A Mesh Wireless Networking project for Broadmeadows estate

 

Broadmeadows has some of the lowest social economic indexes in Melbourne - some of the most disdvataged communities in Melbourne reside here. Within these pockets of disadvantage, you have the public housing estate which are even lower down the ladder. Information on Broadmeadows Neighbourhood Renewal can be accessed here . There is also a Wikipedia entry on Broadmeadows here.

 

Infoxchange Australia, a technology for social justice I consult for, is trialling as a first of its kind in Australia, a wireless mesh network within the Broadmeadows public housing area.

Bridging the Digital Divide : Given the low levels of access within Broadmeadows in general, and the public housing estate context in specific, low cost wireless connectivity will go a way towards addressing disadvantage

Low cost deployment : Meraki hardware and mesh wirless technology promises to lower infrastructure and installation costs. Initial choices of system hardware are based on low price point and ease of use specifically in having non-technical users connect to an existing mesh

 

Connecting the dots in Implementation :

• Pilot testing around Infoxchange Premises and Abbotsford Convent including dashboard & billing systems

• Initial drive around of Broadmeadows taking in the Hume Global Learning Centre, Campmeadows Schools { google map here }

• Wireless Site Survey to determine source of noise and create initial design

• Obtaining community buy in to be part of the pilot and eventual roll out

• Obtaining Points of Connection to the Internet (likely from the two primary schools in the area)

Some areas of concern : However, there have been some developments of recent which have caused us a some concern. Here’s a little background as to why.

 

Advertising : The ability to advertise was going to come in handy to bring in advertising revenue from local business and to promote local events and activities. Hardware units come in three flavours (Standard, Pro and Carrier) each with its own set of features. The company under question has recently announced that the capability to advertise which came bundled all its versions is now available only Pro version and above. Given that our business model was based around the standard version whose price points begins at $49 and $99 for the base and repeater units, we will have to reconsider the impact of the additional $100 per unit for the Pro version on the business case.

 

Billing : Another concern is the control over billing. Infoxchange, whether it partner with an ISP with a carrier license or otherwise, would like to maintain some control of its billing rather than have to be locked into using the hardware vendor’s built-in billing system especially if there is a per user management fee involved.

 

Putting it together : The funding model will need to be tweaked but potential partners include the Hume City Council, under whose legislation Broadmeadows falls, Neighbourhood Renewal (Broadmeadows), and local schools that will be our point of connection to the Internet.

 

System integrator will be handled by Infoxchange given our experiences with network building and deployment in the Atherton Gardens high rise housing estate with possibly a little outside help on antenna and outdoor repeater installations. Hardware options include repeaters with an optional solar panel and a Power over Ethernet (PoE) option where external installation is required.

 

Once pilot testing has been conducted to ensure hardware durability, signal stability, and functioning of the overall system through the Dashboard, deployment at Broadmeadows broadacre estate will begin in a phased rollout. Ultimately, we’re looking at connecting 200 households in a wireless mesh network. There will be multiple hops involved in connecting some households to the nearest router.

 

Things to look for include existing points of connection to the Internet, power points (for indoor units) and sources of noise which can be identified through a spectrometer; in line with this hiring a spectrometer for a day may be a worthwhile investment.

 

Stay tuned for more on this project.

Connecting the dots between Information Technology and Sustainable Development…

My presentation at the Sustainable Living Festival focussed on the interplay between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Sustainable development, particularly Sustainable Agriculture and Renewable Energy, drew on personal experience and research.

 

In the text that follows, the terms Sustainable Development, Sustainable Agriculture, and Renewable Energy have been shortened to SD, SA, and RE respectively.

 

For a full list of websites that have been looked up in the course of research,  look at my delicious list 

 

 

Major Points of Discussion

*  Fundamental underpinnings of SD  

- Poverty Reduction  

- Sustainable modes of food and energy production  

* why focus on the developing world ? 

