Applications of
Information and Communication
Technologies to reduce
the Digital Divide
1. ICT for developing countries: the
“Engineering Without Borders”
experience
Valentín Villarroel Ortega Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Ingeniería Sin Fronteras [email protected]
Engineering Without Borders
9Non Governmental Organisation for
Development
9Mainly centred on Technology for Human
Development
9Based on volunteers
9Autonomous, non-party and non-religious
organisation
Why ISF?
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6200 millions people on the world
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1000 millions are poor
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No safe water for 1100 millions
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No stable electricity for 1800 millions
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Precarious housing for 1000 millions
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56% homes have no telephone
What ISF does?
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Development projects
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Advocacy, campaigns
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Education for development
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Studies and research on Technology for
Human Development
Development programs
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Lines of work
9Social infrastructure and services
9Water supply and sanitation
9Agricultural development and small businesses
9Energy
9Information & Communication Technologies
9Fourth world
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30 projects in 16 countries (Latin America,
Africa and Europe)
Advocacy and Campaigns
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Technology for Basic Needs
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More and Better Official Development Aid
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Fair Trade
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Military I+D in the University
Education for Development
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9 Courses in 5 Universities
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Graduate Thesis on Cooperation for
Development Award
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Technology for Human Development
Annual Conference
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Engineering in Development Workshops
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Conference on Education for Development
at the University
Formal Education
Introduction to cooperation for development
9Human rights & the concept of development
9Human and sustainable development
9Global view of the developing world
9History of the international fight against poverty
9Internacional structure of cooperation for
development
9Technology and Society
9Technology for human development
9Technology development projects & programs
Studies & research on Technology
for Human Development
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Telemedecine systems for rural healthcare
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I-D “Informática y Discapacidad”:
Computer Science and Handicapt
Who we are?
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12 territorial associations
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Members: 1,000
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Volunteers: 400
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Employees: 15
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Annual budget: 1,500,000
€
Information and Communication
Technology for Human Development
Workshop on communicationICT can help human
development...
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Providing information
9For health and education
9For remote specialists and researchers
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Enabling empowerment
9Giving voice to NGOs
9Empowering governments of poor countries
9Addressing censorship
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Raising productivity
9Creating commerce for small businesses
... but there are many
barriers in poor countries
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Scarce infrastructure
9Telecommunication networks
9Acces to stable electricity
9Liberalisation is not always helping
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Low quality of telecommunication
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High cost of ICT
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Not updated systems
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Not well training human resources
9for research, use, maintenance/repair and
management
Africa Asia LAC UE EE.UU. Japan TOTAL
Population 10% 58% 9% 6% 5% 2% 100% Telephone lines 1% 24% 7% 23% 21% 7% 100% Mobile Telephone 20% 32% 25% 23% 100% Computers 1% 15% 4% 24% 36% 9% 100% PC / 100 hab. 0,8 1,7 3,4 24,9 51,0 28,7 6,5 Annual Increase 15% 22% 15% 11% 14% 21% 15,% Internet Hosts 0,2 2,8 1,2 8,5 53,2 2,6 71,8 Hosts / 100 hab. 0,02 0,08 0,23 2,27 19,5 2,06 1,2 Annual Increase 18% 61% 136% 32% 74% 56% 65%
The ICT divide
The network high society
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High incomes
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High education
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Men
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Young
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Urban
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English spoken
Seven proposals for a real
Information Society for all
1. Connectivity
2. Community
3. Capacity
4. Content
5. Creativity
6. Collaboration
7. Cash
Some experiences around the world
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Peru: FITEL
91% turnover of the telecomm industry
9Public phones in 5,000 villages
9Internet access in distric capitals
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Senegal:
private enterprises has to extend telephone network in 50% villages with more than 3,000 hab.The Village Phone
The Village Phone
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Mobile phone as a public phone
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Concessionaire
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1 phone for 2,500 people
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2.8 millions users
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Slower growth from 2000
Telecenters
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Center for public access to
Information and Communication
services
9Telephony, fax and Internet
9Photocopy, text processor and printing
