The government’s efforts on providing internet access across the country over the years make the digital divide no longer a big challenge thus paving the way for the government to create more digital opportunities, Sung Yu-hsieh, Deputy Minister of Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) told FutureGov Asia Pacific Magazine.
To promote internet usage in the country, RDEC has deployed 535 laptops to 16 public libraries and elementary schools around Taiwan including Chiayi, Nantou, Pintung, Yilan and Yunlin counties.
“It does not mean that people cannot afford computers,” says Sung.
“But the goal is that if your computer is broken or you are somewhere without bringing your computer, you can always go to the nearest library to borrow a laptop for your current information needs, ” he added.
The key objective is to make the people continuously connected to the government through the internet, he stressed.
The laptops that has been delivered carried 35 government-published e-books that could access National Taichung Library’s more than 10,000 catalogues. RDEC statistics reveal that 7,132 individuals used the service for an average rate of 89 per cent.
“Increased access to the Internet in these areas is raising the profile of e-government services and improving local residents’ computer skills,” said RDEC Minister Chu Chin-peng.
Chu said the initiative is also playing a vital role in reviving and improving the value of public libraries through dramatically increased visit numbers.
“The commission will continue working with other agencies to bridge the digital divide,” said Chu. Echoing the minister’s remarks, Chiayi County Magistrate Chang Hwa-kuan said a broad spectrum of residents, from school children to the elderly, are now seizing the opportunity to go online and experience the internet.
Reference: http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2011/may/11/taiwan-creates-more-digital-opportunities/
Showing posts with label Digital divide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Digital divide. Show all posts
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Digitally-deprived Chinese hooked into IT education program - Global Times 4 January 2011
By Yu Jincui
The Annual Award Ceremony for the Dell YouthConnect program in China took place on Tuesday in the Beijing Guo Yi Hotel.
The program to support education and digital inclusion initiatives for young people in rural areas was launched in Beijing in November 2009. Dell provided $2 million in cash and product grants to the China Education Development Foundation and the China Youth Development Foundation to spread Information Communication Technology (ICT) education to young people in remote areas. 32 Dell Learning Centers and 50 ICT Supporting Centers have been set up and many youngsters in rural areas have benefited.
The Dell YouthConnect program targets pupils from grade three to grade six. Teachers are encouraged to carry out student-centered inquiry learning using information technology, and help students expand their knowledge through practice, cooperation, exploration, experiment and observation. The program builds an online community where teachers and students can exchange ideas, and schools can share education resources. This boosts the quality of education in rural schools and helps students discover new ways of learning.
At the ceremony, prizes were awarded for 69 projects completed by the students as part of the program. By using information technology to explore nature and culture, and produce literary and artistic work, young Chinese in remote areas learn knowledge and master social skills.
Zhang Baoqing, former vice-minister of the Education Ministry and the Director-General of CEDF, spoke highly of the Dell YouthConnect program. He said that the program had been welcomed by both teachers and students, and had helped students improve their learning methods and become more autonomous in their learning. He pointed out that although China had been carrying out education reforms for many years, there was still a big gap between China and the developed countries. The Dell program helps address some of the deficiencies in the Chinese education system.
Dell views education and digital inclusion as a key means of connecting youth to a more promising tomorrow. A global program, Dell YouthConnect has cooperated with many non-government and non-profit organizations in helping youth in backward areas of countries such as Brazil, India, Mexico, South Africa and China. Li Guoqing, Vice President of Dell China, General Manager of Dell China Public Sector, vowed to promote the program in China on a larger scale
The Annual Award Ceremony for the Dell YouthConnect program in China took place on Tuesday in the Beijing Guo Yi Hotel.
The program to support education and digital inclusion initiatives for young people in rural areas was launched in Beijing in November 2009. Dell provided $2 million in cash and product grants to the China Education Development Foundation and the China Youth Development Foundation to spread Information Communication Technology (ICT) education to young people in remote areas. 32 Dell Learning Centers and 50 ICT Supporting Centers have been set up and many youngsters in rural areas have benefited.
The Dell YouthConnect program targets pupils from grade three to grade six. Teachers are encouraged to carry out student-centered inquiry learning using information technology, and help students expand their knowledge through practice, cooperation, exploration, experiment and observation. The program builds an online community where teachers and students can exchange ideas, and schools can share education resources. This boosts the quality of education in rural schools and helps students discover new ways of learning.
At the ceremony, prizes were awarded for 69 projects completed by the students as part of the program. By using information technology to explore nature and culture, and produce literary and artistic work, young Chinese in remote areas learn knowledge and master social skills.
Zhang Baoqing, former vice-minister of the Education Ministry and the Director-General of CEDF, spoke highly of the Dell YouthConnect program. He said that the program had been welcomed by both teachers and students, and had helped students improve their learning methods and become more autonomous in their learning. He pointed out that although China had been carrying out education reforms for many years, there was still a big gap between China and the developed countries. The Dell program helps address some of the deficiencies in the Chinese education system.
Dell views education and digital inclusion as a key means of connecting youth to a more promising tomorrow. A global program, Dell YouthConnect has cooperated with many non-government and non-profit organizations in helping youth in backward areas of countries such as Brazil, India, Mexico, South Africa and China. Li Guoqing, Vice President of Dell China, General Manager of Dell China Public Sector, vowed to promote the program in China on a larger scale
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Habitat-Redemtech project - Bridging the digital divide: Low-income families enjoy cast-off PCs - December 16, 2010
By Todd R. Weiss
Eliana Gomez moved into a Habitat home in Columbus last December. It's the first home that Gomez, a native of Mexico, has ever owned. Her family also received a computer through the Habitat-Redemtech program, and she says that she and her three children find the machine extraordinarily helpful.