* The Importance of Knowledge

* The Importance of NGOs

* Specific examples of where ICTs can play a significant role 

* Creating bidirectional flows of information   

 

Drilling down into some key ideas 

 

Fundamental underpinnings of SD   

- Poverty Reduction

- Lowered Costs & Higher Revenues for farmers

- Productive uses of RE for individuals and communities 

- Sustainable modes of food production

- agricultural techniques and practices that do not stress the environment

- Sustainable modes of Energy production

 

why the developing world ?  

* increasing food and energy demands

* greatest inequities in development

* knowledge vaccuum

 

The Importance of Knowledge

Knowledge and SA 

* As the term implies, “knowledge intensive” agriculture / RE implementation is dependent on knowledge.  

* Knowledge, contextualized and specific to the local environment, is a fundamental prerequisite for SD. 

Some examples of where information flows can be off immense assistance are 

 

* in technologies that enhance productivity, conserve natural resources. 

 

* dissemination of production systems that limit the depletion of land, water and biological resources caused by agricultural intensification, and of environment-friendly technologies 

* these include integrated management systems (e.g. organic agriculture, integrated pest management, zero tillage, agro- forestry), and technologies that guarantee food safety. 

 

Let’s have a look at the broad brushstrokes of the stakeholder ecosystem that must be positively affected by the knowledge sharing before real improvements in the use of SA (and this can be applied equally to RE although individual elements may vary and certainly the experience from country to country may vary widely)    

* Policy makers need to have a thorough understanding of the implications of their actions.  

* Agricultural scientists need to understand and be able to apply ecological principles in the design and development of agricultural technologies.  

* Agricultural educators, including extension agents, need to be conversant in the most appropriate technologies and be able to disseminate and impart these in the most convincing manner.  

* Ultimately, farmers need to be able to evaluate, adopt and adapt new technologies that will best meet their individual changing circumstances without compromising the natural resource base.

Knowledge and RE

* RE in rural areas of developing countries has made significant inroads for household lighting and entertainment. 

 

* Although electricity certainly provides improvements in the quality of life through these household applications, it is the  “productive uses“ of electricity that can increase incomes and provide development benefits to rural areas. 

 

* As incomes increase, rural populations are better able to afford greater levels of energy service, which can allow even greater use of RE. 

 

*  The major emerging productive uses of RE are for agriculture, small industry, commercial services, and social services like drinking water, education, and health care.

 

The Importance of NGOs

* 20% of total development aid in developed countries is administered by international NGOs 

 

* best placed to form public - private partnerships

 

* community engagement and building local capacity is essential to long term sustainability of SA and RE projects

 

* experience with social enterprises to serve the unmet need  

 

Example of where ICTs can play a significant role 

a. eLearning

b. Databases

c. GIS

d. Access to enablers 

e. Hybrid ICTs

 

a > eLearning : 

- challenges in taking info across

 

Advantages of this approach for developing countries include, 

 

- eLearning matches the needs of non-traditional students

 

- increases the educational facilities available to traditional students 

 

- provides companies with cost-efficient yet effective training options 

 

- gives students and researchers in developing nations an invaluable means of gaining a first world education tempered by third world experience

APTRC (Asia-Pacific Regional Technology Centre) offers courses in 

- Digital Literacy for Agricultural Professionals

- English for Agriculture

- Safe and Effective Use of Agrochemical

- Introduction to Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

- IPM for Cotton

- IPM for Irrigated Rice

- IPM for Vegetables

 

Solar Energy e-Learning Laboratory (Solar e-lab)

* The Solar Energy e-Learning Laboratory (Solar e-lab) allows remotely located students/users to conduct real world experiments in the field of solar energy over the Internet in an interactive and independent way. 

UNESCO’s Energy Forum offers free e-Learning courses  

* Bio-energy for Achieving the MDGs in Asia

* RE Policy and Planning for SD

* Solar Solutions for Energy Wise Communities in Asia

 

b > Databases (Information Systems) : 

SA  Example

* Contextualized information storehouses that can queried and searched over the Internet

 

* Here in Australia, we have CSIRO that has extensive storehouse of information 

 

* the developing world can learn from them, if not the specifics of information, then certainly the lessons learnt in implementing such an information system

 

RE Example 

* There are several examples around the world, in Chile, China and Mexico, of RE projects, be it PV, Wind or Micro Hydro, 

that are making a real difference to communities. 

