Project Proposal

1. Project background and justification

In the late 1990's, Kothmale Community Radio Station (KCR) was the focus of a unique model for community access that fused radio and internet technologies in the form of an interactive radio internet browsing program. The project built upon the radio stations established history of working with the local community to disseminate information and culture and to build a strong and peaceful local community. By allowing listeners to call or write to the radio station with requests for information from the Internet, the station effectively enables broad participation in new media technologies despite the many barriers of language and access. These information requests are then locally contextualised and translated by the broadcaster on-air. This groundbreaking approach received much attention throughout the development sector and has been replicated and extended by communities in many countries throughout the world (Wijayananada Jayaweera, Kothmale Communioty Radio: Case Study Report, (Bangkok: UNESCO), 2003).

Another important aspect of KCRs operations is a mobile 'radio-in-a-suitcase' operation that allows staff and volunteers to go out into the community and conduct field recordings and live broadcasts. This provides individuals and communities in geographically remote areas with a voice to air their opinions and interact with the broader community; thus empowering them and reducing feelings of isolation.

Since these initial successes of KCRs operations, attempts have been made to extend the direct access of Information Communication Technology (ICT) resources in the form of fixed community access points in neighbouring villages. However the prohibitively high costs of infrastructure, equipment maintenance and internet connectivity combined with a decentralised management structure have limited the ability of these external centres to reach their full potential in meeting the needs of the community.

The model presented here aims to fulfill many of the shortcomings highlighted by these earlier attempts and provides a unique and appropriate solution in the form of direct access to the internet in a mobile environment. A mobile access point is a natural extension to KCRs remote field recordings and can build on the existing level of community interaction and awareness in ICTs that has been established through the 'radio browsing' initiative. A single mobile access point can serve multiple villages and promotes sustainability due to its centralised infrastructure, shared costs and a minimum outlay on equipment.

Technically, mobile internet access in remote areas has long been available in the form of satellite communications. However, the prohibitively high connectivity costs have meant that such projects require a heavy amount of financial subsidisation. Recent developments in wireless networking provide an alternative for creating a localised communications infrastructure that once established, has low ongoing costs and can be used to meet the specific communication needs of the Kothmale community.

Providing appropriate access equates to little if it isn't complimented by appropriate content. The project aims to extend the current KCR website by incorporating the Open eNRICH web-based community information, communications and knowledge management system: a joint initiative developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Open Knowledge Network (OKN) and UNESCO. In order to effectively address poverty, ICT initiatives need to be specifically designed to reach the poor; in other words, solutions need to be purpose-built. This software tool provides a customisable gateway that allows communities to access knowledge sources and services that are tailored to their own information and communication needs.

As a pilot project, this proposal provides a framework for extending the current model of community radio and multimedia to incorporate a mobile ICT infrastructure that delivers cost effective access to relevant information and knowledge that can help alleviate poverty and isolation to remote communities in the developing world. This valuable research contribution can be demonstrated to project partners, Governments and NGOs to better understand the potential of mobile ICT solutions, specifically to explore new models of access to a range of locally relevant content

2. Project objective

Specific objective

The goal of the proposed project is to develop a portable multipurpose telecentre to provide ICT services to otherwise inaccessible communities within the Kothmale region. This innovative approach will provide a cost effective model for access to global knowledge resources and will facilitate the exchange of local knowledge, culture and experience.

The service will radiate out from existing broadcast towers and interconnect the existing fixed access centre in Kothmale. Mobile MCTs will service a broadcast footprint that encompasses approximately 75% of the listener base. Appropriate content will be delivered through implementation of the Open eNRICH web based knowledge gateway.

General Objective

There are a growing number of models both in existence and in development that seek to bridge the ‘digital divide’ and engage marginal or excluded communities in the ‘knowledge economy’ by using new technologies and specifically the Internet. This initiative aims to harness the potential of new technologies and find solutions through the following goals:

• Develop an appropriate access model for rural and geographically remote areas to obtain ICT services.
• Publish localised content that is specific to the community needs and provides an avenue for discussion and dialogue in native languages via the internet.
• Reduce the feelings of isolation and promote interaction with the broader Kothmale community.
• Enhance economic development and alleviate poverty through educational and economic opportunities.
• Identify new ways to generate wealth and provide new markets and distribution channels, reduce transaction costs and aggregate demand and buying power.
• Provide cheap and alternative methods of communication within and between communities.
• Allow access to information and knowledge that can improve the lives and livelihoods of individuals and the community as a whole.

3. Project beneficiaries

The mobile design of the access point provides potential access to the most geographically remote areas of the Kothmale region. By taking access directly to the villages and presenting it to users in a familiar environment the technology becomes less daunting. Those who are unable or unwilling to travel large distances can also benefit from the experience. With the assistance of trained operators, the barriers of language and illiteracy can be overcome and the benefits can be focused on the most disadvantaged in the community. The operator can act as intermediary between individuals and the technology providing encouragement and assistance when necessary.

Indirectly, the wireless network has immense potential to provide additional services to the area. There are 17 schools in the district and numerous businesses and organisations who could also benefit from the project. Complimentary fixed access points will be developed alongside health and emergency communications networks to improve the lives and livelihoods of all members of the community .