"My 8-year-old uses it more than anybody. He likes to do his homework on the computer. He knows how to use it, and he's teaching me sometimes," she says. "My daughter, she is 2, likes to play Dora on the computer."
Eliana Gomez with her son, Jacob, 8, daughter Leticia, 2, and Redemtech volunteers, Laurie and Chris Williams, who installed the PC in the Gomez home.
Gomez says her family hasn't been able to afford Internet access yet, but the PC is nonetheless giving her children opportunities that they didn't have before. And for her part, she says, learning to use the computer at home is opening doors to new opportunities at work. Her employer has asked her to be a manager, and she's working on her computer skills to reach that goal, she says.
"I didn't know how to use a computer," she says. "I go to classes. I like to do that."
Companies that donate old computers make more money through tax savings than they would by simply selling their unneeded equipment, says Robert Houghton, president of Redemtech. The companies making the donations pay Redemtech to refurbish and redistribute the equipment, at a cost that's lower than what they would end up spending if they tried to donate the machines on their own, he says.
Redemtech has set up its own internal program called the Serious Good project to promote the fact that businesses that donate their old IT equipment can enjoy increased tax benefits while helping low-income families.
How innovative is the Serious Good Program? In a recent research note, IT analyst firm Gartner Inc. said the program could truly help businesses find better ways to donate old gear. "Gartner has long advised enterprises to be cautious when donating used IT equipment to charitable organizations, because the process can be labor-intensive and requires careful planning, asset preparation and documentation," while exposing donor companies to significant liability if the recipient organization subsequently fails to dispose of the equipment properly, Gartner wrote.
The Serious Good initiative can mitigate those types of risks, according to Gartner, because Redemtech acts as an intermediary to "streamline the process from end to end, minimizing end-of-life liability risk by including no-charge recycling as a standard part of the process, and ensuring the recipient gets a high-value, working asset. These relatively low-risk IT asset donations can be attractive to an enterprise's corporate social responsibility area."
But beyond just helping with tax breaks and making companies feel good that their old computer equipment is being put to good use, the bottom line is that families truly benefit from the Habitat-Redemtech project, Houghton says.
"Habitat has changed the paradigm so that safe, affordable housing has to include a computer," he says. "They've identified that eliminating that digital exclusion is a necessary part of setting up a family in one of their homes."
Source URL: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9200984/Bridging_the_digital_divide_Low_income_families_enjoy_cast_off_PCs?taxonomyId=64&pageNumber=2
Habitat for Humanity
URL: http://www.habitat.org/
Serious Good Project (Redemtech own internal program)
http://www.redemtech.com/seriousgood/default.aspx
Redemtech has set up its own internal program called the Serious Good project to promote the fact that businesses that donate their old IT equipment can enjoy increased tax benefits while helping low-income families.
Eliana Gomez moved into a Habitat home in Columbus last December. It's the first home that Gomez, a native of Mexico, has ever owned. Her family also received a computer through the Habitat-Redemtech program, and she says that she and her three children find the machine extraordinarily helpful.
"My 8-year-old uses it more than anybody. He likes to do his homework on the computer. He knows how to use it, and he's teaching me sometimes," she says. "My daughter, she is 2, likes to play Dora on the computer."
Eliana Gomez with her son, Jacob, 8, daughter Leticia, 2, and Redemtech volunteers, Laurie and Chris Williams, who installed the PC in the Gomez home.
Gomez says her family hasn't been able to afford Internet access yet, but the PC is nonetheless giving her children opportunities that they didn't have before. And for her part, she says, learning to use the computer at home is opening doors to new opportunities at work. Her employer has asked her to be a manager, and she's working on her computer skills to reach that goal, she says.
"I didn't know how to use a computer," she says. "I go to classes. I like to do that."
Companies that donate old computers make more money through tax savings than they would by simply selling their unneeded equipment, says Robert Houghton, president of Redemtech. The companies making the donations pay Redemtech to refurbish and redistribute the equipment, at a cost that's lower than what they would end up spending if they tried to donate the machines on their own, he says.
Redemtech has set up its own internal program called the Serious Good project to promote the fact that businesses that donate their old IT equipment can enjoy increased tax benefits while helping low-income families.
How innovative is the Serious Good Program? In a recent research note, IT analyst firm Gartner Inc. said the program could truly help businesses find better ways to donate old gear. "Gartner has long advised enterprises to be cautious when donating used IT equipment to charitable organizations, because the process can be labor-intensive and requires careful planning, asset preparation and documentation," while exposing donor companies to significant liability if the recipient organization subsequently fails to dispose of the equipment properly, Gartner wrote.
The Serious Good initiative can mitigate those types of risks, according to Gartner, because Redemtech acts as an intermediary to "streamline the process from end to end, minimizing end-of-life liability risk by including no-charge recycling as a standard part of the process, and ensuring the recipient gets a high-value, working asset. These relatively low-risk IT asset donations can be attractive to an enterprise's corporate social responsibility area."
