InfoInternet for Education in the Global South: A Study of Applications Enabled by Free Information-only Internet Access in Technologically Disadvantaged Areas (authors' version)

This paper summarises our work on studying educational applications enabled by the introduction of a new information layer called InfoInternet. This is an initiative to facilitate affordable access to internet based information in communities with network scarcity or economic problems from the Global South. InfoInternet develops both networking solutions as well as business and social models, together with actors like mobile operators and government organisations. In this paper we identify and describe characteristics of educational applications, their specific users, and learning environment. We are interested in applications that make the adoption of Internet faster, cheaper, and wider in such communities. When developing new applications (or adopting existing ones) for such constrained environments, this work acts as initial guidelines prior to field studies.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, under review for a journal since March 201

High Diversity of Diazotrophs in the Forefield of a Receding Alpine Glacier

Forefields of receding glaciers are unique and sensitive environments representing natural chronosequences. In such habitats, microbial nitrogen fixation is of particular interest since the low concentration of bioavailable nitrogen is one of the key limitations for growth of plants and soil microorganisms. Asymbiotic nitrogen fixation in the Damma glacier (Swiss Central Alps) forefield soils was assessed using the acetylene reduction assay. Free-living diazotrophic diversity and population structure were resolved by assembling four NifH sequence libraries for bulk and rhizosphere soils at two soil age classes (8- and 70-year ice-free forefield). A total of 318 NifH sequences were analyzed and grouped into 45 unique phylotypes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a higher diversity as well as a broader distribution of NifH sequences among phylogenetic clusters than formerly observed in other environments. This illustrates the importance of free-living diazotrophs and their potential contribution to the global nitrogen input in this nutrient-poor environment. NifH diversity in bulk soils was higher than in rhizosphere soils. Moreover, the four libraries displayed low similarity values. This indicated that both soil age and the presence of pioneer plants influence diversification and population structure of free-living diazotroph

Privacy Labelling and the Story of Princess Privacy and the Seven Helpers

Privacy is currently in 'distress' and in need of 'rescue', much like princesses in the all-familiar fairytales. We employ storytelling and metaphors from fairytales to make reader-friendly and streamline our arguments about how a complex concept of Privacy Labeling (the 'knight in shining armour') can be a solution to the current state of Privacy (the 'princess in distress'). We give a precise definition of Privacy Labeling (PL), painting a panoptic portrait from seven different perspectives (the 'seven helpers'): Business, Legal, Regulatory, Usability and Human Factors, Educative, Technological, and Multidisciplinary. We describe a common vision, proposing several important 'traits of character' of PL as well as identifying 'undeveloped potentialities', i.e., open problems on which the community can focus. More specifically, this position paper identifies the stakeholders of the PL and their needs with regard to privacy, describing how PL should be and look like in order to address these needs. Throughout the paper, we highlight goals, characteristics, open problems, and starting points for creating, what we define as, the ideal PL. In the end we present three approaches to establish and manage PL, through: self-evaluations, certifications, or community endeavors. Based on these, we sketch a roadmap for future developments.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figure

Digital Literacy Key Performance Indicators for Sustainable Development

The concept of digital literacy has been defined in numerous ways over the last two decades to incorporate rapid technological changes, its versatility, and to bridge the global digital divide. Most approaches have been technology-centric with an inherent assumption of cultural and political neutrality of new media technologies. There are multiple hurdles in every stage of digital literacy implementation. The lack of solutions such as local language digital interfaces, locally relevant content, digital literacy training, the use of icons and audio excludes a large fraction of illiterate people. In this article, we analyse case studies targeted at under-connected people in sub-Saharan Africa and India that use digital literacy programmes to build knowledge and health literacy, solve societal problems and foster development. In India, we focus on notable initiatives undertaken in the domain of digital literacy for rural populations. In Sub-Saharan Africa, we draw from an original project in Kenya aiming at developing digital literacy for youth from low-income backgrounds. We further focus on Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Tanzania, where field studies have been conducted on the use of digital technologies by low-literacy people and on how audio and icon-based interfaces and Internet lite standard could help them overcome their limitations. The main objective of this article is to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) in the context of digital literacy skills as one of the pillars for digital inclusion. We will learn how digital literacy programmes can be used to build digital literacy and how KPIs for sustainable development can be established. In the final discussion, we offer lessons learned from the case studies and further recommendation for stakeholders and decision-makers in the field of digital health literacy

Development of digital health messages for rural populations in Tanzania: Multi- And interdisciplinary approach

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Mobile technologies and personalized environmental information for supporting sustainable mobility in Oslo: The citisense-mob approach

Abstract Urban and peri-urban growth is increasing world-wide and Europe is now one of the most urbanized continents in the world. Oslo is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. This creates pressure on its infrastructure, including traffic and environmental urban quality. Additionally, vehicular traffic is a major contributor to CO 2 emissions, which impacts climate change. It is recognized that air quality is a major factor for human health however, although different measures have been implemented, improving air quality and lowering carbon emissions still remains an unsolved problem in Oslo. The main objective of Citi-Sense-MOB is to demonstrate how using innovative technology to continuously measure environmental data at the road level combined with innovative Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can help to create a dynamic city infrastructure for realtime city management, access to personalized environmental information and sustainable development. The output from the project will be mobile services for citizens and authorities based on the use of near real-time data on air quality and CO 2 emissions at road level. The societal importance of these services arises from a need to mitigate the effects of air pollution and climate change, and to combat respiratory diseases related to traffic-related air pollution. In order to motivate citizens to use the information generated by the project, Citi-Sense-MOB will provide them with personalized environmental information, as for instance alerting systems when pollution levels exceed a critical threshold. Customized information will also be provided to authorities consisting of detailed air quality maps at high spatial resolution and an evaluation of possibilities to reduce CO 2 emissions by improving driving practices in public urban fleets