- change - Mailing Lists

iSchool Research Conversations - 'Evaluating outcomes and impacts of public access ICTs', Speaker: Shaun Pather
by Yaw Anokwa 15 Jan '10

15 Jan '10

this sounds like a very relevant talk from our friends at the ischool. i've added it to the change calendar. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Madeline Sanabria <mms2(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 12:06 Subject: [dub] iSchool Research Conversations - 'Evaluating outcomes and impacts of public access ICTs', Speaker: Shaun Pather *FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN DRINK.* WHEN: Monday, January 25, 2010, 12:00-1:20pm WHERE: Mary Gates Hall 420 TITLE : Evaluating outcomes and impacts of public access ICTs Over the years business researchers have been challenged in their quest to develop evaluation models and instruments to evaluate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) effectiveness. In the current era in which ICT4D (ICT for Development) has been firmly entrenched in the social and development agenda, researchers have been confronted with the same challenge. In this presentation Dr. Pather will reflect on the Information Systems evaluation literature; discuss an investigation, in which we designed a study to evaluate socio economic outcomes of a national programme of community based telecentres in South Africa; and lastly examine some of the challenges faced in the ICT4D evaluation arena with a view to frame critical areas for this research agenda. QUESTIONS 1. Which extant theories and models are adaptable to the ICT4D evaluation context? 2. Are causal paradigms for evaluation useful in this context? 3. What are the most suitable approaches and methods, including those developed within programme-evaluation research paradigms, to evaluate outcomes and impacts facilitated through ICTs in a developmental context? OBJECTIVES The objective of this presentation is to : * provide an overview of the context and environment of ICT4D in a (semi) developing country, using South Africa as an example; * further the discourse on ICT4D evaluation, and seek directions for the refinement and progress of my research agenda. * harness the wealth of experience of i-Schoolers in this area, drawing especially on work being done in similar projects (e.g. global impact study, landscape study, us impact study) and thus entrench the basis for future North-South research collaboration. BIO Shaun Pather is an Associate Professor of Informatics in the Faculty of Informatics & Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa and a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Information School, University of Washington (2009-2010). Shaun has over twenty years of experience in the public and private education and training environment and joined academe as a Lecturer of Information Systems in 1996. His post graduate qualifications include a Doctoral degree in Information Technology, and a Masters degree in Public Administration. His research has focused on the evaluation of Information Systems (IS) effectiveness, particularly within e-Commerce, e-Government and other web enabled contexts. He has developed models for evaluating e-Commerce success, and also has an interest in the application of e-Service Quality evaluation. Shaun has also extended his interest in IS evaluation into practical community engagement and Information Society issues, centered around societal upliftment facilitated by ICT's. He has published several articles, conference papers, book chapters and technical reports on both the former and latter. In pursuance of his research goals, Shaun has led several projects with partners i! n both the private and public sector. Shaun also serves on several conference committees, and the editorial boards of the Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation (as editor), Journal of Community Informatics and the International Journal of ICT Research and Development in Africa. Shaun has a rich history of association with civic, NGOs and the public sector in South Africa and is a board member of the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA).

1 0

poverty action lab is hiring
by Yaw Anokwa 15 Jan '10

15 Jan '10

the poverty action lab out of mit is a group does a lot of evidence based approaches to development. their core activities are: 1. running randomized trials of specific policies and programs to generate evidence about what works; 2. building the capacity of others to run randomized trials further expanding the evidence base on which policy makers can act; 3. disseminating the results of high quality randomized evaluations carried out by j-pal’s and others to policymakers and drawing out general lessons. they are now accepting applications for positions starting in late spring/early summer 2010, as well as for immediate openings. if you have an econ background, you might be a good fit.

