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Balachandran C.Technical Architect
Gram Vaani Community Media Pvt. Ltd.
AIT, Bangkok
Community Radio for Social Development
Community Radio StationsRadio Stations that cater to the needs of
groups of people with shared interests.Mandate of being for the people.Typically, they serve the local community –
say, a group of villages within 20 km radius of the station.
They try to fulfill needs in public health, economic, social and cultural spheres.
2
Community Radio StationsHealth
Lectures on Hygiene, Information on Immunization drives, Women’s health
Economic needsJob opportunities in the nearby cities, Provide
knowledge on locally dominant economic activities (agriculture, weaving, fishing)
PoliticalLocal governance, Political debates
CulturalPreserving local dialects, art forms, oral tradition
Educational
5
Distinguishing FeaturesMandate of serving the people sets the
agendaProfitability takes the back seat
Restricted footprint for a given stationCommunity members play a major role in
content creation. Reliance on volunteers.Rules and regulations tend to enforce these
aspects in some countries. (e.g. India)
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Effectiveness In Rural AreasSpeaks the local languageIlliteracy is not a barrierPhysically accessible. Cheaper to access.Employs local people, hence easier to
approach themRural people are more likely to be heardAccess to radio sets in households or at the
local restaurant / public place.Mobile phones come with inbuilt radio receivers
Quick and easy access to the listeners during emergencies
8
NepalOne official language and about 90 more
recognized regional languages.There are currently about 150 active
stations, which cover a significant part of Nepal.
No legal distinction between CR Stations and commercial stations.
Unifying theme is to promote social justice and social change.
12
Nepal – Radio SagarmathaRadio Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) setup in 1997.
First in South AsiaBroadcasts in Nepali as well as many ethnic
languagesNewari, Maithali, Tamang…
Emphasizes political freedomFreedom of expressionRight to information for the citizen
Temporarily closed due to airing politically sensitive interviews.
Significant role in pushing Nepal towards democracy.Nepal became a Federal Democratic Republic in 2008
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Nepal – Radio SagarmathaVery active, broadcasting for 18 hours
daily, from 5.00am to 11.00pm.Transmitting power has gone up from 100w
to 1kw. They have established a network of about
50 CR stations.They claim a regular listenership of 2.5
million people, with programs being relayed to even more
14
Nepal – Radio SagarmathaOutgrown its role of serving the local
community.They are very much still a CR Station.Listeners are invited to walk-in to the station,
and interact with the producers.Palpable impact on Nepalese society
National PoliticsPolicy makingSensitizing society to issues like gender
inequalityRescue and rehabilitation efforts – fires, floods
and landslides (2002, 2008)
15
ThailandConstitution of 1997 laid the foundationNumber of CR Stations picked up after
2002The agency responsible for distributing
broadcast rights was not yet setup, leaving a bureaucratic loophole.
Currently estimated to be more than 3000Predominantly ruralPolitical developments are expected to
affect their functioning.
16
ThailandMade use of by environmental campaigns,
anti-mining campaigns in Udon ThaniRural empowermentPolitical mobilization, Espousing democratic
valuesThere are anecdotes about how it has spread
goodwill across the Thai-Laoitian borderThey have been effective in supporting
minority ethnic communities, by speaking their language and voicing their opinions.
Emergency response and rehabilitation
17
IndiaFirst laws in 2002
Recognized Educational Institutions only. (Campus Radio)By 2006
NGOs and Civil Society Organizations with a good track record
NGOs must have been active for at least 3 years.Not allowed to broadcast news.Limitation on funding
Currently, about 50 GoPs (Grant of Permission) have been issued, the vast majority to educational institutions.
Country with 18 major languages, thousands of dialects spread over 600,000 villages.
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IndiaNamma Dhwani (2002) CMC
SHGsNarrowcasting – cassettes, loud speakers, cable
connection to classroom, direct to homePut pressure on local government to solve
problems related to drinking water, drainage and street lights
Women’s empowermentFirst FM CR stations setup in 2008,
Radio Sangham (AP) – run by local women’s collective
Radio Bundelkhand (MP) setup by the NGO - Development Alternatives.
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Radio BundelkhandFinancial support from NGOStaff
Couple of people with professional experienceReporters - young people, volunteers
Received training on interviewing techniques – not much on the technical aspects of content production
Subsistence agriculture practiced in the region. Programmes on agriculture are popular
Programmes on lives of people in the community, culture and heritage, job opportunities, Bundeli Idol
“We are not investigative reporters!”
