Technology Developments for Villages in Developing Countries

Technology Developments for Villages in Developing Countries There is an urgent need to examine the catalytic and enabling role to be played by the government in ensuring that IT provides new opportunities for the 40 per cent of the people who are living below the poverty line, so that they may move above it. Government of India Working Group on Information Technology for Masses Write an essay, that highlights examples that support the second opinion i) Describe 6 different case studies that show how the technology is being used in villages in developing countries (South-East Asia, Africa, Latin America) ii) Assess each case, commenting whether you believe it is beneficial to the community or not and whether those same case studies can be used by supporters of the first opinion above. Case Studies: Balaghat, India As described by Sumeet Chatterjee (2001) the IT initiatives in this village constitute a great example of the wide variety of applications for IT in developing countries. The district is rural and the core industries are farming and mineral extraction with the majority of the people being poor. A major problem in the area is corruption of government officials. People need papers to prove land ownership and other official documents and prior to the IT project’s arrival it typically took weeks to obtain and required expensive payments to officials. Now a villager can go to the local â€Å"Soochnalaya† (information centre) and have the information in minutes and for a fraction of the cost. Other information of interest to the villagers such as crop data, rainfall patterns and other documentation are available. The centralized internet point is a key aspect in bringing IT to the masses. Without government funding to buy a computer and set up the infrastructure there would be no Soochnalayas. IT in this case is a major benefit to the people of the region as it brings information at a low cost which is exactly what these people need to help them in the struggle to develop. Padinettankudi, India In an online article about this rural village in India Mukti Jain Campion (2002) relates an anecdote about how IT is being used to treat health problems in areas without access to medical technology. In this town an entrepreneur-run public internet center was set up with the help of a large Indian IT government and private venture with the aim of bringing IT to the masses. For few rupees email, information and government forms to the rural poor. In the case described the internet also serves an important medical service to the people of the area. Only 40km away lies the Aravind Eye Hospital, a hospital dedicated to treating eye problems and where money is not an issue. The problem is having access to patients as majority of people are unable to get to the hospital without considerable difficulty. So at the internet centre a webcam is used to take photos of the symptoms and online chat can be used to talk with the patient. Sound medical advice can then be given for the cost of a few rupees. This is a fantastic application of IT in development and the available benefits are enormous. Capetown, South Africa When describing IT initiatives often only computers and internet access are mentioned but IT involves so much more. In South Africa HIV is a major issue with over15% of the population being infected by this terminal disease (Nick Miles. 2005). The SA government has begun to allot drugs to the people who need them but keeping track of the patients and having doctors to check on them all is expensive in terms of both time and money. This is where IT enters the scene. Using mobile phones a non-medical aid worker can interview dozens of people and record the information in the phone. The survey results are then sent by text message to a center where the data is entered into computer software. The software can identify people who need attention and a doctor can pull up the record of any patient and see up to date information. The benefits are obvious. Cuba, Brazil and Open-Source The cost of software is often a major percentage of the price of a computer. A copy of Windows XP costs significantly more than the average person in the developing world makes in a day. Despite Microsoft’s initiative to sell Windows at reduced costs to developing nations, free is preferred to paying a fee and nations like Cuba and Brazil are exploring free OS choices. In a 2004 article Mark Ashurst describes how Brazil is attempting to move from Windows to open-source Linux. There is political resentment against Microsoft but there is also the attraction of free software and no licensing fees that attract people form Windows to Linux. Also susceptibility to viruses and the cost of a network going down also drive people to Linux. Ashurst describes the state of the switch to â€Å"Linux in terms that almost 1/3 of computers will soon have Linux installed†. Cuba is following suit and recently announced a government initiative to switch all computers to Linux (Computer Business Review, 2005). Whether this IT initiative with greatly benefit the people of these countries remains to be seen. Linux may be cheaper but it requires more training and long term benefits are hard to predict though with reduced costs possible more computers could be distributed. Samoa The Samoan government recently announced a nationwide initiative to bring internet to every person in the country (Prosser, 2004). The government has taken this step to help isolated Samoa increase communication with developed nations in hopes of boosting GDP and therefore standards of living. In the nation of 180,000 only 2% of people use the internet and trade with other nations is difficult to facilitate as New Zealand is the closest developed nation at a 4hr flight away. The Samoan government has received help from the United Nations Development Programme and is using the money to expand the IT infrastructure. Computers are being placed in schools to help children develop IT skills and also in community centers to allow people access to information and even medical help. This case is similar to the Indian cases where a single internet centre in a village can make a large difference in the lives of people. Taita Taveta, Kenya In Africa there exists the Association for Progressive Communications prize which rewards innovative IT projects in Africa. Last year’s winner was the Global Education Partnership – Wundanyib which is a non-profit computer training programme in one of the poorest regions of Kenya (Association for Progressive Computing, 2005). The project aims to develop business skills in people aged 15-24, training them using IT for setting up their own business. In 9 years nearly 1000 people have graduated and 200 of these were awarded capital to start a business. In Taita Taveta the unemployment rate is 66% so job prospects are hard to come by. By focusing on youth and entrepreneurs the region benefits greatly if any business are started. The youth are given hope and a reason to stay and develop their region. Conclusion Each case examined here shows the advantages of IT in plans for development. The cases show ways to improve lives through IT in a variety of avenues, paving the way for regional and national development. The Government of India Working Group on Information Technology for Masses’ statement is correct and bringing IT to poor areas is an important catalyst for development. Bibliography Ashurst, Mark. 2004. Brazil falls in love with Linux. Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3445805.stm>. Association for Progressive Computing, 2005. Winner of the 2004/5 APC Africa Hafkin Communications Prize. Available from http://www.apc.org./english/hafkin/2004/winner.shtml>. Copyleft Association for Progressive Communications APC 1999 – 2005. Campion, Mukti Jain. 2002. Connecting the villages. Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2044878.stm>.  © British Broadcasting Corporation. Chatterjee, Sumeet. 2001. Indian village takes to IT to tackle corruption. Available from http://www.apnic.net/mailing-lists/s-asia-it/archive/2001/09/msg00019.html>.  © Indo-Asian News Service Computer Business Review. 2005. Cuba joins the Linux revolution. Available from http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=9B077C17-C2F9-4472-8B28-25F0B19E2F8A.>.  © Computer Business Review. Miles, Nick. 2005. Texting to help SA HIV patients. Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4437447.stm>.  © British Broadcasting Corporation. Prosser, David. 2004. Samoa plans internet for all. Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3590354.stm>. >.  © British Broadcasting Corporation.