1 0

Nokia's Growth Economy Venture Challenge
by Yaw Anokwa 14 Jan '10

14 Jan '10

Nokia announced a million dollar venture challenge to encourage innovators to create a mobile product or service aimed at benefiting populations in developing countries. Named Growth Economy Venture Challenge, Nokia’s latest challenge is part of Nokia’s global Calling All Innovators competition announced on January 7 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). According to Nokia CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, mobile solutions can be profitable and not exploitive in the same time for both innovators and consumers. Growth economies are able now more than ever to enjoy further growth given the mobility available to enhance the lives of consumers and further technology investments will focus on the developing market, as opposed to the saturated ones. “We’ve seen what the tech community can do when it focuses on problems that are also opportunities. We want to channel that energy toward improving lives in the developing world”, Kallasvuo said. Any submissions dedicated to boost the target growth economy and provide a potential return on investment will be considered, including software, hardware, mobile and Internet adoption and beyond mobile phones. The contest is not limited to solutions that use a Nokia device or software platform, explained Kallasvuo, citing several solutions and projects developed for growing economies, such as Nokia Life Tools and Nokia Tej. Nokia’s projects can be viewed at http://theprogressproject.com/. The million dollars will be awarded in June 2010 to the contestant with the best idea, as decided by judges from Nokia Growth Partners, Nokia’s venture arm, and Forum Nokia, Nokia’s organization dedicated to 3rd party developers and other innovators. Also, ten finalists will have the chance to present their business models to Nokia business people and private venture capitalists in order to receive guidance and possible funding. Submissions are open until April 18 at www.callingallinnovators.com and all finalists will be announced by May 2010. Through Nokia Growth Partners and Forum Nokia, Nokia offers developers and innovators potential funding, expert technical support and marketing programs designed to assist and promote third party activities on Nokia platforms. Nokia Growth Partners is a leading global growth stage venture firm focused on mobile technology, services and media. Nokia’s global developer program, Forum Nokia connects developers to tools, technical information, support, and distribution channels they can use to build and market applications around the globe. Nokia is the world’s leading maker of mobile devices. The company also provides digital map information through NAVTEQ and equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

1 0

Brian DeRenzi on eIMCI and CommCare
by Yaw Anokwa 11 Jan '10

11 Jan '10

This Thursday at Change, Brian DeRenzi will be discussing his work using mobile phone as job aids for healthcare workers in Tanzania. "Mobile phones and devices are rapidly becoming Ubiquitous in low-resource regions of the world. I will be talking about two different projects I have been involved with in Tanzania that use mobile phones as job aids for people working in health related fields. The first, e-IMCI is a project for health workers in facility to assist with the IMCI protocol. The application guides health workers through a decision tree for the treatment of common ailments of childhood health. A small initial study in 2007 found that users were more likely to follow the protocol when using the e-IMCI software. The second project, CommCare, is an application that runs on mobile phones to help support community health workers (CHWs). The goal of the project is to provide a tool that CHWs can use to help manage their household and data collection needs. The phone also provides a way to complete the feedback loop by sending information back to CHWs instead of making it a one way street. I will be discussing some of the open-ended challenges with these projects as well as presenting preliminary results. While I will have slides prepared, this will be an informal talk to introduce two projects we are doing in the mobile health space, with the hopes of spurring more discussion." What: Brian DeRenzi on eIMCI and CommCare When: Thursday, January 14 at Noon Where: UW, Paul Allen Center, Room 203

1 0

Deadline for Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project is February 1st
by Yaw Anokwa 11 Jan '10

11 Jan '10

*From:* Brittany Hinchliff [mailto:Brittany.Hinchliff@vodafone.com] *Sent:* Monday, January 11, 2010 1:51 PM *To:* Brittany Hinchliff *Subject:* Deadline for Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project is February 1st Hi, This is a reminder that the deadline for submitting an application to the Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project is Monday, February 1st, 2010. The Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project seeks to identify and fund the best innovations using wireless related technology to address critical social issues around the world. Three winners will be selected for awards of $100,000, $200,000, and $300,000.** Additionally, the mHealth Alliance has announced that they will be sponsoring an award worth $50,000 as part of the Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project. mHealth applicants are eligible to win the Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project award, as well as the mHealth Alliance Award, by applying to the Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project. To learn more about the mHealth Alliance Award, go here: http://www.unfoundation.org/global-issues/technology/mhealth-alliance-award… To submit an application, please complete the eligibility questionnaire and then register: http://project.vodafone-us.com/app_questionnaire.html We encourage applicants to submit their applications early to avoid any technical issues and so that they have time to ask questions beforehand. Attached is a press release with more information about the Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project and the mHealth Alliance Award. Please pass this message along to any others you think might be interested. If you have any questions about the Wireless Innovation Project or the process, please do not hesitate to contact me. We look forward to receiving your application. Thank you, Brittany Hinchliff Vodafone Americas Foundation www.vodafone-us.com W: 925 210-3784 F: 925 210-3852 Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project http://project.vodafone-us.com/ <http://vodafoneamericasfoundation.blog.com/><http://twitter.com/VodafoneProject><http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vodafone-Americas-Foundation-Wireless-Innovat…>

