC), has become familiar in recent years, and has been quickly adopted in many research fields. It has become commonplace to assume that systems that entail entering data in mobile devices, connected through secure networks to central servers are of higher standard than old paper based data collection systems (PDC). Although the notion that EDC performs better than PDC seems reasonable and is widely accepted, few studies have tried to formally evaluate whether it can improve data quality, and none of these to our knowledge, are in the context of population-based longitudinal surveillance. This thesis project aims to assess the strength of OpenHDS, a system based on EDC, used in the population-based surveillance of vital events via Health and Demographic surveillance systems (HDSS). HDSS are both sources of vital event data and have the potential to support health intervention studies in the areas where they operate. Setting up and running an HDSS is operationally challenging, and a reliable and efficient platform for data collection and management is a basic part of it. There are often major shortcomings in the data collection and management processes in running HDSS, though these have not been extensively documented. Recent technological advances, specifically the use of mobile devices for data collection, and the adoption of OpenHDS software for data management, which makes use of best practices for data management, appear to have the potential to resolve many of these issues. The INDEPTH Network and others have invested substantial resources in the roll-out and support of OpenHDS, and there is anecdotal evidence that this has resulted in improvements, but there is considerable demand for compelling evidence. The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) has supported some INDEPTH sites to fully migrate to OpenHDS (Ifakara and Rufiji in Tanzania, Nanoro in Burkina Faso, Manhiça in Mozambique and Cross river in Nigeria) and some are in the migration process (7 sites in Ethiopia: Arba Minch, Butajira, Dabat, Gilgel Gibe, Kersa and Kilite Awlaelo). Some other sites are at different stages of evaluating the possibility of adopting OpenHDS (Navrongo in Ghana, Niakhar in Senegal, Iganga/Mayuge in Uganda, Nouna in Burkina Faso, Birbhum in India etc.) and there is a demand from all of them for evidence of the benefits of adopting this system. Demonstration of the appropriate functioning of the OpenHDS is also highly relevant in the light of recently proposed approaches for comprehensive health and epidemiological surveillance systems. Such systems will need to satisfy requirements in terms of data availability and integration which are considerable higher than in a classical HDSS. This project assesses the benefits of OpenHDS in terms of and how the advances in data collection and management translate into improved data quality and timeliness. It asks whether the system architecture of the novel data management system can be further exploited to enable data integration approaches for near time quality control and near time response triggers. It also considers what are the main challenges in implementing such technologies in a new or an existing HDSS. This entails: • A description of the new system and of a set of conjectured data management best practices. For each of these best practices there is a literature review to assess if there is evidence to support it and if OpenHDS follow these practices, giving evidence of how this can be feasible and implemented in the field in two different real-life scenarios: the setting up of a new HDSS (Rusinga Island, Western Kenya and Majete Malaria Project, southern Malawi); and the migration of existing HDSSs (Ifakara, Tanzania and Nanoro, Burkina Faso) to OpenHDS. (Chapter 1) • Describing a novel approach for data collection and management in health and demographic surveillance designed to address the shortcomings of the traditional approach (OpenHDS) and documenting the usage of this system the establishment of a new HDSS (Rusinga) in Chapter 2 and 3. • Evaluating innovative approaches for quality control measures that are made possible by the novel data system architecture (in particular, use of satellite imagery to assess completeness of populations, using Majete HDSS as an example) in Chapter 4. • Studying the potential benefits of electronic data collection (compared with paper) in terms of quality, timeliness, and costs by comparing both in a contemporaneous comparison of different systems in 8 villages in Nanoro, Burkina Faso and using historical comparisons of data quality (as assessed by iSHARE2) before and after migration to OpenHDS for a range of INDEPTH sites in Chapter 5. A series of analyses were carried out to demonstrate that the OpenHDS data system for HDSSs can be implemented in both existing or newly established sites in low- and middle-income countries, and to test the hypothesis that the system is superior to previous approaches with regard of quality and timeliness of data and running costs of the system. This involved describing the novel approach to data collection and management enabled by OpenHDS, evaluating benefits in terms of quality and timeliness of the data using the OpenHDS mobile electronic data system, and the cost of electronic data collection (OpenHDS) vs. paper. It also involved evaluating the impact on the quality of the data of near-time availability and the potential of the OpenHDS system architecture for data integration for next-generation quality control and surveillance-response applications. This work demonstrates that OpenHDS is a system that manages data in a standard reference format, using rigorous checks on demographic events, adding the flexibility to introduce entire questionnaires, variables that a longitudinal study could require, and that OpenHDS can take over old demographic surveillance systems with this new real-time low-cost paperless technology opportunity to abandon old fashion research systems, that remain in use in developing countries.

Computer security for data collection technologies

Many organizations in the developing world (e.g., NGOs), include digital data collection in their workflow. Data collected can include information that may be considered sensitive, such as medical or socioeconomic data, and which could be affected by computer security attacks or unintentional mishandling. The attitudes and practices of organizations collecting data have implications for confidentiality, availability, and integrity of data. This work, a collaboration between computer security and ICTD researchers, explores security and privacy attitudes, practices, and needs within organizations that use Open Data Kit (ODK), a prominent digital data collection platform. We conduct a detailed threat modeling exercise to inform our view on potential security threats, and then conduct and analyze a survey and interviews with technology experts in these organizations to ground this analysis in real deployment experiences. We then reflect upon our results, drawing lessons for both organizations collecting data and for tool developers. Keywords: ICTD, Data collection, Securit