But beyond just helping with tax breaks and making companies feel good that their old computer equipment is being put to good use, the bottom line is that families truly benefit from the Habitat-Redemtech project, Houghton says.
"Habitat has changed the paradigm so that safe, affordable housing has to include a computer," he says. "They've identified that eliminating that digital exclusion is a necessary part of setting up a family in one of their homes."
Source URL: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9200984/Bridging_the_digital_divide_Low_income_families_enjoy_cast_off_PCs?taxonomyId=64&pageNumber=2
Habitat for Humanity
URL: http://www.habitat.org/
Serious Good Project (Redemtech own internal program)
http://www.redemtech.com/seriousgood/default.aspx
Redemtech has set up its own internal program called the Serious Good project to promote the fact that businesses that donate their old IT equipment can enjoy increased tax benefits while helping low-income families.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
PM bids to bridge digital divide - Jul 17, 2010
By USANEE MONGKOLPORN
THE NATION
Published on July 17, 2010
Internet surfing will become more affordable for all Thais, thanks to the government's new project to establish a nationwide broadband network that could entail an investment of over Bt10 billion.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will oversee this development himself, Information and Communications Technology Minister Chuti Krairiksh said yesterday.
"The prime minister has given importance to the project, as it will help improve the country's competitiveness and bridge the digital divide and reduce the gap in the information access of Thais," Chuti said.
Abhisit will utilise his power as chairman of the National Information Technology Committee to follow through on the project. Established by the ICT Ministry and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) before Abhisit became prime minister, the committee will hold its first board meeting next month.
Chuti said his ministry would soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the NTC to partially finance the broadband project with the NTC's telecommunication development fund.
The committee is part of the ministry's initiative on a "wireless-road" project, aiming to provide broadband wireless service at an affordable price across the country.
Broadband Internet is now concentrated in Bangkok and big cities. Bangkok surfers pay about Bt400 monthly for a connection speed of 1 megabits per second (Mbps). But according to Chuti, once the project is completed in the next few years, surfers nationwide will pay only an initial monthly service fee of Bt150 for a connection speed of 2Mbps.
Two state agencies, TOT and CAT Telecom, will take the lead in developing the project, Chuti said.
"I want to make it happen within two years. The faster it can take place, the better for the country," he said.
TOT has proposed a budget of Bt14 billion to develop the nationwide broadband project within five years but Chuti said he would adjust the plan to two years.
Meanwhile, CAT Telecom plans to invest an additional Bt3.8 billion through the CDMA project.
Information technology human resources are necessary to smooth the project. To deal with this issue, the ICT Ministry will soon sign memoranda of understanding with universities in Bangkok, the North and the Northeast. Under the memoranda, the universities will introduce special courses to create the needed expertise.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/07/17/business/PM-bids-to-bridge-digital-divide-30133996.html
The ministry will also sign agreements with Rajabhat universities nationwide to produce IT instructors, in cooperation with the Department of Vocational Education and the Department of Skills Development.
It has also set its sights on nurturing 20,000 "cyber scouts" within a year to help improve the digital literacy of people in the provinces. The first group of 200 cyber scouts - all teenagers - completed their training recently.
"We hope that with this project, Thailand's ranking in terms of IT competitiveness will improve," the minister said.
In the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010, Thailand fell to 36th place, dropping for the second year in a row. Highlighted as weak points are insufficient protection of property rights (75th) and security (85th). Meanwhile, Thailand's technological readiness (63rd) is also lagging.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/07/17/business/PM-bids-to-bridge-digital-divide-30133996.html
THE NATION
Published on July 17, 2010
Internet surfing will become more affordable for all Thais, thanks to the government's new project to establish a nationwide broadband network that could entail an investment of over Bt10 billion.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will oversee this development himself, Information and Communications Technology Minister Chuti Krairiksh said yesterday.
"The prime minister has given importance to the project, as it will help improve the country's competitiveness and bridge the digital divide and reduce the gap in the information access of Thais," Chuti said.
Abhisit will utilise his power as chairman of the National Information Technology Committee to follow through on the project. Established by the ICT Ministry and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) before Abhisit became prime minister, the committee will hold its first board meeting next month.
Chuti said his ministry would soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the NTC to partially finance the broadband project with the NTC's telecommunication development fund.
The committee is part of the ministry's initiative on a "wireless-road" project, aiming to provide broadband wireless service at an affordable price across the country.
Broadband Internet is now concentrated in Bangkok and big cities. Bangkok surfers pay about Bt400 monthly for a connection speed of 1 megabits per second (Mbps). But according to Chuti, once the project is completed in the next few years, surfers nationwide will pay only an initial monthly service fee of Bt150 for a connection speed of 2Mbps.
Two state agencies, TOT and CAT Telecom, will take the lead in developing the project, Chuti said.
"I want to make it happen within two years. The faster it can take place, the better for the country," he said.
TOT has proposed a budget of Bt14 billion to develop the nationwide broadband project within five years but Chuti said he would adjust the plan to two years.
Meanwhile, CAT Telecom plans to invest an additional Bt3.8 billion through the CDMA project.
Information technology human resources are necessary to smooth the project. To deal with this issue, the ICT Ministry will soon sign memoranda of understanding with universities in Bangkok, the North and the Northeast. Under the memoranda, the universities will introduce special courses to create the needed expertise.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/07/17/business/PM-bids-to-bridge-digital-divide-30133996.html
The ministry will also sign agreements with Rajabhat universities nationwide to produce IT instructors, in cooperation with the Department of Vocational Education and the Department of Skills Development.