1 0

Re: [change] Digital scale / transaction recording device
by James Dailey 10 Jan '10

10 Jan '10

Cory, Let's keep this on the list in case it is interesting for others. The UW Change group includes several people who have spearheaded an Android toolkit that runs on a mobile device. see http://code.google.com/p/open-data-kit/ As to why the Android OS comes up in "development lists" and conversations... I think that the main reason is that Google has positioned it as the next platform for the smartphone /mobile/ tablet covergence world, Its open, meaning it is being offered to any handset manufacturer and has the backing of major content players in the market (esp Google), plus the backing of major network players. This is a killer combo for market acceptance. This contrasts with the Apple iPhone approach, which is only available from Apple, on Apple handsets, and locked to specific carriers and thus not available in many countries. What this leads to is that the Android marketplace follows a very open approach as well - meaning that applications are created and then made available - there is no process like that used by Apple's to control what gets presented to users. This makes it ideal for small software applications to be built rapidly and launched immediately. We do see Microsoft trying to make up ground in this space, and Blackberry cannot be counted out (largest corporate base of smartphone users), but Android has caught the attention of international NGOs. Both Palm OS and Symbian OS on mobile enabled devices have significant followers and continue to be viable, but both currently lack one of the elements for market acceptance I mentioned above. Regards, James On Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 12:21 AM, Bush, Cory <CBush(a)tns.org> wrote: > Hi James, > > > > Thanks for the detailed set of suggestions. You’ve very right—we are > already in discussions with Costco’s coffee roaster to implement a system > such as this; the trick is that they’re much more likely to pay a per pound > premium for the information coming from this system rather than funding its > development and implementation. > > > > I like the idea of pursuing this with a grocery manufacturer, though think > you’re right that no such device exists—at least not one which hits a > pricepoint needed for rural contexts. Symbol makes some handhelds, but they > are generally US$1000+. Also agree that convergence would be more useful > for the recording/printer device. People will trust a simple digital (US$20 > or so) scale. > > > > One question: I haven’t followed many of the trends in mobile device > development, but have noticed that Android comes up in many peoples’ > thoughts. What’s behind this (sorry for my ignorance). > > > > Thanks again for your help > > > > Cory > > > > *From:* James Dailey [mailto:jamespdailey@gmail.com] > *Sent:* Thursday, January 07, 2010 8:40 PM > *To:* Bush, Cory > *Cc:* change > *Subject:* Re: [change] Digital scale / transaction recording device > > > > Hi Cory - An interesting question and spec. Hopefully, I'm not too off > base with this email. > > In the Seattle area, COSTCO, which sources its coffee from Rwanda, is > potentially a good resource - but you probably already know that. I don't > have a contact, but you might try finding the local COSTCO purchasing rep in > Rwanda and/or send an email to the CEO, Jim Sinegal. > http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/134/special-report-rwanda-rising.html > > > COSTCO would have the kind of corporate relationships to perhaps help with > this type of device sourcing. And $$. > > My guess is that there is nothing quite like what you are describing. > Embedding of data in devices that are wireless network aware is still an > emerging field. > > Rephrasing the question: How could you marry the ODK/ Android-device with > a standard weighing device? > > Setting aside the specific data input device: A grocery equipment manager > (that you might find at COSTCO), would be better able to send you device > specs for a scale. > > My advice would be to keep the devices separate. Get a low cost analog > scale, and have them record the amt on the Android. > > But that's not very technically satisfying... so if you do want to try for > device convergence...most (all?) of the Android phones have a mini-USB port > that I believe the ODK can access for other purposes (external bar code > readers?). So the trick would be in selecting a weighing device (scale) > with a serial data output and then in getting whatever drivers or API > changes would be necessary to make the connection work (non-trivial). > > Under the heading: If you can build a solution for more than one customer, > you have a market, it occurs to me this could also be useful in infant > weighing programs, a part of many public health programs in Africa. So, you > might find common cause around that, ie where the "transaction data of the > coffee bean" is instead date of birth, mother's name, etc. > > Best of luck with this. > > Regards, > James > > On Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 1:18 AM, Bush, Cory <CBush(a)tns.org> wrote: > > Greetings all, > > I’m trying to scope a solution for coffee cooperatives here in Rwanda that > will enhance transparency into the sale of coffee at small community-level > collection points, and would appreciate any thoughts / ideas / device > recommendations. Basic requirements would include: > > - A digital scale capable of weighing up to 30kg > > - Ability to capture transaction information including: ID#, price > per kilo, KG delivered, coffee grade, collector ID#, payment type > (cash/bank) > > - Ability to generate a paper receipt > > - Ability to transmit transaction information in real-time if mobile > data network available or store-and-forward batches if data network > unavailable > > - Ability to generate daily/weekly/monthly reconciliation or summary > reports > > - Ideally the scale, transaction device, and printer would be > integrated, but not necessary > > - Device(s) should have low power requirements, and be able to > function for a full day between charges or be powerable via standard > batteries. > > - Device(s) should be rugged enough for use in rural settings > > Thanks in advance for any insight, > > Cory > > Cory Bush > RW Mobile: +250-788-309287 > > RW Office: +250-252-580414 > Skype: corycbush > > > _______________________________________________ > change mailing list > change(a)change.washington.edu > http://changemm.cs.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/change > > > > > -- > James Dailey > MicroEnergy Credits > skype: jdailey > +1 206 234 8435 mobile > -- James Dailey MicroEnergy Credits skype: jdailey +1 206 234 8435 mobile

