Requirements Engineering in the ICT4D Domain

2012 ◽  
pp. 187-200
Author(s):  
Kristina Pitula ◽  
Daniel Sinnig ◽  
Thiruvengadam Radhakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Requirements Engineering ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
The People ◽  
Information And Communication

Requirements engineering is an important stage in any software development. It is more so in the case of software development for social development projects in rural areas of the developing countries. ICT4D which stands for “Information and Communication Technologies for Development” is gaining more and more attention as computing is more widely affordable. This article is concerned with requirements engineering in the ICT4D domain. In many developing counties, a significant effort is being put into providing people in rural areas with access to digital content and services by using Information and Communication Technologies. Unfortunately most ICT4D projects pursue a top-down development model which is driven by the technology available and not by the very needs and social problems of the people living in rural communities (Frohlich et al., 2009). Existing technologies are often applied in a non-inclusive manner with respect to the local population, without sufficient adaptation or re-invention, and often without regard for user’s needs and their social contexts.

Requirements Engineering in the ICT4D Domain

2011 ◽  
pp. 52-65
Author(s):  
Kristina Pitula ◽  
Daniel Sinnig ◽  
Thiruvengadam Radhakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Requirements Engineering ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
The People ◽  
Information And Communication

Requirements engineering is an important stage in any software development. It is more so in the case of software development for social development projects in rural areas of the developing countries. ICT4D which stands for “Information and Communication Technologies for Development” is gaining more and more attention as computing is more widely affordable. This article is concerned with requirements engineering in the ICT4D domain. In many developing counties, a significant effort is being put into providing people in rural areas with access to digital content and services by using Information and Communication Technologies. Unfortunately most ICT4D projects pursue a top-down development model which is driven by the technology available and not by the very needs and social problems of the people living in rural communities (Frohlich et al., 2009). Existing technologies are often applied in a non-inclusive manner with respect to the local population, without sufficient adaptation or re-invention, and often without regard for user’s needs and their social contexts.

scholarly journals Constructing an Efficient Model to Inspire Design Education Sustainability in Rural Areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuo-Kuang Fan ◽  
Xiang-Ming Zhong ◽  
Ye Xu ◽  
Bao-Jun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Memory Management ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Management Algorithm ◽  
Information And Communication

Advancements of information and communication technologies, as well as the reduction of computer prices, have brought computer-assisted design from applications by large manufacturers to education. The number of computer-assisted learning activities and research projects in developing countries and rural areas has been on the rise over recent years. However, there are very few studies focused on the design education of rural areas. Understandably, it is critical to establish a fundamental environment integrating design education and constructing an efficiently model to inspire design education sustainability in rural areas. By considering limited resources and the educational milieu prevalent in rural areas, this paper constructed a central kitchen model anchored in teaching equipment of design education and designed an algorithm for supporting the operation of this model efficiently. We analyzed the core algorithm MMAFS (A Memory Management Algorithm with Fast Speed) of model and comparing the MMAFS algorithm with the current popular Segregated lists algorithm and the Buddy algorithm by adopting the comparative analysis method, also demonstrated the feasibility of this central kitchen model through a case study. Given the large number of urgent and unresolved issues in developing countries and rural areas, it is essential to emphasize design education and encourage local design education specifically for rural communities and promoting a positive loop in the rural ecology through local designs.

scholarly journals The role of information and communication technologies in the delivery of health services in rural communities: Experiences from Malawi

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chimango Nyasulu ◽  
Winner D. Chawinga
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Health Surveillance Assistants ◽  
Information And Communication

