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Digital Dividend Digest vol. 35
January 7, 2004
CONTENTS
1. New "What Works" Case Study Released:
HealthNet
Uganda's Evolution from NGO to Sustainable Enterprise
2. New
in the Digital Dividend Clearinghouse: Internet Village Motoman Project,
Cyber Shepherd, Participatory 3-D Modeling
3. Special Opportunity:
infoDev Incubator Initiative
1. New "What Works" Case
Study Released: HealthNet
Uganda's Evolution from NGO to Sustainable Enterprise
The use of information and communications technology (ICT)
has had a significant impact on healthcare worldwide and Uganda
is no exception. In fact, this case study shows that Uganda,
and potentially other developing nations, has an urgent need
for ICT in the delivery of healthcare. Using PDAs in healthcare
delivery, HealthNet Uganda’s targeted users benefit
from having readily available real-time access to information.
Health workers in remote parts of the country will now be
able to consult with peers, access information from medical
journals, and order drugs and medical supplies in real time.
This ability to share information has potentially powerful
and far-reaching benefits for the health sector in Uganda.
2. New in the
Digital Dividend
Clearinghouse: Internet Village Motoman Project,
Cyber Shepherd, Participatory 3-D Modeling
Ten new projects have been entered since the last Digest.
Among the highlights:
Internet Village Motoman Project
This project connects small villages in the remote Cambodian
region of Ratanakiri to the Internet with five motorcycles
equipped with First Mile Solutions' Mobile Access Points and
a 256 Kb/s satellite uplink. Villages that could only be reached
via ox-cart or motorcycle and had no previous communications
infrastructure are now able to send and receive e-mail and
do non-realtime searches of the Internet.
Cyber Shepherd
Decreasing land capacities and competition among herders is
upsetting the balance in Senegal's pastoral economy. To address
these concerns, the veterinary science and medicine school
of Dakar has partnered with Canada’s International Research
Development Centre (IDRC) to encourage pastoralists to adopt
sustainable practices. The Cyber Shepherd initiative outfits
pastoralists with Global Positioning Systems (GPS), cellular
phones, and Internet-capable computers so that they can better
manage their herds’ grazing and migrations.
Participatory 3-D Modeling
A special method of community mapping called "Participatory
3-D Modeling" (P3DM) is widely used in Southeast Asia
for merging indigenous technical knowledge and traditional
spatial information. Through its Web site, Integrated Approaches
to Participatory Development (IAPAD) promotes a culture of
knowledge dissemination and acts as focal point for sharing
information.
3. Special Opportunity:
infoDev
Incubator Initiative
infoDev's
Incubator Initiative is aimed at enhancing entrepreneurship,
innovation, and competitiveness of small business communities
in developing countries, which will contribute to sustainable
economic and social development. Target grant recipients include
existing for-profit and non-profit incubators and similar
organizations providing support services to small businesses
in developing countries. The deadline for applications is
January 20, 2004.
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