2 1

Re: [change] The Girl Effect
by Valentin Razmov 08 Jan '10

08 Jan '10

Related to this topic: This Friday evening on PBS (Channel 9), in the Bill Moyers' Journal (9pm-10pm), the guest will be Greg Mortenson - founder of Central Asia Institute, an organization that for the past decade or so has been building schools for girls (mostly) in underserved regions of rural Afghanistan and Pakistan. Valentin On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 4:40 PM, Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Little research has been done to understand how investments in girls >> impact economic growth and the health and well-being of communities. >> This lack of data reveals how pervasively girls have been overlooked. >> For millions of girls across the developing world, there are no >> systems to record their birth, their citizenship, or even their >> identity. >> >> However, the existing research summarized in this fact sheet >> (http://www.girleffect.org/downloads/TheGirlEffect_FactSheet.pdf) or >> this stunning video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvmE4_KMNw) >> suggests their impact can reach much farther than expected. Find out >> more about The Girl Effect at http://thegirleffect.org. >> _______________________________________________ >> change mailing list >> change(a)change.washington.edu >> http://changemm.cs.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/change >> > >

1 1

£60,000 International Development PhD Studentships for 2010
by Yaw Anokwa 08 Jan '10

08 Jan '10

LIDC is contributing thousands of pounds towards field costs for five three-year PhD Studentships.The funds will support research projects in a range of innovative and specialised areas including using mobile phones to help monitor infectious disease, analysing sexual behaviour among young women in South Africa, and exploring land and legal issues in post-conflict countries in Africa. They will supplement the five development Studentships, out of a total of 13 Studentships, offered by The Bloomsbury Colleges. Each development project - Studentship plus field costs – is worth more than £60,000. Applications are welcome from students of all nationalities. The deadline for applications is 1 March 2010. http://www.lidc.org.uk/news_detail.php?news_id=78

1 0

Announcing the 2010 Yahoo! Key Scientific Challenges Program
by Yaw Anokwa 08 Jan '10

08 Jan '10

it's not explicit in this call, but i know the yahoo folks are also interested in ictd. if interested, apply! *From:* Jamie Lockwood [mailto:jamieloc@yahoo-inc.com] *Sent:* Friday, January 08, 2010 7:31 AM *To:* Jamie Lockwood *Subject:* Announcing the 2010 Yahoo! Key Scientific Challenges Program- Coming Soon! <http://www.labs.yahoo.com/ksc>

1 0

Announcing the 2010 Yahoo! Key Scientific Challenges Program- Coming Soon!
by Yaw Anokwa 08 Jan '10

08 Jan '10

it's not explicit in this call, but i know the yahoo folks are also interested in ictd applications of these areas, so if interested, apply! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- *From:* Jamie Lockwood [mailto:jamieloc@yahoo-inc.com] *Sent:* Friday, January 08, 2010 7:31 AM *To:* Jamie Lockwood *Subject:* Announcing the 2010 Yahoo! Key Scientific Challenges Program- Coming Soon! <http://www.labs.yahoo.com/ksc>

1 0