 

* It is all the more paramount that a database of such projects be created and made accessible to NGOs / Communities and individuals around the world to tap into.

 

c > GIS  (Geographical Information Systems) : 

* Digital Mapping and then query and display information based on search queries 

* Pitchandikulam Bio-resource Centre

* Envrionmental Resources Mapping 

* Community planning 

 

d  > Access to ICT-based Enablers : 

eChoupal 

* market inputs through websites

* market efficiencies through access to timely, relevant information and inputs lead to increased productivity and lowered operating costs

IVRS : Indian Society of Agricultural Professionals  

* Utilise IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) for specific information services

* Utilises mobile and landline phone technology which is widely available

 

e > Hybrid ICTs: 

Himalayan Light Foundation (HLF) : The RE Travelling Education Centre (RE-TEC) 

* By employing a comprehensive information outreach program for remote areas 

* villagers can better understand their energy choices 

* what government programs are in operation 

* what companies and services are available and how best to take advantage of these for increased living standard.

* It does its information outreach through a portable solar powered multi-media presentation unit capable of showing VHS, PAL, VCD and other power point presentations along with the actual functioning of the RE-TEC’s solar power supply as an example of solar PV in action.  

Cicada : Online Digital Training

* Peanut famers face several challenges that include the problem with white grubs wihc hare a major pest  

* Being designed currently, Online Digital Training platform that uses email, video and illustrations to meet agricultural challenges

*  Uses a combination of Farmer Group, Intermediary, Agricultural Expert and Fictional Farmer 

 

Digital Green

* Digital Green is a research project that seeks to disseminate locally, relevant agricultural information to small and marginal farmers in India through digital video 

* Enables learning outcomes 

 

Web 2.0 Technologies 

* Blogging, YouTube and a whole slew of others) can enable constructive communication between stakeholder ecosystems in the South and in the North to exchange experiences and information truly enabling bidrectional flows 

 

Creating bidirectional flows of information  : 

* Knowledge diffusion predominantly happens from North - South but cannot underestimate the importance of South - South diffusion and indeed South - North diffusion

 

M S Swaminthan Research Founation : Village Knowledge Centre (VKC) 

* Use of not just Computers and the Internet but also radio, CD-ROMs, etc 

* Quoting from MSSRF’s website

 

 “MSSRF uses different modern and traditional technologies such as notice boards, wired and wireless public address system, K YAN-PC (it contains PC, projector, TV tuner card, DVD player, amplified speaker and modem), WiFi based video conferencing such as 802.11 b and 802.11 g, satellite based video conferencing, offline CDs for both audio and video, community newspaper in Tamil, Marathi and Malayalam and providing answers through telephone and advisories through video.”

 

This end the talk but for the conclusion which I have chosen not to include here.

 

 

 

Completion of the e-Education Centre…

The focus of this particular partnership is on the development of improved educational resources for the staff and children of the Uluru children’s Home (UCH), as well as expanding the diversity of resources for the local community. EWB Australia, the organisation for which I manage their Information for Development projects, has been responsible for providing project and program management services including project development, technical volunteer recruiting, deployment and management and technical training and implementation in tandem with local counterparts. 

TEWOAF (The East West Overseas Aid Foundation), our primary partner on this program and its children our chief beneficiaries, provide board and lodge for our volunteers while on secondment. TEWOAF also provide the necessary financial backing and support for the technical hardware and software that will be procured during the various phases of the UCH project. These needs assessments are made in consultation with advice from EWB Australia. It will also include the strengthening of current partnerships and the establishment of new partnerships that EWB may feel furthers our vision for UCH.    

 

Blogging from Making Links 2006 for EWB National…

You can read my article in EWB Australia’s February 2007 Newsletter.
Readers will be provided context to Making Links 2006 and to EWB Australia’s involvement with it.

New download available

You can read my latest ICT4D Report relating to universal access as it pertains to rural India. The reports is an overview of the feasibility of universal access provision as it relates to the regulatory, technological, and social contextual factors that drive deployment.