17,991 research outputs found

    Delivery of broadband services to SubSaharan Africa via Nigerian communications satellite

    Get PDF
    Africa is the least wired continent in the world in terms of robust telecommunications infrastructure and systems to cater for its more than one billion people. African nations are mostly still in the early stages of Information Communications Technology (ICT) development as verified by the relatively low ICT Development Index (IDI) values of all countries in the African region. In developing nations, mobile broadband subscriptions and penetration between 2000-2009 was increasingly more popular than fixed broadband subscriptions. To achieve the goal of universal access, with rapid implementation of ICT infrastructure to complement the sparsely distributed terrestrial networks in the hinterlands and leveraging the adequate submarine cables along the African coastline, African nations and their stakeholders are promoting and implementing Communication Satellite systems, particularly in Nigeria, to help bridge the digital hiatus. This paper examines the effectiveness of communication satellites in delivering broadband-based services

    Sierra Leone's infrastructure : a continental perspective

    Get PDF
    Infrastructure development in Sierra Leone contributed about half a percentage point to the economy's per capita growth rate in 2003-07. But if Sierra Leone could upgrade its infrastructure to the level of the best performer in Africa, per capita growth rates could be boosted by more than three percentage points. After nine years of peace, economic activity is flourishing at every level in Sierra Leone. But the 11-year civil war destroyed the country's infrastructure, and rebuilding the road network and ports while improving the electrical, water, and telecommunications infrastructure is proving difficult. Looking ahead, expanding electrification is a top priority because current access levels, at only 1-5 percent of the urban population and 0 percent in rural areas, are impeding other development. The water and sanitation sector faces similar challenges, as only 1 percent of the rural population has access to piped water. Sierra Leone has been spending about 134millionannuallyoninfrastructureinrecentyears.About134 million annually on infrastructure in recent years. About 66 million is lost each year to inefficiencies. Comparing spending needs against existing spending and potential efficiency gains leaves an annual funding gap of 59to59 to 278 million per year. If savings from greater efficiency could be fully captured, Sierra Leone would not meet its posited infrastructure targets for another 30 years. Sierra Leone needs to make difficult decisions about the prioritization of infrastructure investments and must think strategically about bundling and sequencing investments for maximum returns.Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Infrastructure Economics,Energy Production and Transportation,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Public Sector Economics

    Ethiopia's infrastructure: a continental perspective

    Get PDF
    Infrastructure contributed 0.6 percentage points to Ethiopia's annual per capita GDP growth over the last decade. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region's middle-income countries could add an additional 3 percentage points to infrastructure's contribution to growth. Ethiopia's infrastructure successes include developing Ethiopia Airlines, a leading regional carrier; upgrading its network of trunk roads; and rapidly expanding access to water and sanitation.The country's greatest infrastructure challenge lies in the power sector, where a further 8,700 megawatts of generating plant are needed over the next decade, implying a doubling of current capacity. The transport sector faces the challenges of low levels of rural accessibility and inadequate road maintenance. Ethiopia’s ICT sector currently suffers from a poor institutional and regulatory framework. Addressing Ethiopia's infrastructure deficit will require a sustained annual expenditure of 5.1billionoverthenextdecade.Thepowersectoralonerequires5.1 billion over the next decade. The power sector alone requires 3.3 billion annually, with 1billionneededtofacilitateregionalpowertrading.Thatlevelofspendingrepresents40percentofthecountryâ€ČsGDPandatriplingofthe1 billion needed to facilitate regional power trading. That level of spending represents 40 percent of the country's GDP and a tripling of the 1.3 billion spent annually in the mid-2000s. As of 2006, there was an annual funding gap of $3.5 billion. Improving road maintenance, removing inefficiencies in power (notably underpricing), and privatizing ICT services could shrink the gap. But Ethiopia needs a significant increase in its already proportionally high infrastructure funding and careful handling of public and private investments if it is to reach its infrastructure targets within a reasonable time.Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Infrastructure Economics,Public Sector Economics,Banks&Banking Reform,Town Water Supply and Sanitation

    Research into the use of ICT and e-learning for work-based learning in the skills sector