Cell Phones :: essays research papers

Digital cell phone from Nokia Millions of people in the United States and around the world use cellular phones. They are such great gadgets -- with a cell phone, you can talk to anyone on the planet from just about anywhere! These days, cell phones provide an incredible array of functions, and new ones are being added at a breakneck pace. Depending on the cell-phone model, you can: Store contact information Make task or to-do lists Keep track of appointments and set reminders Use the built-in calculator for simple math Send or receive e-mail Get information (news, entertainment, stock quotes) from the Internet Play simple games Integrate other devices such as PDAs, MP3 players and GPS receivers But have you ever wondered how a cell phone works? What makes it different from a regular phone? What do all those confusing terms like PCS, GSM, CDMA and TDMA mean? In this article, we will discuss the technology behind cell phones so that you can see how amazing they really are. If you are thinking about buying a cell phone, be sure to check out How Buying a Cell Phone Works to learn about everything you should know before making a purchase. Let's start with the basics: In essence, a cell phone is a radio. One of the most interesting things about a cell phone is that it is actually a radio -- an extremely sophisticated radio, but a radio nonetheless. The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, and wireless communication can trace its roots to the invention of the radio by Nikolai Tesla in the 1880s (formally presented in 1894 by a young Italian named Guglielmo Marconi). It was only natural that these two great technologies would eventually be combined! In the dark ages before cell phones, people who really needed mobile-communications ability installed radio telephones in their cars. In the radio-telephone system, there was one central antenna tower per city, and perhaps 25 channels available on that tower. This central antenna meant that the phone in your car needed a powerful transmitter -- big enough to transmit 40 or 50 miles (about 70 km). It also meant that not many people could use radio telephones -- there just were not enough channels. The genius of the cellular system is the division of a city into small cells. This allows extensive frequency reuse across a city, so that millions of people can use cell phones simultaneously.