It has also set its sights on nurturing 20,000 "cyber scouts" within a year to help improve the digital literacy of people in the provinces. The first group of 200 cyber scouts - all teenagers - completed their training recently.
"We hope that with this project, Thailand's ranking in terms of IT competitiveness will improve," the minister said.
In the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010, Thailand fell to 36th place, dropping for the second year in a row. Highlighted as weak points are insufficient protection of property rights (75th) and security (85th). Meanwhile, Thailand's technological readiness (63rd) is also lagging.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/07/17/business/PM-bids-to-bridge-digital-divide-30133996.html
Monday, August 16, 2010
SOUTH ASIA: Digital Divide Sharpens Rich-Poor Gap - Jul 21st, 2010
NEW DELHI -- South Asia has emerged as the most promising region for sourcing information technology (IT) expertise, but this is an achievement that is of use only to the rich nations, say critics.
The so-called digital divide between industrialised and developing nations is being replicated within the region, widening the already big gulf between the majority poor and an English language-speaking, Internet-savvy elite, they point out.
On average, less than one out of every 10 of the 1.3 billion people in the subcontinent have access to computers and only a small fraction of these use the Internet.
The region's emerging prominence as an IT 'superpower', best seen in the case of India, is said to be accentuating the sharp contrast between an educated white-collar 'elite' and the rest.
Increasingly, the new sub-continental Internet-using elite identifies less with their digitally-deprived compatriots than with what Kenneth Keniston, expert on South Asian software at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), calls the global 'digirati.'
In the past half century, South Asian nations have done little to raise living standards of the majority poor who are a world apart from a microscopic, English language-speaking elite that is close to the centres of political and economic decision making.
The big Indian names in the global IT industry such as Sabeer Bhatia, creator of Hotmail and Azim Premji, rated by Forbes magazine among the world's five richest people, belong to this class.
Says New Delhi-based education expert, Kirti Jayaraman: ''The Internet is very much a big-city phenomenon and confined to the elite classes who may as well be living on a different planet with access to the Internet from their homes, offices and schools.''
According to Jayaraman, the digital divide can be seen quite clearly in schools in India's big cities. Here, the children of rich and middle class families go to English language-medium schools stacked with computers linked to the Internet.
On the other hand, the urban poor send their children to government schools that instruct in the vernacular language and lack tables, chairs and even roofs.
The situation is worse in India's vast rural hinterland. Barely 25 km from New Delhi is India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh which according to U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) estimates will take all of this century to make all its 170 million people literate......view more
The so-called digital divide between industrialised and developing nations is being replicated within the region, widening the already big gulf between the majority poor and an English language-speaking, Internet-savvy elite, they point out.
On average, less than one out of every 10 of the 1.3 billion people in the subcontinent have access to computers and only a small fraction of these use the Internet.
The region's emerging prominence as an IT 'superpower', best seen in the case of India, is said to be accentuating the sharp contrast between an educated white-collar 'elite' and the rest.
Increasingly, the new sub-continental Internet-using elite identifies less with their digitally-deprived compatriots than with what Kenneth Keniston, expert on South Asian software at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), calls the global 'digirati.'
In the past half century, South Asian nations have done little to raise living standards of the majority poor who are a world apart from a microscopic, English language-speaking elite that is close to the centres of political and economic decision making.
The big Indian names in the global IT industry such as Sabeer Bhatia, creator of Hotmail and Azim Premji, rated by Forbes magazine among the world's five richest people, belong to this class.
Says New Delhi-based education expert, Kirti Jayaraman: ''The Internet is very much a big-city phenomenon and confined to the elite classes who may as well be living on a different planet with access to the Internet from their homes, offices and schools.''
According to Jayaraman, the digital divide can be seen quite clearly in schools in India's big cities. Here, the children of rich and middle class families go to English language-medium schools stacked with computers linked to the Internet.
On the other hand, the urban poor send their children to government schools that instruct in the vernacular language and lack tables, chairs and even roofs.
The situation is worse in India's vast rural hinterland. Barely 25 km from New Delhi is India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh which according to U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) estimates will take all of this century to make all its 170 million people literate......view more
Thursday, July 15, 2010
How to make ICT-Enabled Education Succeed
ICT lies at the heart of modernising Asia’s education systems. However, technology alone will not be enough to bridge the digital divide, says Anita Dighe, Director, Directorate of Distance Learning, India. She went on to stress areas which governments need to focus on in order to deliver positive outcomes.
“ICT increases educational activity among those who are already learners rather than widening participation to include those who had previously not taken part in formal or informal learning,” said Dighe.Research has shown that projects to promote life-long learning through technology within illiterate communities can strengthen inequalities rather than reduce them. The people who benefit from computers and internet access are generally younger people, instead of the intended people who are older, disabled or unemployed.
The key challenge is to introduce technology in a way which maximises outcomes for the community. Surveys by UNESCO show that technology can increase access to education, particularly in dispersed or remote schools. “The National Open School in India provides secondary level education to many people,” said Gwang-jo Kim, Director, UNESCO APAC Regional Bureau for Education.
With the view to illustrating the problem areas, Dighe took a closer look at the projects and highlighted what governments should work on.