    Get PDF
    This research has been commissioned by Becta to provide an evidence-based overview of the current use and effectiveness of work-based e-learning and its integration with more traditional learning methods. The specific objectives of the research were to: investigate the known impact of ICT and e-learning on the skills sector; and describe the ways in which ICT and e-learning can support key workforce development issues such as addressing skills gaps and achieving sustainability in training and development

    Research into the use of ICT and e-learning for work-based learning in the skills sector

    Get PDF
    The report provided an overview of the research commissioned by Becta into the use of ICT for learning by SMEs and the public sector, in the context of work-based learning (WBL). The findings were illustrated with a number of case studies and vignettes of good practice. The report was targeted at stakeholders in work-based learning (WBL)

    Harnessing technology review 2008. The role of technology and its impact on education. Summary Report.

    Get PDF
    This is the summary of the second review of the use and impact of ICT in the education system following the publication of the Government's e-Strategy for education, known as Harnessing Technology. The Review drew upon Becta's surveys of schools and FE colleges as well as other research to assess the impact of technology within the education system and the progress made in achieving the system outcomes of the policy

    Smart Asset Management for Electric Utilities: Big Data and Future

    Full text link
    This paper discusses about future challenges in terms of big data and new technologies. Utilities have been collecting data in large amounts but they are hardly utilized because they are huge in amount and also there is uncertainty associated with it. Condition monitoring of assets collects large amounts of data during daily operations. The question arises "How to extract information from large chunk of data?" The concept of "rich data and poor information" is being challenged by big data analytics with advent of machine learning techniques. Along with technological advancements like Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics will play an important role for electric utilities. In this paper, challenges are answered by pathways and guidelines to make the current asset management practices smarter for the future.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings of 12th World Congress on Engineering Asset Management (WCEAM) 201

    Developing a Roadmap for e-Assessment: Which Way Now?

    Get PDF
    e-Assessment is of strategic importance to the UK since it forms an integral part of the e-learning movement which is a major global growth industry. This paper reports results from a project commissioned by JISC which set out to develop a Roadmap for e-assessment. This methodological approach was drawn from a range of 'roadmap? methodologies collected by Glenn and Gordon (2003). It facilitated the identification of the enabling factors and barriers to the use e-assessment through the construction of a survey which probed a number of experts opinions. The analysis of the various sources suggest that in England and Wales it is policy pressure which is a main driver and it is affecting more of the FE sector than the HE sector. In the HE sector institutions have more control over the rate and uptake of e-assessment as they award their own degrees. However, there is a recognition in HE that with larger classes and less tutorial time, tutors can keep track of their students? progress through e-assessment systems. They can adjust their lectures accordingly after they have picked up the misconceptions of a cohort through e-assessment feedback. At a personal level teachers/enthusiasts are addressing pedagogical problems through e-assessment. The barriers identified at a superinstitutional level, for example the . DfES, funding bodies, and examining bodies, are that of regulation, confidentiality and testing of these systems before they go across the UK. While the main drivers at a superinstitutional level are to move towards a new generation of learners engaged in self-reflection who will be able to identify their own learning needs. One of the major drivers for institutions to adopt e-assessment practices is that of student retention. HE and FE also see benefits with respect to attendance and achievement. This paper outlines the methods used and describes key barriers which will have to be overcome if e-Assesment is to be effectively deployed across UK HE and FE sectors

    Information management in healthcare organizations

    Get PDF
    The health care industry is currently experiencing numerous fundamental changes. Healthcare organizations (HCOs) are increasingly challenged to look at their operations and find new opportunities to reorganize their processes, in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their services, reduce costs, be more competitive, and also provide high quality and more personalized patient care. This new business strategy requires HCOs to implement new Information and Communication Technologies, such as Internet applications, enterprise information systems, and mobile technologies, in order to achieve their desired business changes and results, mainly through better information management methods and techniques. Based on these perspectives, this article aims to initially define and discuss the key challenges and opportunities for promoting high quality and cost effective care in HCOs. It describes the fundamental and important aspects of information management, as well as the technology drivers that aim to improve the generation and flow of health information within HCOs.information technologies, management, healthcare organizations
    • 

    corecore