Background: In recent years, Africa has experienced a boom in information and communication technologies (ICTs). These ICTs have been hailed by the health sector as impetus for heath service delivery in rural areas. In this regard, stakeholders in the health sector have made attempts to reinforce frontline health workers with technological tools. Although there is much evidence that ICTs play a key role in the health sector, it remains unknown how the health sector in Malawi is exploiting ICTs in its delivery of day-to-day operations.Objectives: In this study, we investigate the role that ICTs play in rural health. This study will specifically determine the purposes that health surveillance assistants (HSAs) use ICTs for, assess the ICT skills and expertise of HSAs, analyse benefits of ICTs and study the problems faced by HSAs in the effective use of ICTs.Method: In this study, a quantitative research method approach was adopted to address the research objectives. Both research sites and respondents were selected using a convenient sampling method. We self-administered and collected the questionnaire from the respondents. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data.Results: We find that HSAs have made headways in the adoption of various forms of ICTs such as mobile phones alongside their applications (Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp). However, efforts to maximise the appropriation of ICTs by HSAs are punctuated by various hindrances including high cost of ICT gadgets, high cost of Internet bundles, inadequate training in ICTs and lack of support from senior management in the Ministry of Health.Conclusion: Use of ICTs in community health is slowly but surely possible. In a nutshell, the study has shown that, regardless of perceivable hindrances associated with use of ICTs, HSAs use some ICTs in their work and personal activities. It is evident that using mobile phones to improve performance is an important area and that there is little interest in evaluating such interventions.

The Role of ICT in Governing Rural Development

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Shahi
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
The People ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Government

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) hold tremendous potential for rural development in India in the areas of agriculture, health, Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), and education. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) refers to systems for producing, storing, sending and retrieving digital files .These files can contain text, sounds and images, both still and moving. Information and communication technologies, and particularly the Internet, are transforming all human activities dependent on information, including those in rural areas. Advancement in information and communication technologies (ICT) has demonstrated opportunities to the people to utilize it in their socioeconomic and cultural development in a better and more sophisticated way. By utilizing it, the government finds the importance and role played in delivering services at the locations convenient to the citizens. The rural ICT applications attempt to offer development ideas and solutions to the people who are deprived of basic human facilities such as safe drinking water, diary, education, immunization, reproductive health, employment generation, human rights, etc. Similarly, the government and administration try to exploit the technological explosion by utilizing the ICT in offering improved and affordable solutions to these basic necessities of the people at their village doorsteps. Towards the beginning of 21st century, in India, we have witnessed at our disposal a technology of which our forefathers could only dream— a technology which can transform local happenings into global events and which can reverse the trends towards divergence.

scholarly journals Enhancing the roles of information and communication technologies in doctoral research processes

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Stein ◽  
Kwong Nui Sim
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Formal Learning ◽  
Doctoral Study ◽  
Ict Skills ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
The People ◽  
Information And Communication

Abstract While information and communication technologies (ICT) are prominent in educational practices at most levels of formal learning, there is relatively little known about the skills and understandings that underlie their effective and efficient use in research higher degree settings. This project aimed to identify doctoral supervisors’ and students’ perceptions of their roles in using ICT. Data were gathered through participative drawing and individual discussion sessions. Participants included 11 students and two supervisors from two New Zealand universities. Focus of the thematic analysis was on the views expressed by students about their ideas, practices and beliefs, in relation to their drawings. The major finding was that individuals hold assumptions and expectations about ICT and their use; they make judgements and take action based on those expectations and assumptions. Knowing about ICT and knowing about research processes separately form only part of the work of doctoral study. Just as supervision cannot be considered independently of the research project and the student involved, ICT skills and the use of ICT cannot be considered in the absence of the people and the project. What is more important in terms of facilitating the doctoral research process is students getting their “flow” right. This indicates a need to provide explicit support to enable students to embed ICT within their own research processes.

scholarly journals Infrastructural and Social Aspects of ICT Dissemination in Rural Areas in Ukraine in Juxtaposition with Other Post-Transition Countries—State of Play and Prospects for Rural Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Synowiec
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Transition Countries ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Information And Communication

The objective of this study is to identify the current state of, and the prospects for, information and communication technologies (ICT) dissemination in rural areas in Ukraine in juxtaposition with other post-transition countries. The spread of ICT is discussed within the frame of economic, infrastructural, and social factors affecting rural areas in Ukraine since the post-communist transition period. Information and communication technologies may support the socio-economic development of peripheral areas in many ways—including rural ones. Dissemination of ICT contributes to the emergence of sources of income, equalizes education opportunities, and increases the attractiveness of rural areas. However, the rural—urban divide in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and other former USSR countries is still remarkable and, as a type of structural inequality, should be better recognized. The source material is based on secondary data, which consists of selected literature on the subject of rural development in Central and Eastern European Countries, strategic documents, available reports and studies of international institutions, research from agencies, state documents and statistics, and research conducted by international and domestic NGOs. In reference to the paper’s objective, the method of content analysis was employed. Dissemination of ICT in rural areas in Ukraine is influenced by two groups of factors. The infrastructural divide concerning Internet access between rural and urban populations in Ukraine has been diminishing, but the issue of structural exclusion due to place of residence has still not been solved. As far as the social aspects of ICT dissemination in rural areas in Ukraine are concerned, the level of digital literacy among rural dwellers is significantly lower in comparison to urban residents. Rural areas are more exposed to the consequences of various aspects of digital exclusion.

