ICTs for Development blog
Catch up on the most recent posts from our Centre for Development Informatics blog.
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Why is it Important to Know about the Origins of ICT4D Champions?
Jaco Renken
28 March 2018
At the most recent gathering of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) scholars in the North of England I asked how important and significant it is to research the origins of champions and leaders in international development. Understanding the origins of key development actors appeared to be a pressing matter to me when researching […]
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Big Data and Urban Transportation in India
Richard Heeks
12 February 2018
What effect are big data systems having on urban transportation? To investigate this, the Centre for Internet and Society was commissioned by the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield, to conduct a study of the big data system recently implemented by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). The “Intelligent Transport System” (ITS) took three years to […]
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Can Proximity WiFi Networks Offer An Alternative Distribution Channel To Publishers?
clarecookonline
29 January 2018
Facebook’s changing its algorithm, again. For news publishers it exposes their vulnerability of relying on a platform that will always put its own interests first. So the scramble goes on to reach audiences in meaningful ways. It draws the focus to how alternative, decentralised technology infrastructure can challenge these powerhouse gatekeepers of the Internet, offering […]
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Do Outsourcing Clients Want Decent Digital Work?
Richard Heeks
22 December 2017
There are growing concerns that digital gig work – supplied by platforms like Mechanical Turk, Upwork, Freelancer, etc – falls short of decent work standards. (For further details see the working paper, “Decent Work and the Digital Gig Economy”.) To address this, and as discussed previously in this blog, there are plans to encourage new […]
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Adding ICT4D To Your Curriculum
Richard Heeks
29 November 2017
ICT4D – information and communication technology for development – courses are increasingly being added to the curriculum for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in development studies, information systems, business studies, computer science, etc. Why? First, the size and growth of the ICT4D domain. US$ billions are being spent each year: by individual users at the base […]
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Decent Digital Work and the FairWork Foundation
Richard Heeks
31 October 2017
How can we improve standards for digital gig workers: those undertaking micro-work and online freelancing via platforms like Upwork and Mechanical Turk? The recent research paper – “Decent Work and the Digital Gig Economy” – explains why such standards are needed. With up to 70m workers worldwide registered for online work and growth rates of […]
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How Big Data Changes the Locus of Organisational Power
Richard Heeks
19 September 2017
Big data can lead centres of power in organisations to move. Recent research on this was undertaken in an Indian state electricity corporation (“Stelcorp”), reported in the paper, “Exploring Big Data for Development: An Electricity Sector Case Study from India”. This found three shifts to be occurring, as illustrated. Power Shifts Associated with Big Data 1. […]
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Big Data and Electoral Politics in India
Richard Heeks
7 August 2017
What happens when big data and big politics collide? One answer arises from a recent study of big data in the electricity distribution sector in an Indian state: “Exploring Big Data for Development: An Electricity Sector Case Study from India”. [1] The state electricity corporation has introduced millions of online digital meters that measure electricity […]
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Manchester School of Computer Science team returns from teaching in Malawi
davidrydeheard
19 July 2017
An outreach team from the University of Manchester’s School of Computer Science has returned from a pilot project in Malawi, teaching computing in schools in the North of the country. It was a great experience all round, for the staff, CS students and schoolteachers on the team, and for the schools, where we met real […]
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An ICT4D Research Network in the North of England
Jaco Renken
12 July 2017
The potential benefits of a research network are outlined following a workshop for regional ICT4D researchers in the north of England
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