The project illustrates the means to extend the model of community radio stations by utilising an existing broadcast infrastructure and communication towers to provide roaming ICT services. In Sri Lanka alone there are five community radio stations that could benefit from similar projects while the potential for replication further afield is enormous.

4. Project sustainability

The project will provide free access to a limited number of poor and marginalized target groups and communities. The extended network capabilities can operating costs by charging individuals, business, government and non government agencies for these services at a competitive rate.

The project design will include the development of strategies to minimise ongoing costs such as equipment maintenance, connectivity and electricity charges. Even when internet connectivity is not available the project design will also ensure a robust network that can provide localised emergency and health services, email, VoIP and access to the Open eNRICH gateway.

The planning and implementation draws heavily on the experience of staff and management from KCR. Their commitment and guidance will ensure the project translates into appropriate outcomes relevant to the communities needs.

5. Project methodology

Technical Research and Solutions

The mobile communications station is designed to fit easily into a suitcase. It is a relatively simple configuration comprising a laptop, high gain directional antenna, GPRS pcmcia card, VoIP phone and a printer. The entire unit will be housed in a rugged carry case.

Existing transmission towers will be utilised to provide a long range 802.11b wireless network. The main transmission tower will be fitted with three high gain sector antennae that will provide a combined 360 degree coverage of the local area. A repeater station will be located at the Nawa Tispane Government College, a local school, to provide line of sight access back to the Radio Station and its 64kbps internet connection.

Roving operators can then take the ‘suitcase’ to villages and identified sites within range of the wireless transmitter. When a connection cannot be established either because the location is not within range or in direct line of site to the transmission tower, the mobile access point can utilise the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network to access the internet.

The technical team will focus their research on finding the limitations of this equipment in terms of reliability, speed and distance. The effects of radio interference, transmission over large bodies of water, climate and other factors specific to rural Sri Lanka will be closely monitored.

Determining Appropriate Access and Information

The access points will be strategically located to ensure the projects focal groups are given prioritised access. Scheduled visits will be broadcast by the radio station to inform users of when the facility will be in their vicinity. Possible locations include under serviced schools, places where women gather on Tea Estates and weekly farmers markets. These specific locations will be determined through ethnographic research that precedes the project launch.

The project will use Open eNRICH 4.0 as a tool for content management and networking. The Open eNRICH solution will permit the Kothmale CMC to organise content – both locally-hosted materials and linked content on the internet – and to share it among local users, both at the CMC facility at the Kothmale station or other locations, be it via remote access points or the mobile unit.

Open eNRICH will allow local users access to databases of content in Sinhalese, Tamil and English. Content will be managed locally by a Content Manager. In additional to reading/viewing/listening to content, local users will be able to create their own content in any media. The Open eNRICH framework encourages communication not only within but also between communities. Other sources of content include other CMCs and ICT initiatives in Sri Lanka as well as content producers in Tamil Nadu, other parts of South Asia and anywhere in the world that the Open eNRICH solution is being used.

Research Methodology

The project will be guided by the Ethnographic Action Research (EAR) methodology. This approach combines ethnography, a research approach that has traditionally been used to understand different cultures and; action research, a research method used to bring about new activities based upon new understandings of situations. Ethnography is used to guide the research process while action research links the research back into the projects development. The approach has been developed to focus on actual practices of use and interaction with technologies in the wider context of people’s lives and social and cultural structures - what is termed ‘communicative ecologies’.

The EAR methodology was initially developed at Kothmale by ICT for development academics in collaboration with UNESCO and it has been designed specifically for researching community based ICT and media applications for poverty reduction5. In 2002 the methodology was tested and further developed through its implementation in a series of UNESCO pilot initiatives, that specifically aimed to trial and assess the relevance of ICT applications in addressing and reducing poverty.

In the context of this project, an ethnographic approach will seek to make sense of the complete range of social relationships and processes within which the project operates, in order to understand how the project can best work with the communities inhabiting the central hill region of Sri Lanka. Action research will then be used to feed this understanding and new insights back into the projects development and sustainable operation.

This research approach plays an integral role throughout the projects lifecycle. It helps ensure a flexible and responsive approach to research findings and incorporates these new understandings into future planning. Significant documentation is collated for the benefit of other communities, NGOs and donor agencies interested in replicating the projects use of new technologies.

UNESCO has agreed to provide in-kind training and support to KCR and project staff in the EAR methodology.

6. Project outputs

There are four major outputs identified in this proposal:

1. A working model for a mobile multipurpose community telecentre.
2. An interconnected wireless community network.
3. An increase in social capital, skills and capacity.
4. A localised information and knowledge sharing portal.

7. Project monitoring

The Ethnographic Action Research methodology approach is both a method for implementation and evaluation. It promotes a multitude of ways to gauge project performance while providing adaptive solutions and relevant extensions obtained from this feedback. Methods engaged include:

• Observation and participant observation 
• Field notes 
• In-depth interviews 
• Community meetings 
• Focus group interviews 
• Diaries and other 'self-documentation' 
• ICT/Media content analysis 
• Questionnaire based surveys 
• Feedback mechanisms

Project staff will be trained in the appropriate EAR methodology and academic staff from the Queensland University of Technology's Ethnographic Action Research team will provide monitoring and support through their website.