While ICT provides access to knowledge and education, Dighe pointed out that the mere availability of technology does not ensure accessibility. Economic, organisational, and socio-cultural factors are barriers governments need to be aware of. Gender inequalities still persist in most developing countries, she added.
“There is a tendency to miss the social context in which ICT is embedded. You need to acknowledge that the technological and the social aspects of ICT-based projects are intertwined. Educational achievements are shaped not only by the way education is organised but also by the socio-economic background of the learners,” she said.
There are several areas governments and educators need to work on. First, they need to better understand and choose technologies which are best suited for each community. Radio, television, films and other traditional media are more likely to be effective in developing countries compared to computers and the internet.
In November, Mongolia launched an education television programme while schools were closed due to the H1N1 crisis. Students were encouraged to reflect on the lessons and respond by messaging their teachers using mobile phones. “Television is the best way to reach the community because every household has a television. Not all families have computers and fewer have internet access,” Enkhjargal Sukhbaatar, Executive Director, ITEducation of Mongolia told FutureGov.
Second, there is a need for research on the reason behind the success or failure of ICT-based learning programmes. Evidence is sparse on why people engage or do not engage with technology.
Sabah Government's First Major Digital Inclusion Project
Malaysia’s second largest state, Sabah, announced its first major investment – worth a total of RM383 million (US$119 million) – to bridge the digital divide.
To extend internet coverage and telecommunication services, the state government has earmarked RM55million (US$17 million) for Community Broadband Centres. These will be scattered across the rural regions of Sabah, a state with a population of 3.2 million. 14 broadband libraries which cost RM22 million (US$6.8 million), and 212 towers for expansion of cellular coverage – worth RM298 million (US$92 million) – will be constructed.Spanning from year 2010 to 2015, the project targets under-served areas where there are no telecommunication or broadband services. The initiative stems from the Universal Service Provider Programme, a scheme started by the Ministry of Energy, Communications and Multimedia (MECM) to promote the availability and usage of network and application services throughout the country.
As a result, more people will be able to enjoy broadband and cellular services. “With broadband centres set up, people from rural areas would be able to go online and get connected to the rest of the world,” Mr Bruno Vun, Director of the State IT Advancement Unit told FutureGov.
Under the National Broadband Initiative, the penetration rate target for Sabah was 30.1 per cent by end 2010. This was lower than the national target of 50 per cent because the state had poor broadband performance to begin with. MECM is confident that Sabah will not only reach its target but exceed it with the implementation of the project. As of last month, its penetration rate was at 17.1 per cent and increasing.
RM8 million (US$2.5 million) will also be set aside for the under-served and lower-income groups, some of which will go into the distribution of one million netbooks to needy children throughout the state.
With the infrastructure in place, the road is paved for more e-government initiatives in the future. The Sabah government has always placed an emphasis on digitising citizen services. One example of an e-government platform is Sabah.Net, an information portal which connects the state government, businesses and citizens. Set in place more than five years ago, Sabah.Net serves as the backbone infrastructure for the Sabah Electronic Government Systems which connects government ministries, departments and statutory bodies to enable IT transformation of the public sector.
Study shows Information Technology makes people happy
By JERRY LIAO
What makes people happy? It may come in a lot of ways. Promotion, victory in sports, success in projects, a kiss, a brand new car, being with love ones, watch a movie or by simply having a new gadget like an iPad, mobile phone, computer or more.
May 17, 2010, 3:32pm
What makes people happy? It may come in a lot of ways. Promotion, victory in sports, success in projects, a kiss, a brand new car, being with love ones, watch a movie or by simply having a new gadget like an iPad, mobile phone, computer or more.
These are just some of the reasons that makes someone happy and smile. But is there a scientific basis on all of these?
A new global study from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT called ‘The Information Dividend: Can IT make you happier? shows that access to information technology has a ‘statistically significant, positive impact on life satisfaction’.
The report is based on an analysis of the World Values Survey, and contains responses from 35,000+ people globally. The findings suggest there may well be an ‘information dividend’ - a personal and social benefit which comes from access to information and IT.
The study showed that information technology had a positive impact on life satisfaction even when controlling for income and other factors known to be important in determining well-being.
“Put simply, people with IT access are more satisfied with life even when taking account of income,” said social scientist Michael Willmott, the study's author.
The people who benefited most from this appeared to be women, those on low incomes, and those with few qualifications. The highest benefit went to women in undeveloped countries, which clearly show a combination of the above three. Those who are socially constrained seem to benefit most.
The report also showed that there was no increase or decrease on the basis of age, which is an interesting discovery since IT is often more geared towards younger people.
The interest in ‘well being’ or life satisfaction has become a hot topic in recent years as academics, policy makers and politicians have sought ways to define happiness and redefine the role of Government in addressing the fact that ‘happiness’ appears to flat-line once a society reaches a certain economic level.
The implications for this study, therefore, could be far reaching and intriguing:
The implications for this study, therefore, could be far reaching and intriguing:
- IT as a means to better social policy outcomes
- Re-emphasises the need for broadband roll-out to close the digital divide
- A clearer idea of where digital inclusion/exclusion is most beneficial/harmful
- Re-emphasises the need for broadband roll-out to close the digital divide
- A clearer idea of where digital inclusion/exclusion is most beneficial/harmful
‘The relationship between IT and happiness has not been well researched which is why the Institute commissioned this study.
