Wireless Internet Post Office, India
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Grant Amount: US$ 30,000
Keywords: ACCESS, RURAL, WIRELESS, EMPLOYMENT, INDIA
Geographic coverage: India
Objective
The objective of this project is to couple advances in consumer electronics with an entrepreneurial model to foster the deployment of text-based digital communication.
Research context
This project addresses infrastructure and technology related connectivity problems by coupling advances in consumer electronics with an entrepreneurial model to create a Wireless Internet Post Office (WIPO). The WIPO is capable of delivering text-based messaging services to remote villages through a network of solar-powered wireless repeater stations. Using off-the-shelf components, operating in the international license-free band and using directional antennas to provide inexpensive long-range wireless networking minimize the systems cost and complexity. Users synchronize a low-cost Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) at wireless repeater stations, much like dropping off and picking up mail at a post office.
Target beneficiaries
This research project designed a complete communication system from the Internet gateway to the end-user. Ultimately it is the end-users who are served by the WIPO, including villagers who want to contact relatives in distant locations, farmers who want information on prices, access to markets, and advice on disease and pest control, small businesses who want access to trade information, educators who want teaching materials, and medical and aid workers who require information in their respective fields. The WIPO also benefits people involved in the wireless network. The WIPO creates an entrepreneurial opportunity for PDA owners to become micro-businesses by providing services such as scribing, data collection, crop pricing, and matching buyers with sellers.
Outputs
The project created a website to disseminate information on how to build and deploy a WIPO system. The website is maintained to provide complete specification documents for the system design, serve as a focal point for discussion, and provide links to similar work, supporting material and other follow-up activities.
Research results and outcomes
Design of the WIPO system was completed and a working prototype has been set up at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi campus. The set-up comprises of three relay nodes spread over the IIT campus communicating over 802.11b network using long-range antennas. The set-up uses three parabolic and three Yagi Antennae. The system has been used to validate the design and to carry out performance tests.
The major research problems faced in the application was how to design a network that uses low-cost commodity hardware components, is resilient to node failures due to likely power interruptions in the application environment, is easy to deploy and configure, uses public domain software, and does not rely on any specific equipment model or manufacturers. Most of these problems were addressed and the validated system has been tested. The technical design for the project consists of: the Internet gateway station, application modules for handheld devices, wireless network architecture including the wireless communication protocols, and the wireless relay stations.
Initially, the project team faced issues implementing the system due to interference, communication over multiple links originating from the same node, and in sourcing the necessary antenna and cabling. The project team solved the technical and system design issues inherent in the WIPO and provided digital access to the widest possible population at the lowest usage and capital cost. Since wireless networking eliminates the process of laying cables to connect villages, the design provides a viable and effective means of bridging the digital divide and bringing low-cost communication to the most needy.
The project website (see http://genie.iitd.ernet.in/wipo/) has been updated to include the final integrated designs, information on the current set-up and the results obtained. The site provides complete information on the WIPO solution, the technologies used, hardware and software modules and a complete list of how to’s on setting up and implementing a WIPO system. A complete software package, including installer scripts is also available from the website.
The project team believes that the WIPO technology can form a basis for a wide range of low-cost wireless business services in remote areas. The team from this project is now equipped to provide technical support to an implementation agency interested in deploying a commercial network in a remote area.
Duration
Start Date: March 2002
End Date: April 2004
Total Duration: 25 Months
Contact information
Prof. Huzur Saran
Indian Institute of Technology
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Delhi Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
Telephone: +91 11 2659 6009
Fax: +91 11 2658 1060
Email: saran@cse.iitd.ernet.in
Website: http://genie.iitd.ernet.in/wipo/
Reference website: http://www.isi.edu/nsnam/ns/
Keywords: ACCESS, RURAL, WIRELESS, EMPLOYMENT, INDIA
Geographic coverage: India
Objective
The objective of this project is to couple advances in consumer electronics with an entrepreneurial model to foster the deployment of text-based digital communication.
Research context
This project addresses infrastructure and technology related connectivity problems by coupling advances in consumer electronics with an entrepreneurial model to create a Wireless Internet Post Office (WIPO). The WIPO is capable of delivering text-based messaging services to remote villages through a network of solar-powered wireless repeater stations. Using off-the-shelf components, operating in the international license-free band and using directional antennas to provide inexpensive long-range wireless networking minimize the systems cost and complexity. Users synchronize a low-cost Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) at wireless repeater stations, much like dropping off and picking up mail at a post office.
Target beneficiaries
This research project designed a complete communication system from the Internet gateway to the end-user. Ultimately it is the end-users who are served by the WIPO, including villagers who want to contact relatives in distant locations, farmers who want information on prices, access to markets, and advice on disease and pest control, small businesses who want access to trade information, educators who want teaching materials, and medical and aid workers who require information in their respective fields. The WIPO also benefits people involved in the wireless network. The WIPO creates an entrepreneurial opportunity for PDA owners to become micro-businesses by providing services such as scribing, data collection, crop pricing, and matching buyers with sellers.
Outputs
The project created a website to disseminate information on how to build and deploy a WIPO system. The website is maintained to provide complete specification documents for the system design, serve as a focal point for discussion, and provide links to similar work, supporting material and other follow-up activities.
Research results and outcomes
Design of the WIPO system was completed and a working prototype has been set up at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi campus. The set-up comprises of three relay nodes spread over the IIT campus communicating over 802.11b network using long-range antennas. The set-up uses three parabolic and three Yagi Antennae. The system has been used to validate the design and to carry out performance tests.
The major research problems faced in the application was how to design a network that uses low-cost commodity hardware components, is resilient to node failures due to likely power interruptions in the application environment, is easy to deploy and configure, uses public domain software, and does not rely on any specific equipment model or manufacturers. Most of these problems were addressed and the validated system has been tested. The technical design for the project consists of: the Internet gateway station, application modules for handheld devices, wireless network architecture including the wireless communication protocols, and the wireless relay stations.
Initially, the project team faced issues implementing the system due to interference, communication over multiple links originating from the same node, and in sourcing the necessary antenna and cabling. The project team solved the technical and system design issues inherent in the WIPO and provided digital access to the widest possible population at the lowest usage and capital cost. Since wireless networking eliminates the process of laying cables to connect villages, the design provides a viable and effective means of bridging the digital divide and bringing low-cost communication to the most needy.
The project website (see http://genie.iitd.ernet.in/wipo/) has been updated to include the final integrated designs, information on the current set-up and the results obtained. The site provides complete information on the WIPO solution, the technologies used, hardware and software modules and a complete list of how to’s on setting up and implementing a WIPO system. A complete software package, including installer scripts is also available from the website.
The project team believes that the WIPO technology can form a basis for a wide range of low-cost wireless business services in remote areas. The team from this project is now equipped to provide technical support to an implementation agency interested in deploying a commercial network in a remote area.
Duration
Start Date: March 2002
End Date: April 2004
Total Duration: 25 Months
Contact information
Prof. Huzur Saran
Indian Institute of Technology
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Delhi Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
Telephone: +91 11 2659 6009
Fax: +91 11 2658 1060
Email: saran@cse.iitd.ernet.in
Website: http://genie.iitd.ernet.in/wipo/
Reference website: http://www.isi.edu/nsnam/ns/
Last modified 2006-08-07 02:18 PM
