The Internet andRural Development

Presented by:

ENGR. JOHN A. LIWANAG

Masters in Management Engineering

Information & Communication Technology in Industry

2nd Semester 2011-2012

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Graduate School

Urdaneta City, Panagasinan

The Internet & Rural Development

The Internet is a flexible, decentralized, information-sharing tool for rural and agricultural development. Enhanced communication services and accessibility of information are related to social and economic development. Rural people, particularly the food-insecure, must be given the opportunity to obtain relevant information, to communicate and to plan their own development efficiently.

The First Mile of Connectivity

This term expresses a more equitable and far less urban-centric view of the challenge of providing everyone with the option of connecting themselves to the rest of the world.

Rural communities were often referred to as being at the “last mile of connectivity” which carries a lot of negative connotations creating the perspective of an urbanite looking down at the rural margins.

The First Mile of Connectivity

If rural communities are the “first mile,” then the real challenge for enhancing rural connectivity lies with the urban-centered governments, businesses and agencies that have for so long ignored or placated the desires of rural people to get connected to the rest of the world.

A New Era of Accessibility: or Is It?

Accessibility has always been important to a lot of people. Individual access refers to one’s ability to reach or obtain something desirable, and in the non-virtual world achieving access – often even access to information – requires physical mobility. In both physical and virtual access, one must know of the existence of a destination that will meet one’s needs, be aware of how such a destination might be found, and be able to reach the destination.

Rural Radio in the Philippines

Among many rural folks, radio broadcast media is considered their “window to the world.” It has the ability to reach people who are impoverished, ill and isolated, as well as minorities who have tended to be ignored and neglected. Radio can cut across geographic and cultural boundaries, as well.

Rural Radio in the Philippines

Radio provides the needed reach, frequency, and access to rural and remote areas, making it a promising, appropriate and powerful tool for education. In addition, ownership and patronage among poor households are relatively high compared to other media forms, particularly in rural settings.

Lessons of Participatory Communication and Training to Rural Telecenters

The provision of access to ICTs by rural communities in developing countries is likely to go through telecenters. The purpose of these considerations is to ensure that this development is as effective, efficient, sustainable and equitable as possible, so that the promise of the technology becomes a reality – a tool in the hands of rural people.

Lessons of Participatory Communication and Training to Rural Telecenters

Telecenters may employ a number of types of ICTs and offer services such as access to telephones and fax machines, photocopiers, printing equipments, e-mail, the Internet and electronic networking. Telecenters are also a venue in which new ICTs, such as the Internet, can interface with conventional ICTs (print, radio and video).

Overview of Geographic Information System

What is Geographic Information?

• Sometimes referred to as Spatial Information;

• Data that involves an aspect of location on the Earth's surface or near-surface, which is converted to a form that is meaningful to a user; and

• Built up from facts about the geographic world

Overview of Geographic Information System

Why is it so important?

• Almost all our activities and decisions involve a geographic component; and

• It helps us better understand the world around.

Overview of Geographic Information System

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) “... a system of hardware, software, and

procedures designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling, and display of spatially referenced data for solving complex planning and management problems.” --Rhind(1989)

Overview of Geographic Information System

In simpler terms, GIS is a set of computer-based systems for managing geographic data and using these data to solve real-world spatial problems.

Overview of Geographic Information System

Why is GIS important? GIS is a special class of

information systems that keep track not only of events, activities and things, but also of where these events, activities and things happen or exist; and

GIS is about finding patterns in data and solving real-world problems.

Almost everything that happens, happens somewhere. Knowing where something happens is critically important.

Longley, Goodchild, Maguire & Rhind

Overview of Geographic Information System

Questions GIS can answer

Location:What is at………….?

Condition:Where is it………….?

Trends:What has changed since…………..?

Patterns:What spatial patterns

exists………?

Modelling:What if……………..?

Overview of Geographic Information System

overlaying thematic maps manually to choose areas of coinciding constraints and opportunities.

compilation of facilities data manually and drafting on large scale street map bases.

difficulties with the manual overlay method include registering maps which may be published at different scales or projections.

the more layers of maps included in the analysis and the more complex they are, the more the likelihood of human error entering the analysis and the longer the process takes.

can take maps from different sources and register them easily and is consistent in its analysis of multiple layers of map data.

faster than manual methods of analysis, allowing the flexibility to try alternate variables in analysis

Traditional method: GIS:

Overview of Geographic Information System

GIS provides ease of registering and analyzing multiple map layers.

5 Components of GIS

GIS Components

Hardware–consists of the computer system on which the GIS software will run.

–Made up of a configuration of core and peripheral equipment used for

acquisition, storage, analysis, and display of geographic information.

–The computer forms the backbone of the GIS hardware, the heart of which is the

Central Processing Unit (CPU).

GIS Components

Software–provides the functions and tools

needed to store, analyze, and display geographic information.

–Examples are ArcView, MapInfo, ARC/Info, AutoCAD Map, etc.

–Can range from a simple package designed for a single PC to a major industrial-level workhorse for an entire group of networked computers.

GIS Components

Data –The core of GIS –May be geographic or

tabular/attribute data –Attribute data are additional

information that describe the characteristics of spatial data.

GIS Components

People –GIS users range from technical specialists

who design and maintain the system to those who use it to help them perform their everyday work.

–Can be classified into three categories: •Viewers

•General users•GIS specialists

GIS Components

Method –a successful GIS operates according to a

well-designed plan and business rules, which are the models and operating practices unique to each organization.

–various techniques used for map creation and further usage for any project.

THANK YOU!

SOURCES:

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINESTRAINING CENTER FOR APPLIED

GEODESY AND PHOTOGRAMMETRYDILIMAN, QUEZON CITY