22
CR Movement in Developed WorldAustralia (450)Sweden (150) out of 290 local communitiesUK (150) in 5 yearsPacifica Network in USA (150)Canada (90)
Shared characteristics – Access, Volunteerism, Diversity, Localism, Independence, Public Media
24
ChallengesPolicy
Bureaucracy in licensingFinancial sustainability
Capital, OperatingTraining
Technical, Content creationOwnership & Accountability
NGO vs. CommunityHow it influences the station – Voice, Agenda
25
Operational ChallengesSustaining volunteersMaintaining EquipmentUnreliable Infrastructure
Internet connectionPower Supply
Quality sources of contentLanguage barrier
Lack of co-operation from local government bodies
Vested interests
26
Social ChallengesInclusion / Exclusion based on narrow
definitions of communityOrganizational Structure of the station
affects its directionWho has a voice in steering its direction?
Partisanship – ethnic, religious, casteismLocal culture
Medium used purely for entertainment
27
How can technology help?Participation
IncreasedEquitable – rich/poor, literate/illiterate
FundingEnabling commerce like an application for a
market placeSuitable commercials
Interactivity
28
How can technology help?Bring CR closer to the people
Speakerphone booths – town halls, schoolsDebates, gamesCall-ins to the stationIVR for accessing content and leaving
opinions/questionsUse internet for live streaming, offline access
Long distance Wi-Fi links, KioskNet
Need to keep it low cost!
29
30
Speaker-phone booths in different areas and villages
Panchayat
School
Meena community
Gurjar community
• Discussions• Antakshari• Games• Inter-village communication
Design CriteriaFault tolerance
Hardware and software will failRest of the system should workTry our best to recover
FlexibilityThere is no unique set of requirements applicable
to all CR StationsSystem should provide the best performance for
available resourcesGeographical distribution of resources
Connect to other CR stations, content providers, maybe even the local cable operator
32
IPCAny addressable node implements
IPCNode, has a unique nameSynchronous messages – RPCAsynchronous messagesPersistent messages
35
Sample Configuration
36
ControllerResource Manager
Playout Service
UI Service
Servlet IPCServer
Preview Service
Archiver Service
Library Service
Index Service
Monitor Service
Servlet
UI Machine
SBC
Resource ManagerAvailability of resources
Resource TableResource Name -> (Type, MachineID, State, List of
holders, Persistent Requests)Resource ReservationResource Interests – Notification
Link Monitor
37
ServicesService Function Dependency
Audio Play audio files GStreamer
Archiver Record streams to file
GStreamer
Index Plain text search Lucene
Library Database, Media life cycle
MySQL, Servlets
Mic & Monitor Routes audio between SCs
GStreamer
UI Graphical Interface Java Swing
Telephony Handle telephone calls
Asterisk PBX
38
Playing Media
39
Playlist Controller Playout Provider IPC Server Audio Service GStreamer
API: play(file-id)
PLAY file-id
PLAY file-id
API: play(filename)SUCCESS
or FAILUREreturn value
Create IPC message
Forward the message
Create session and Invoke GStreamer
STATUS codeSTATUS code
API: Callback(status)
Archiving Media
40
Controller Archiver Provider IPC Server Archiver Service Index Service
API: startArchive()
START ARCHIVE
API: updateIndex
Create IPC message
Forward the message
Invoke GStreamer
STATUS codeSTATUS code
API: Callback(status)
START ARCHIVE
RobustnessNeed
Rural setting – lack of experts, difficult to reachApproach
Error AvoidanceTesting, Extensive Logging, Log shipping for continuous
monitoringError Isolation
Errors in one service should not affect functionality of others
Proactive CheckingHeartbeats
Diagnostics for hardwareError Recovery
41
DiagnosticsNetwork connections
PingAudio connections
Check for audio levelsDistortions
Give feedback (graphical) to the user.
42
Error RecoveryHardware Errors
Encourage users to use diagnostics before using the system
Network disruptionTimely detectionImportant messages – Persistent messages
Service crashesWrapper scripts to bring them back upRegistration IDs for instances help in maintaining state
consistencyNotifications
ContentBackup & restore
43
ALSA ParametersSample Rate
8kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHzPeriod Size
Size (in bytes) of data written to the soundcard at a time.
Buffer SizeSize of buffer expressed in the number of Period
Size worth of dataInterface type
hw:0plughw:0default:0
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Buffer Size
Latency Size
Data Path
49
Archiving
Sound Card
ALSAGStreame
r
Playout
GStreamer
ALSASound Card
Monitor
SoundCard
ALSAGStream
erALSA
SoundCard
Audio Quality
50
Audio Quality ClicksLatency
IRQ Rates CPU Utilization Buffer Size
Period SizeArchiverPlayoutMonitor
EncodingResampling Archiver
PlayoutMonitor
More Than Just RadioDial-in to the station for live commentingIVR system for offline commenting, and to
access archived contentText messaging for personal messages,
audience feedback, and polls/surveysInternet connectivity for live streaming and
offline sharing of content
55
Uni-directional
Bi-directional
One-to-one Mobile phones
One-to-many Television, Radio
Community media
Leverage the existing infrastructure of radio, cable TV, and telephone networks to deliver interactive community media applications
Uniplanar applications
57
Internet plane
Telephone plane
Radio plane
Voice communication, SMSRadio broadcast
Communication planes Uniplanar applications
Multiplanar applications
58
Internet + Telephone planesTelephone + Radio planes
Google Voice: Read voicemail over the WebInteractive radio through dial-in support
Communication planes Multiplanar applications
Why multiplanar applications?
