Abstractions for designing and evaluating communication bridges for people in developing regions

This paper describes two novel abstractions that help soft- ware engineers work in developing regions to align social and technical factors when building communication systems. The abstractions extend two concepts familiar to engineers of computer networks and applications: the Open Systems Interconnect stack for design, and Quality of Service for eval- uation. The novel nature of the abstractions lies in how they help cultivate awareness of socio-cultural and technical is- sues when designing and evaluating communication bridges in the eld. Advantages of the abstractions are that they can be understood easily by software engineers, they aid communication with bene ciaries, and can therefore facili- tate collaboration. The paper makes an argument for these socially aware abstractions, describes the abstractions in de- tail, provides examples of how we used the new abstractions in the eld and then gives practical guidelines for how to use them. The simple nature of the new abstractions can help software engineers and end-users to work together to produce useful information technology based communication systems for people in developing regions.Telkom, Cisco, THRIP, NRF, SANPADWeb of Scienc

Using voice over IP to bridge the digital divide: a critical action research approach

There is a great disparity between those who have access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and those that do not. This phenomenon forms part of the Digital Divide. Many ICTs may be used to help overcome this divide if they are applied in a useful way, providing locally applicable content and services. Critical Action Research (CAR) is an approach used to develop such applications. CAR aims to empower people by involving them in the development process. Using CAR, this project investigates how Voice over IP (VoIP) may be applied in a productive way in an underserviced community. VoIP is an ICT used for sending voice over packet switched networks using Internet Protocol. It can be used to integrate data and voice to produce multimedia applications. In South Africa (SA), VoIP may only be provided by Telkom, the Second National Operator and the Under-Serviced Area Licensees. Using CAR and VoIP, an application is being developed to service a specific need of a particular rural community. The application will either provide a service to a small rural business or aid the provision of healthcare in rural areas. The project evaluates how well CAR integrates with a normal Software Development Lifecycle and makes policy recommendations for the use of VoIP in rural SA.Telkom, Siemens, THRI

Business strategies and employment decisions: Interviews with New Zealand firms

A firm’s business strategy does not exist in a vacuum; it requires employees to implement it. However, firms often say that they have difficulties hiring certain types of employees. Through interviews with firms and analysis of the 2008 New Zealand Business Operations Survey, this research explored the interaction between strategy and employees’ skills, and differences between high value-add (HVA) and medium value-add (MVA) firms. MVA firms focused more on production methods, technical skills, and margins over costs. HVA firms focused more on the business skills of a few, professional core employees, as well as the marketing aspects of their products.The research was conducted with funding from the Ministry of Economic Development and the Cross- Department Research Pool (CDRP)

Telemedicine using VoIP combined with a store and forward approach

Rural areas in South Africa have unique conditions such as remoteness and scarcity of reliable public facilities. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) introduced into these areas must be suitable for these conditions. Using a user-centred design approach based on Participatory Design and Action Research, we have developed a telemedicine application for a rural village in the Eastern Cape. This paper describes how we determined the requirements and design for the application and why we chose Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) combined with a store and forward approach to achieve our telemedicine goals. We present an overview of the methodology we are using, describe the software application we have developed and mention several challenges we have faced to date. Finally we conclude that VoIP and store and forward technologies are appropriate to the South African rural situation.Telkom, Siemens, THRIP, IDRC, SANPADDepartment of HE and Training approved lis

Preliminary economic evaluation of biopharming in New Zealand

From the academic literature, this report derives an economic model or framework for considering biopharming. This model is based on a cost-benefit approach to valuing changes in products and production methods. The model indicates the product dimensions that are likely to be affected by biopharming methods and how these dimensions may affect the costs and benefits of production. It also identifies the uncertainties in existing analyses. Finally, it demonstrates a method by which careful analysis of the economic costs and benefits of biopharming could proceed. Two potential products are discussed using this model: recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) produced in cow’s milk and low-GI potatoes

Reflection on three years of rural wireless Internet Protocol communication

This paper reports on three years of research and fieldwork with a rural wireless Internet Protocol communication project. We built a long-range WiFi network and custom communication software to support a rural telehealth project in the remote Eastern Cape. We report on our work using cellular networks, devices and applications as reference technologies because our users and beneficiaries are very comfortable with them. Of most concern are the technological and contextual issues affecting take up of the systems we designed. The paper intends to provide a summary analysis of our experience so that others in the field can learn from our successes and mistakes with respect to rural Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) in a South African context.Telkom, Cisco, THRIP, SANPAD, IDR

The role of outcome mapping in developing a rural telemedicine system

We describe the use of Outcome Mapping to guide the design of a rural telemedicine consultation system in South Africa. While Outcome Mapping was not primarily intended to guide design, we show that it tied in well with a cyclical participatory design method for an Information and Communication Technology for Development project

User interfaces for communication bridges across the digital divide

Connecting people across the "digital divide" is as much a social effort as a technological one. We are developing a community-centred approach to learn how interaction techniques can compensate for poor communication across the digital divide. We have incorporated the lessons learned regarding social intelligence design in an abstraction and in a device called the SoftBridge. The SoftBridge allows communication to flow from endpoints through adapters, getting converted if necessary, and out to destination endpoints. Field trials are underway with two communities in South Africa: disadvantaged Deaf users and an isolated rural community. Initial lessons learned show that we have to design user interfaces that allow users to understand and cope with delay. We also learned that social concerns are often more important than the technical issues in designing such systems