ICT

2014 ◽  
pp. 22-34
Author(s):  
Julián Briz ◽  
José María Duran ◽  
Isabel Felipe ◽  
Teresa Briz
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
The University

Agriculture is facing new challenges in rural and urban areas, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) may play a significant role. In this chapter, there is a background description of the ICT sector in the interface of urban and rural communities within the framework of agriculture. It describes some case analyses focused in agronomy and social sciences. In agronomy, the focuses are environment, food production, and pollution. In socioeconomics, there is a brief identification of ICT applications such as the collaboration between the university and firms. Considering the heterogeneousness of the analysis, the future research directions include different methods of studies for ICT programs (house of quality, structural organization, and others).

Digital Divide and Rural Communities

2013 ◽  
pp. 698-720
Author(s):  
John Garofalakis ◽  
Andreas Koskeris
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Balanced Development ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Source Of Information

During the last years, due to the wide spread of World Wide Web (WWW), the Internet has become one of the most valuable and effective communications media and the most inclusive source of information. However, in many cases the difficulties of establishing universal effective access could serve to reinforce current patterns of social exclusion and produce barriers to balanced development instead of supporting it. World widely there is a rising concern over the so-called “digital divide”–a term that refers to the gap existing in the opportunities to access advanced information and communication technologies between geographic areas or by individuals at different socioeconomic levels. The experience shows that specialized initiatives are needed for disadvantaged areas in order to anticipate expansion of current digital divide. This chapter is focusing on the specific instance of digital divide occurring in rural territories, and examines the ways to foster digital culture among citizens, utilizing a specific initiative (the so called “Telecentres”).

The Need for Community Informatics in Malaysia

2008 ◽  
pp. 1932-1937
Author(s):  
Jayapragas Gnaniah ◽  
Peter Songan ◽  
Alvin W. Yeo ◽  
Hushairi Zen ◽  
Khairuddin Ab. Hamid
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Community Informatics ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
Sustainable Human Development ◽  
The World ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Digital Gap

The Malaysian government, through many initiatives, has seriously looked into reducing and if possible eliminating, the digital divide that exists between the developed urban and the technologically impoverished rural communities. The e-Bario Project, a successful research showcase of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, is one of the leading examples in Malaysia of such an attempt to bridge the digital gap and to achieve sustainable human development through the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICT). According to Harris, Bala, Songan, Khoo and Trang (2001), the World Bank had introduced a systematic approach to the application of ICT to meet the needs and bridge the digital divide of the rural community.

Telemedicine for Healthier Community Development in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
pp. 295-315
Author(s):  
Bushra Hamid ◽  
N. Z. Jhanjhi ◽  
Mamoona Humayun ◽  
Farkhanda Qamar ◽  
Vasaki Ponnusamy
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Information And Communication

Providing affordable and quality healthcare is the most burning demand for humanity. It is a fact that more or less half of the world's population resides in rural areas, and a majority of these people are left without the most basic amenities, such as healthcare and education. It is considered difficult to open and manage healthcare facilities in any community using traditional healthcare models for the states with limited resources particularly for developing countries. One of the most popular substitute tools is telemedicine to improve healthcare for underprivileged groups. In telemedicine, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are employed to ensure healthcare at a distance. On the other hand, one of the main problems in developing countries is the quality and cost of healthcare. In health research, telemedicine has become a new hope for eliminating bottlenecks. In this study, the authors have examined what challenges and issues developing countries are facing in implementation of telemedicine; particularly, they examine Pakistan as a case.

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