If we can enhance the understanding of the relationships in a way that leads to new and improved thinking, strategies or solutions then we will have helped a little,’ concluded Elizabeth Sparrow.
Indonesia reveals plans to bridge digital divide
In an interview with FutureGov, the Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (BRTI) has shared its plans to connect half of Asia’s third largest population to the internet by 2015.
An estimated 40 million Indonesians use the internet, according to the Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (APJII). But while web use has grown from just two million people in the year 2000 - an increase of 2000 per cent - internet penetration is still relatively low at 17 per cent.Heru Sutadi, the BRTI’s Commissioner, said that while mobile phone coverage of Indonesia’s 17,000 islands has reached 90 per cent, providing more of the archipelago’s 234 million people with access to the internet, particularly in remote areas, has proved more challenging.
“There is still a considerable digital divide in Indonesia, particularly in the east and west parts of the country, and between the big cities and rural villages. We have some big infrastructural issues to overcome. For example, we lack a comprehensive fiber optic network to serve as backbone for services,” said Sutadi.
This year, the Indonesian government has spent US$38 million on efforts to connect the country’s 72,000 villages through broadband internet, and more will be invested with the help of funding from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Telecommunications and Information Working Group (APEC TEL) and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
Public sector revenue was the sole source of funding in the early stages of IT infrastructure development in Indonesia, and it has proved difficult to attract private sector support for development projects in remote areas. However, the Palapa Ring project, which aims to bridge the divide between the country’s east and western regions, will see more private sector involvement, Sutadi noted.
Sutadi identified raising capital as a key challenge for the Authority this year, and infrastructure sharing could be a means to reduce cost, he said. Improving internet service quality, security and revising the Telecommunication Act to include broadcasting and content will also figure among his priorities this year.
“We are revising the Telecommunication Act to face up to the digital convergence era. Our existing Telecommunication and Broadcasting Acts increasingly overlap, and this will become more of an issue when we come to adopt IPTV.”
Can mobiles close the digital divide?
It is often argued that no technology in history has been as effective at fighting poverty as the mobile phone. According to the World Bank, an extra ten mobiles per 100 people in a typical poor country will add 0.8 per cent to GDP growth.
The mobile phone can provide an almost instant economic shot in the arm, which disperses in a self-sustaining bottom-up way. This eases the pressure on government to stimulate the economy on its own, which is welcome news for economies still under the clouds of slow economic growth.The humble handset has given disadvantaged people access to information with which they can build businesses or increase the productivity of their crops in geographically isolated areas, such as remotes islands in Indonesia and the Philippines, and where there are dodgy roads, unreliable public transport, and disrupted landlines.
Citizen services are now increasingly available on mobile phones, with both the public and private sector playing a role in their delivery. Tata Consultancy Services provides a platform for farmers in India to receive personalised information from a database compiled by local agricultural experts, for a small fee.
In China, the Ministry of Agriculture has teamed up with China Mobile to launch the mobile service Nong Xin Tong (which translates roughly to farmers’ communication network), which gives farmers advice on planting techniques, pest management and government policies on agriculture. The service already has 50 million users, and pumps out 13 million text messages every day.
Probably the biggest triumph of the mobile phone has been its role in moving money around. Few places in Asia have been as good at ‘mobile money’ schemes as the Philippines, the ‘texting capital of the world’. Smart Money, an initiative launched in 2000 by the local telco Smart Communications, and GCash, which rival Globe Telecom launched in 2004, are held up as examples of how government and the private sector can economically empower the poorest citizens.
The mobile’s secret weapon is accessibility. Mobiles are relatively cheap in the Philippines, a basic model with a voice and text function costing around 500 pesos (US$10) new and even less second hand. As of June this year, mobile phone penetration in the Philippines reached 77 per cent, and it is expected to surge to over 150 per cent by 2013. To encourage as many people as possible to use its service, GCash enables even non-Globe customers to open an account.
The service allows users to make deposits and withdrawals, cash purchases, peer to peer credit transfers, automatic deposits from employer payrolls, and international money transfers; US$50 million is transferred by overseas workers every month by mobile phone. GCash also enables its one million users to get small loans, and for individuals and companies to pay their taxes. To keep the service secure, all transactions are encrypted, a pin number is required, and users receive a text confirmation when a transaction is completed.
To get around the chance of fraud or money laundering, users are limited to how much money they are allowed to move. Smart Money’s limit is set at Pesos 50,000 (US$950).
Mobile 2.0
New ways of using the mobile to reduce the difference between government and citizens are rapidly emerging. The Philippine government’s rescue efforts in the wake of Typhoon Ketsana, which drew criticism from the local media for being slow and inadequate, were helped in a big way by text messages. SMSs (as well as social media such as Twitter and Friendster) were used to locate flood victims stranded on rooftops. The Taiwan government was accused of being too slow to respond to Typhoon Morakot in August. The storm, Taiwan’s worst for 50 years, caused US$910 million in damage to agriculture and infrastructure. But the government was able to raise US$30 million in donations from the public - much of it via mobile phones - to distribute to those most in need.
New ways of using the mobile to reduce the difference between government and citizens are rapidly emerging. The Philippine government’s rescue efforts in the wake of Typhoon Ketsana, which drew criticism from the local media for being slow and inadequate, were helped in a big way by text messages. SMSs (as well as social media such as Twitter and Friendster) were used to locate flood victims stranded on rooftops. The Taiwan government was accused of being too slow to respond to Typhoon Morakot in August. The storm, Taiwan’s worst for 50 years, caused US$910 million in damage to agriculture and infrastructure. But the government was able to raise US$30 million in donations from the public - much of it via mobile phones - to distribute to those most in need.
