Transcript The Last Inch

The Message
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We don’t have the luxury of carrying out
Computer Science research without
considering the Digital Divides in which we
live
It is possible to perform research that
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Applies to and engages communities
Adheres to academic rigour
It’s all happening right here in the First Mile!
Bill Tucker ([email protected])
Who is this guy, anyway?
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University of the Western Cape
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Computer Science
Senior Lecturer
BANG: 6 Masters students
Currently on sabbatical
University of Cape Town
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PhD student
Socially Aware Computing: 2 Masters + me
Bill Tucker ([email protected])
Dealing with Digital Divide Delay
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Bandwidth differential
System and service overhead
Power outages
Typing speed
Bill Tucker ([email protected])
Instant Messaging Inspiration
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Low bandwidth
Resilient to delay
Applicable to store and forward
Extendable to other modalities, e.g. voice,
video and Virtual Reality
Engenders social dynamics with a very
simple interface, e.g. chat rooms
Bill Tucker ([email protected])
Digitally Divided User
Interfaces
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Disadvantaged, IT-illiterate users
Adantaged, IT-literate users
Human Computer Interface (HCI) issues are
different for these two broad classes of users
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E.g. sister in Tsilitwa communicating with an
international expert
E.g. Deaf Telephony: Hearing and Deaf users
Bill Tucker ([email protected])
Disparate Devices
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PC
Handset: phone and cell
PDA
Laptops
Tablet
TVs and radios
Bill Tucker ([email protected])
Oh so many Network technologies
Internet Protocol (IP)
VoIP, IPv6, ADSL, ISDN,
802.11abg, WiFi, Bluetooth, ATM,
H.323, SIP, MGCP, VSAT, HF,
VHF, GSM, GPRS, CDMA,
CDMA2000, etc.
Bill Tucker ([email protected])
Methodologies
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Action Research
Positivism
Fundamentally philosophically opposite
Common ground: field trials
Example field trials
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Tsilitwa rural telehealth
Automated Deaf telephony
Bill Tucker ([email protected])
The Message Rammed Home
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We don’t have the luxury of conducting
Computer Science research without direct
consideration and inclusion of Digital Divide
issues
A combination of research methodologies
enables this to happen
Particularly applicable to network and HCI
research
Within the First Mile of Digital Divide
environments
Bill Tucker ([email protected])
Partners
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University of the Western Cape
University of Cape Town
Telkom
Cisco
NRF, THRIP
SANPAD
Bridges.org
Siemens
Rhodes University
University of Fort Hare
Bill Tucker ([email protected])