A single plane is not sufficientEconomic context
Broadband Internet is not available everywhereBut a rich and diverse local communication
infrastructure of radio stations, cellphones, and cable TV is widespread
Social contextEverybody is not literate
Need to capture the best features of each plane to build novel applications
59
Multiplanar communication
60
The MINP platform can leverage available infrastructure to deliver rich community media applications
InternetRadio PSTN and Cellular
Infr
astr
uctu
reSe
rvic
esSo
lns
Television Audio Telephony Content
Playout Archive Online Offline Search ShareVideos Slides
Community media Distance learning Agri consultancy
CATV
A platform oriented approach
61
MINP allows us to build novel applications for different verticals that can:Simultaneously use
radio, telephone, television, and the Internet
Leverage existing infrastructure
Work with different agencies in the value chain in a seamless manner
Example verticals
Education
Agriculture
Community media c
a
b
Education
62
MINP can be configured to support distance learning from study centers of educational institutions to local cable TV operators in the area
a
Agriculture
63
MINP can be used to support applications for agricultural consultancy and community marketplaces in a novel manner
b
Community media
64
MINP can enable the delivery of community media in a low-cost and appropriate manner
c
Available technologies for different verticals
Layer Service Technology
Layer 5. End-device in speakerphone or video booths, or at the end-user
Broadcast reception Radio sets, TV sets
InteractionLandline, cellphone
PSTN phone + ATA
Mobile interaction (field reporting)
Android based phones
Layer 4: Intra community network (assuming Internet is not already available)
Voice connectivityLandline, cellphone network
Lo3 or WiFi meshes
Video connectivity CATV network
Layer 3: Media outlet
Radio broadcast FM PCI transmitter
Television broadcast Network to CATV headend
Telephony service Asterisk on FXO cards
Layer 2: Inter community network (assuming Internet is not already available)
Voice connectivity Landline, cellphone network
Online data connectivity Long distance WiFi links
Offline data connectivity KioskNet
Layer 1: Aggregation point
Data aggregation Information portal
Telephony service with toll-free #
Asterisk on E1 cards
System design 1/3: One-box automation platform at media outlets
68
Playout Archiver Telephony
Video
Syndicate
FM transmi
tter
Library on HDD
FXO card
Search
SIPCATV headen
d
Marketplace
Education
IP network
Broadband
WiFi mes
h
Lo3 mes
h
Cable network
Radio broadca
st
Online Offline
PSTN or Cellular
Info broadcast
Infr
ast
ruct
ure
Pla
tform
serv
ices
App
s
End-device: PSTN phones
Lo3
calls
to
med
ia o
utle
t
Phone calls to media outlet
System design 2/3: Example of voice connectivity paths
69
E1 cards with toll free numbers
FXO card, but no Internet
Landline within
community
Syndication over PSTN voice call
Syndication over PSTN-
to-SIP
Only Internet
No landline within
community
End-device: PSTN phones with ATA
Info
rmal
lo
cal
info
rmat
ion
colle
ctio
n
Informal local information
collection through USB recorders, mobile phone
cameras, Android applications, etc
System design 3/3: Example of data connectivity paths
70
Central library
No Internet, local library
Offline synchroniza
tion
Internet available
Online synchroniza
tion
Overarching technology goals
Goals Meeting the goals
Open architecture and protocols
Seamless integration of different planes
Easy installation and configuration
Low costRobustFlexible to deploy in different
settings
Scalable
Multiplanar Application Management Protocol
Service API
Pre-configured boxes, plug-n-playOff-the-shelf equipment and SBCsRigorous testingIndividual services are
distributable on different machines, different platforms
Focus on scalability right from the beginning
Research challenges (1/2)
72
Versatile setup and protocols for a multiplanar InternetAutomatic device and service discoveryApplication development transparent to underlying
infrastructureLow-cost integration with locally available communication
planes
Multiplanar node naming and addressingPhone number, IP address, flat/hierarchical name?Lookup service accessible through multiple channels?
Routing algorithmsStream routing: Construction of multicast tree instances?
Cost, fairnessRouting of recorded content: Time varying graph in
disconnected environments? Latency, load, urgency
Research challenges(2/2)
Establishment of routing tablesControl channel over IP, or out-of-band DTMF, SMS?
Content forwardingStreams identified by callerid?Recorded content identified by provenance, metadata
predicates?Content discovery
Centralized or distributed index?Multilingual search and indexing?
Low-cost and low-power consumptionCPU scaling Vs temperature, IRQ reduction Vs buffer
latencyDuty cycling
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