Disaster management is one of the more obvious uses for mobiles to help the disadvantaged. In Pakistan, mobile phones are being used to root out corruption. In the Jhang district in Punjab province, civil servants who handle land transfers must submit a list of transactions every day, giving the amount paid and the mobile number of the buyer and seller. This enables senior officials to make spot checks on transactions made with the private sector. This process could be applied in situations where poor people in rural areas need government funding. The mobile phone could be used to ensure the money entitled to them gets into their hands and no one else’s. India’s National Rural Employment Act, which was passed in 2005 to give rural populations 100 days of work, now has a mobile element to help ensure that jobs, and the money they generate, find the intended citizens.
At this year’s general election in India, even the most farflung voters could use their mobiles to get information on the competing candidates. Downloadable profiles gave the lowdown on candidates’ education, religious beliefs, even criminal convictions. At the general elections in the Philippines this month (May), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has plans to exploit the country’s obsessive relationship with the mobile phone. James Jimenez is Director of Comelec. He says mobiles have been used to allow Filipino voters to give feedback on the archipelago’s controversial new voting system which, if all goes to plan, will be fully automated for the first time in 2010. “Every piece of information you could want to know about a political candidate, or the field test areas where the voting machines being trialed, or the tendor that decided which vendor we would use, is available on as a mobile service,” says Jimenez, who is exploring how foreign media can get accredited using their mobiles for the 2010 presidential, legislative and local elections. “If we do not succeed in accrediting journalists at the forthcoming election, we will certainly have done by the 2013 elections,” he adds.
The beauty of the mobile phone is that services can be delivered to even the most basic handsets. And there is more value to be unlocked as the cost of phones continues to fall and penetration rises as a result. Of the four billion mobile phones thought to be in circulation, 75 per cent are in the developing world. And Asia is the biggest driver of growth. Of the top six fastest-growing mobile subscription markets, four are in Asia. India is the world’s fastest growing mobile phone market, followed by Africa, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brazil, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. By 2013, global subscriber numbers are expected to reach six billion, and half of new users will be in India and China.
Mobile versus the web
The way mobiles are used is shifting from a device that is held to the ear to one that is held in the hand as the technology matures and more services are made available – at lower cost – at the press of the thumb. This has implications for healthcare, too. People in remote areas no longer have to visit a clinic in person or make expensive calls to find out about their position on a waiting list or the likelihood of a disease outbreak - if they receive text alerts. And hospitals can save money and time by reducing the number of patients who do not show up for an appointment and spending more time with those that do. The mobile is a great deal cheaper than even the cheapest laptop, which the One Laptop per Child association and its technology partners have so far failed to bring below a US$150 price tag. It is easier to use, too, with a lower level of technical literacy needed than for the internet. But does that make it better at delivering government services to the poor?
The way mobiles are used is shifting from a device that is held to the ear to one that is held in the hand as the technology matures and more services are made available – at lower cost – at the press of the thumb. This has implications for healthcare, too. People in remote areas no longer have to visit a clinic in person or make expensive calls to find out about their position on a waiting list or the likelihood of a disease outbreak - if they receive text alerts. And hospitals can save money and time by reducing the number of patients who do not show up for an appointment and spending more time with those that do. The mobile is a great deal cheaper than even the cheapest laptop, which the One Laptop per Child association and its technology partners have so far failed to bring below a US$150 price tag. It is easier to use, too, with a lower level of technical literacy needed than for the internet. But does that make it better at delivering government services to the poor?
Korea is one of the world’s most mature mobile phone markets where penetration has reached 90 per cent. Professor Cheol Oh, Chair of the KAPS Committee for Evaluating National Programs and Future Agendas at Korea’s Department of Public Administration, says that the mobile phone’s key triumph has been “to narrow the geographical and emotional distance between government and the citizen.” This, he says, has been achieved through the ‘Ubiquitous Korea’ initiative, which he helped launch seven years ago. “Mobile was the most important part of the project. It was the most costeffective way of ensuring we could get government into the hands of as many Koreans as possible,” says Prof Oh.
Now more than 50 per cent of electronic government services are delivered over the mobile phone in Korea. That proportion is increasing as data is redesigned so that it can be used interchangeably between the web and phone.
“It was difficult in the early stages of Ubiquitous Korea to build and maintain content for the mobile phone. But over the last four years we have spent a lot of money on building an e-government environment that works for the mobile phone,” says Prof Oh.
But what about security
More than US$1 billion has been spent on the construction of Korea’s e-government infrastructure over the past decade. But a lot more will be needed to improve the mobile environment further, says Prof Oh. Much of that money will need to go on “the forgotten piece” of mobile service delivery: information security. “Security on mobile phones is a big issue in Korea. We need a different kind of technology to protect the information stored on it. As much money that goes into R&D to build a better mobile environment should go into making that environment secure,” says Prof Oh.
More than US$1 billion has been spent on the construction of Korea’s e-government infrastructure over the past decade. But a lot more will be needed to improve the mobile environment further, says Prof Oh. Much of that money will need to go on “the forgotten piece” of mobile service delivery: information security. “Security on mobile phones is a big issue in Korea. We need a different kind of technology to protect the information stored on it. As much money that goes into R&D to build a better mobile environment should go into making that environment secure,” says Prof Oh.