9Training on computer use
Some examples of
telecenters
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More demand on telephone than on Internet
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Community participation
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Local leadership and management
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Technology is only a tool, but it has to work
(maintenance is difficult in rural areas)
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Host organisation for the telecenter
(broadcast radio or library)8
Barriers on education, age, gender
Type of telecenters
telecentro Finaning Services Type of Management
Location Cost Variety of Economic Profit
Comercial Private Urban Very low Very low Very high
Franquicia Private
Public Urban Low Low Very high
Comunitario Private
Public UrbanRural Medium Medium Medium
Local
Government Public Urban Medium High Medium
Multiporpouse Public Rural Very high Very high Very low Cost and Variety of Services
Economic Sustainability
Telecenters: lessons learned
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More demand on telephone than on Internet
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Community participation
8
Local leadership and management
8
Technology is only a tool, but it has to work
(maintenance is difficult in rural areas)
8
Host organisation for the telecenter
(broadcast radio or library)8
Barriers on education, age, gender
8
More research is needed to evaluate impact
InfoDes
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Objective
9Rural development through information
services for small producers and local governments
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Information Centers
9with library, projection room, Internet and
radio broadcast
InfoDes (
evaluation in 2001)
9ICT does not broke local economic isolation
9Access to juridical, economic and political
information does not improved local management capacity
9There is local demand on information
9Not only economic information are needed, but
also political, social and cultural information
9Institutions are aware local adequate
information is needed
Engineering Without Borders
and ICT for Human Development
BorgouNet
Telematic services for
development organisations in
north Benin
BorgouNet Services
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Internet acces for development
organizations
9Telecentre
9Telephone
9Radio (WiFi and VHF)
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Users training
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Maintenance services for users
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Health Information Systems
Hispano-American Health Link
Health Center
Health Center
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”Health micro-net”
”Health micro-net”
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In district capitals
In district capitals
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Usually telephone line
Usually telephone line
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4 hours of electricity
4 hours of electricity
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Headed by physicians
Headed by physicians
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5 to 10 workers
5 to 10 workers
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Little laboratory
Little laboratory
Health Post
8
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Lowest in the hierarchy
Lowest in the hierarchy
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Hedead
Hedead
by the health center
by the health center
8
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Small towns
Small towns
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No telephone lines
No telephone lines
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No electricity
No electricity
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Difficult access
Difficult access
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Low trained personnel
Low trained personnel
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1 worker
1 worker
Communication
conditions
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Scare infrastructures
Scare infrastructures
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Long distances
Long distances
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High cost in communications
High cost in communications
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Difficulties on sending information
Difficulties on sending information
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Coordination problems
Coordination problems
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Limited professional experience
Limited professional experience
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High job rotation
High job rotation
Communication
conditions
The
ehas
proposal
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Appropriated telemedicine systems
9Information services for rural healthcare workers
9Appropriated communication technologies
The
ehas
services
Developed by local heath partners and centered on
health workers needs: information exchange,
training, emergency management and reduce
professional isolation
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Voice communication
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Distance training
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Electronic publications
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Distance consultation
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Access to remote health information
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Support for epidemiological surveillance
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Support for drug delivery
The
ehas
technology
Developed by technical local partners and based on
low cost technologies, wireless systems, and free
software
Uses of the system
Uses of the system
RPTC VHF RADIO LINK Health Post #1 Health Post #2 I.S.P. INTERNET Health Center Ethernet National EHAS Center Medical libraries Hospitals Research Centers INTERNET
How it works?
email serverRadio network Local communications Internet
The equipment on the Health Posts
Printer
Laptop
VHF radio and modem
Desk
The equipment on the Health Posts
Photovoltaic
system
Tower and
antenna
The equipment on the Health Center
Laptop, VFH radio, printer, and...
Battery loader
Battery bank Email server
Three level maintenance
system
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Users
: preventive maintenance
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Local maintenance technicians
:
control, simple repairs and reposition.