Greatest Threats to the Environment in Russia

Report Greatest threats to the environment in Russia Russia has major environmental problems left from the Soviet Union. Those ills have been developing for years and years. Air, water and soil are equally polluted. Air quality Russia's air is among the most polluted in the world. According to the estimate only tiny percentage of urban population breathes the air that is not harmful. Level of air pollution is dangerous, especially for the inhabitants of large industrial cities such asMoscow, Saint-Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and many others. Every year there are more and more cars in large cities and their emissions worsen the quality of the air. Water quality Poor potable water quality Is a major concern. Nearly all Russian rivers and lakes are polluted both by industrial and household sewage. Paper factories taint the water of the largest Russian lakes LadoJskoe and Baikal. Water In the river Volga Is so dirty that It Is now unsuitable even for Irrigation. Soil and forests Land quali ty Is declining.Considerable amount of agricultural land have been ontaminated by Industrial toxic agents, pesticides, and agricultural chemicals. Chernobyl disaster caused radioactive contamination of vast territory. Coniferous forests In Siberia are disappearing because of acid rains, pollution and fires. Forests In Chernobyl area are polluted with radioactive element, therefore fires there are even more likely than In Siberia. Solutions Ecological problems are difficult to be solved. For example, forests In Chernobyl area cannot be decontaminated.Nevertheless If government understand the Importance f ecology and Invest large amounts of money Into the solutions of environmental problems, lots of things can be done to make air, water and soll cleaner. Poor potable water quality is a major concern. Nearly all Russian rivers and lakes are the largest Russian lakes LadoJskoe and Baikal. Water in the river Volga is so dirty that it is now unsuitable even for irrigation. Land quality is declining. Considerable amount of agricultural land have been contaminated by industrial toxic agents, pesticides, and agricultural chemicals. rests in Siberia are disappearing because of acid rains, pollution and fires. Forests in Chernobyl area are polluted with radioactive element, therefore fires there are even more likely than in Siberia. Solutions Ecological problems are difficult to be solved. For example, forests in Chernobyl area cannot be decontaminated. Nevertheless if government understand the importance of ecology and invest large amounts of money into the solutions of environmental problems, lots of things can be done to make air, water and soil cleaner.

Poem Eating Poetry Analysis - 1068 Words

Observe: What are the behaviors of the speaker that seem most unusual? In the poem â€Å"Eating Poetry† the author writes weird behaviors that happen to â€Å"him.† One behavior the speaker does is barks and licks the librarians hand. On line fourteen the author writes, â€Å"When I get on my knees and lick her hand,† this is an example of the behaviors in the poem. Identify Patterns: What commonalities of the speaker’s odd behavior do you notice? What is he behaving like? In the poem â€Å"Eating Poetry† the speaker has different commonalities that show with his odd behavior. The commonalities of the speaker’s odd behavior that I notice is that the speaker is acting as if it is a dog. His odd behaviors show different characteristics of a dog such as, â€Å"I†¦show more content†¦He says in paragraph five, â€Å"Whether I’m online or not, my mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it.† This shows that Carr knows what the internet has done to make a difference when reading a book. Identify Patterns: Make a list of the benefits and negative effects of the Internet that Carr identifies. On which â€Å"side† does Carr seem to provide more examples and supporting evidence? The effects of spending a lot of time on the internet can either be positive or negative. Some positive effects that Carr identifies is it saves him money because he shops online and he does some of his banking. He says, â€Å"The Net has become my all purpose medium,† this means that the internet has become his go to or his â€Å"friend.† He also identifies the internet as being a very useful tool when needing information very quickly. Some negative effects Carr identifies from using the Internet is it is â€Å"changing† his brain and remapping the way he thinks. He also feels that the more you use the Internet the more you lose your train of thought or you become less focused on anything you do especially reading a book. Carr seems to provide many examples from a positive outlook on using the Internet than negative outlooks. Draw Conclusions: What does Carr suggest about the effect the Internet is having on us? What evidence from the text supports your conclusion? In the excerpt â€Å"What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains†, Carr suggest the Internet is having an effect onShow MoreRelatedAnalysis and Interpretation of I, Too Sing America by Langston Hughes1148 Words   |  5 PagesPoem I, Too Sing America is considered to be very characteristic for radical poetry of Langston Hughes. 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