A smarter future
Security is becoming a bigger issue as phones get smarter, with most growth occuring in the developing world. In China, consumers upgrading their phones is expected to form over 70 per cent of handset demand in 2010, up from 50 per cent in 2008. This trend plays into the hands of smart phone providers such as Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry. However, the company denies that it plans to launch a cheap version to appeal to developing markets, and insists that low-cost is not the most important consideration for public service delivery.
Security is becoming a bigger issue as phones get smarter, with most growth occuring in the developing world. In China, consumers upgrading their phones is expected to form over 70 per cent of handset demand in 2010, up from 50 per cent in 2008. This trend plays into the hands of smart phone providers such as Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry. However, the company denies that it plans to launch a cheap version to appeal to developing markets, and insists that low-cost is not the most important consideration for public service delivery.
Gregory Wade, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Research in Motion, concludes: “The rise in demand for government services on mobile sevices will be determined primarily by how easy to use and secure the device is.”
Monday, July 12, 2010
Digital divide widens in China - SciDev Net - 12 May 2010
By Peng Kuang
[BEIJING] Despite recent rises in Internet use, a wide digital divide still separates rural and urban China, according to a new report.
The 'Survey Report on Internet Development in Rural China 2009', published by the China Internet Network Information Center last month (April), is the fourth such annual report. It surveyed people using the Internet in homes, offices, cafes and on mobile phones.
The survey found more than 106 million rural people now use the Internet — up by a quarter on the previous year.
But just 15 per cent of rural Chinese are using the Internet compared with 45 per cent in cities. In 2007, the figures were five and 22 per cent respectively. So, although internet use has risen, the gap has widened from 17 to 30 per cent.
The report found that a lack of knowledge about the Internet, insufficient infrastructure and high costs are the three main obstacles to its spread in rural China. It suggests that the economic gap is the main barrier.
Economic factors certainly affect how rural people access the Internet. Two-thirds of rural 'netizens' use mobile phones to go online. That is up 20 per cent since 2008. Mobile phones are more affordable than desktop and laptop computers, and a new 3G network in China has made mobile Internet access more convenient, the report says.
But it is not only the economic gap causing the digital divide, says Guo Liang, researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing — the Chinese partner of the World Internet Project. He pointed to online content, telling SciDev.Net: "Current services on the Internet are mostly designed for urban netizens".
Guo said that Internet use in rural China — where people go online mainly for entertainment — is still in its early development.
"In the long term, there will be a bigger demand in rural areas on information services that directly influence rural production," Guo said. "This is different from the urban pattern." According to the report, 83 per cent of rural netizens access music and 70 per cent play online games. These figures are similar to those for urban usage.
But in more practical applications, rural areas lag. For example, almost twice as many urban netizens use the Internet for online shopping as do rural users.
"In big cities of China, the development of the Internet is almost saturated, but in rural areas there is still great potential," said Guo.
Source: http://www.scidev.net/en/new-technologies/digital-divide/news/digital-divide-widens-in-china.html
Pdf of report (in Chinese) http://www.cnnic.cn/uploadfiles/doc/2010/4/15/95201.pdf
[BEIJING] Despite recent rises in Internet use, a wide digital divide still separates rural and urban China, according to a new report.
The 'Survey Report on Internet Development in Rural China 2009', published by the China Internet Network Information Center last month (April), is the fourth such annual report. It surveyed people using the Internet in homes, offices, cafes and on mobile phones.
The survey found more than 106 million rural people now use the Internet — up by a quarter on the previous year.
But just 15 per cent of rural Chinese are using the Internet compared with 45 per cent in cities. In 2007, the figures were five and 22 per cent respectively. So, although internet use has risen, the gap has widened from 17 to 30 per cent.
The report found that a lack of knowledge about the Internet, insufficient infrastructure and high costs are the three main obstacles to its spread in rural China. It suggests that the economic gap is the main barrier.
Economic factors certainly affect how rural people access the Internet. Two-thirds of rural 'netizens' use mobile phones to go online. That is up 20 per cent since 2008. Mobile phones are more affordable than desktop and laptop computers, and a new 3G network in China has made mobile Internet access more convenient, the report says.
But it is not only the economic gap causing the digital divide, says Guo Liang, researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing — the Chinese partner of the World Internet Project. He pointed to online content, telling SciDev.Net: "Current services on the Internet are mostly designed for urban netizens".
Guo said that Internet use in rural China — where people go online mainly for entertainment — is still in its early development.
"In the long term, there will be a bigger demand in rural areas on information services that directly influence rural production," Guo said. "This is different from the urban pattern." According to the report, 83 per cent of rural netizens access music and 70 per cent play online games. These figures are similar to those for urban usage.
But in more practical applications, rural areas lag. For example, almost twice as many urban netizens use the Internet for online shopping as do rural users.
"In big cities of China, the development of the Internet is almost saturated, but in rural areas there is still great potential," said Guo.
Source: http://www.scidev.net/en/new-technologies/digital-divide/news/digital-divide-widens-in-china.html
Pdf of report (in Chinese) http://www.cnnic.cn/uploadfiles/doc/2010/4/15/95201.pdf
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