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National
ehas
partners
: complex
repairs and local technicians training
ehas
objective
To create national conditions to employ appropriated telemedicine systems for rural primary health care (low cost and adapted to local needs)
The
ehas
strategy
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National programs:
Peru, Colombia y Cuba
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Four main steps:
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Reinforce local partners: Technical and
medical Universities
9
Information & Communication needs studies
9
Develop pilot projects
9
Impacta evaluation of pilot projects
8
Involve Health Ministry at local and
national level
ehas - Alto Amazonas
Pilot project
Peru
Loreto department
Alto Amazonas Province
Total: 93 health establishments
Total: 93 health establishments
Pilot Project: 41 establishments
Pilot Project: 41 establishments
Local contributions of local
Local contributions of local
governments and communities
Training on system
Training on system
use and
use and
maintenance
maintenance
Continuos organizational change
Continuos organizational change
management
management
The cost of the
ehas
systems
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Infrastructure cost: 4,195
€
/station
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Operation cost: 18 € monthly/station
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Savings: 154 € monthly/station
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Repayment: 2.5 years
Impact evaluation
Medium time: 9 month of use
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High use of the system
(email 71%)
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Users consider system useful for
consultation and training
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Greatest impact on emergencies
958 life saved and 40% time saving in evacuations
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Good reliability and usability
Impact evaluation
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Time savings in preparing and sending
reports
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Money savings mainly in reducing
evacuations
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Less impact on drug delivery and report
exchange: organizational change
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Maintenance system must improve
Impact evaluation
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Medium time evaluation: 9 month of
use of the system (sep01 to jun02)
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Technical viability, sustainability, impact
on the clinic process, impact on patients
health, acceptability and cost/benefit
study
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81 indicators
Impact evaluation
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Use of the system
9Voice: 100% use radio frequently (12 daily calls)
9e-mail: 71,4% (10 daily messages)
9Computer: 86,7% daily
9Printer: 86 monthly sheets in HP and 470 in HC
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Usefulness for consulting
9Before: 94% difficult or impossible to consult
9Now: 93% easy and quick to consult
9700% increase on consults
9Consults : 391 for diagnosis and 254 for treatment, 97% of then satisfactory answered
Impact evaluation
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Usefulness for distance training
995% of health workers considers the system is adequate for their training (17 sobre 20)
993% receive notice for live training (before: 35%)
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Usefulness for patients evacuations
9100% of the evacuations are noticed by the system
9Shared vehicles on 64% of evacuation
93.5 hours saving thanks the system (8.6 h. to 5.1 h)
958 life saved in 205 patients transferences
Impact evaluation
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Reliability
9Voice: 97%
9e-mail: 90%
9Preventive maintenance is well done by 97% users
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Usability
9Voice: easy to use for 100%
9Computer: 77%
9e-mail: 93%
Impact evaluation
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Time savings
9To prepare reports: 7 h./month (from 20 to 13 h.)
9To send reports: 3.37 days/month (HP attended)
9Evacuations: 3.5 hours reduction (from 8.6 to 5.1 h)
923 less evacuations/month in all the health network
Impact evaluation
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Money savings
(average monthly salary: 120€
)9Monthly savings per worker: 44 €
9Thanks to avoiding transfers (in 39 establishments/month)
For the health system: 714 €
For the patient: 2,429 €
For the local government: 1,123 €
9Savings for avoiding lost on productivity (in 39 establishments/month)
For avoiding workers travels: 2,024 €
For time saved in preparing reports: 540 €
For avoiding travels of patient and their family in urgencies: 2.883 €
Impact evaluation
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Things to improve
(organizational level)
9Local maintenance system
9To consider emailed reports as official documents
9Little impact on drug delivery: communication system is not enough exploited
The
ehas
partners
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National programs:
Peru, Colombia y Cuba
8
Four main steps:
9
Reinforce local partners: Technical and
medical Universities
9
Information & Communication needs studies
9
Develop pilot projects
9
Impacta evaluation of pilot projects
8
Involve Health Ministry at local and
national level
The supporters
8
National programs:
Peru, Colombia y Cuba
8
Four main steps:
9
Reinforce local partners: Technical and
medical Universities
9
Information & Communication needs studies
9
Develop pilot projects
9
Impacta evaluation of pilot projects
8
Involve Health Ministry at local and
national level
Future perspectives
Peru
Monitoring and evaluation of ehas-Alto Amazonas Second pilot project
Colombia
First pilot project in Cauca Department
Cuba
First pilot project in Guantánamo Province
www.ehas.org
1. ICT for developing countries: the
“Engineering Without Borders”
experience
Valentín Villarroel Ortega Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Ingeniería Sin Fronteras [email protected]
