cornell knowledge systems workshop oct 2007 session 4 knowledge creation through collaborative...

Cornell Knowledge Systems Workshop Oct 2007 Session 4 www.ubuntunet.net

Knowledge Creation through Collaborative

Processes:UbuntuNet Alliance and NRENs:

is agriculture there?

Presented byMargaret E Ngwira

Secretary, UbuntuNet Allianceand College Librarian, KCN, University of Malawi

www.ubuntunet.net


Internet Centre or Computer Centre?• The Conference Website has the story of the

Internet Centre that became a Computer Centre because the bandwidth cost was not sustainable when the donor funding phase was over!(www.worldaginfo.org)

• For the MALICO VSATs we pay over US$3000 per mbp/s per month – over US$15,00 per month for 5 mbp/s over 4 sites!

• Probably most here from the northern hemisphere have 5 mbp/s in their homes for US$30 per month – from our much more limited resources we are paying today 500 times more for connectivity!


Components of the Presentation:1. This presentation describes the Context of

UbuntuNet Alliance, and MAREN, the Malawi NREN

2. We then look briefly at the Bunda Library Question and Answer Service and may consider where low cost bandwidth can assist

3. We consider one or two other Malawi ICT-based Initiatives

4. We finally look at the Chinyana Triangle Last Mile Project and the technologies being investigated there


Part One• The Context of UbuntuNet Alliance


1. UbuntuNet Alliance Created in 2005 by established and emerging NRENs in

Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa Incorporated in 2006 as a nonprofit Association of NRENs

To serve all bona-fide NRENs in Africa To focus on optical fibre opportunities

Members: Representatives nominated by NRENs:National Research

and Education Networks Association of African Universities facilitates the

appointment of Chairperson Council of Members:

Meets annually – MAREN Malawi was represented at the 2007 meeting in Nairobi by Prof. Kamwanja, an Animal Scientist.

Interim Secretariat: hosted by UNIMA at KCN with Margaret Ngwira as Secretary and Tiwonge Msulira Banda as project Officer.


2. Vision & MissionVision: Ensure that African Research

and Education Institutions participate effectively in the global Research and Education networking community and Knowledge Society

Mission: To ensure that African NRENs have efficient and affordable internet bandwidth for their member institutions and to participate in global research and education networking worldwide


3.Global Perspective: Regional RENsElsewhere, NRENs inter-connect to form a

Regional REN. Examples:Europe: GÉANT2 (EU – funded)USA: Abilene (Internet2)The Mediterranean Region: EUMEDCONNECTAsia: TEIN2South America: ALICE, REDCLARA

The Regional RENs form the highway through which scientists and researchers collaborate and share resources.


4. Global Connectivity


5. The African Situation No regional REN (or backbone)

Functional NRENs exist in Kenya and South Africa Emerging NRENs in several countries (Malawi, Mozambique,

Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan) Lack of a regional REN in Sub-Sahara Africa isolates

African research and education institutions from their peers in the global community

Main reason: most of Africa is connected through VSATs whose bandwidth is expensive

Solution: NRENs require high bandwidth at lower cost to transfer large datasets thereby participate effectively in global research and share resources over networks.


6. Aspirations of UbuntuNetIn pursuit of its mission UbuntuNet

Alliance aspires to provide African Research and Educational institutions connectivity in gigabit per second rather than the current kilobit per second. How?

By taking advantage of undersea fibre cables, such as the proposed SEACOM cable and terrestrial fibre deployment initiatives in the region.


7. Strategic Objectives

The Strategic Plan of the Alliance was developed on Zomba Plateau in October 2006. The most critical Strategic Objective was:

Build the UbuntuNet backbone using a staged approach which connects clusters of NRENs using the opportunities provided by existing and planned fibre infrastructure projects


• Botswana• Burundi • DRC• Egypt (EUN) • Kenya (KENET)• Lesotho• Malawi (MAREN)• Mozambique

(MoRENet)• Rwanda (RwEdNet)• S Africa (TENET) • Sudan (SUIN)• Swaziland• Tanzania (TERNET)• Uganda (RENU)• Zambia (ZAMREN)• Zimbabwe• …others…

InterConnect these countries


8. Backbone development strategy

Opportunistic approach with two legs:– gain access to optical fibre cables as a

spin-off from other general infrastructure developments; and

– develop parts of the backbone in different sub-regions, called UbuntuNet backbone development clusters, as complementary projects (as graphically shown in next slides)


8(a) UbuntuNet East Backbone Cluster

UG

Northern TZ

KE

SD

ET

EG

RW


8(b) UbuntuNet South Backbone Cluster

LS

BWNA

ZM Southern

TZ

MW

MZSA

SW


8(c) UbuntuNet West Backbone Cluster

The UbuntuNet West Program has yet to be fleshed out together with NRENs from West and Central Africa

ULTIMATE GOAL: One BackboneIn due course the backbone clusters

will inter-connect into a seamless single redundant backbone


9. UbuntuNet Regional Backbone

THE END PRODUCT?

Some 23 countries in the region

Each country determines its own regulatory regime; issues its own licenses

Remove Cross-border tariff barriers

NRENs to transit each other’s traffic

UbuntuNet to contract and manage the backbone


10. Resources neededCross-border links operated by telcoms, mobile

operators, power companies, etc….

Sub-marine cable connectivity

– SAT-3 West Africa cable (WASC)

– South Africa Far East cable (SAFE)

– SEACOM Cable (proposed)

In some cases satellite capacity is unavoidable as an interim solution – ALL TO CONNECT TO GÉANT2


11. Connecting to GÉANT2 The process underway: to be launched soon,

and will involve:Deploying UbuntuNet Routing Hub in

London and connect to GÉANT2Using GRE tunnels through NREN’s existing

Internet access circuits to the Hub End result?

make Africa part of the global REN community

present opportunities for collaborative research within Africa and beyond, as the resources become available.


UbuntuNet Alliance will connect African NRENs, through GÉANT2, to the global research and education networking community


12. Collaboration with MAREN MAREN, the Malawi Research and Education Network is a

founding NREN of UbuntuNet Alliance MAREN is currently being incubated by MALICO, the Malawi

Library and Information Consortium MALICO manages the wonderful electronic content made

available through AGORA, HINARI, INASP (at a small charge) and eIFL

The Department of Agricultural Research Services is a member of MAREN with Dr Kisyombe as the Representative

After much lobbying, MAREN has obtained an International Gateway Licence from the Communications and Regulatory Authority permitting it to transit academic and research fibre across borders

MAREN will form a link in the UbuntuNet Backbone Connecting with academic networks in Mozambique, Tanzania,

Zambia and eventually Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa and beyond.


Can the UbuntuNet Alliance and MAREN reach the first kilometre to the farmer? Probably not – the Licence is

a strictly Academic and Research Licence

The Business of ISPs must not be jeopardised by UbuntuNet

But the Research Centres and perhaps the Training Centres may be beneficiaries

And Agricultural content can be delivered cost effectively and in a timely manner

And the lobbying of the Alliance members for Open Access models and removal of unnecessary regulatory barriers brings fairer more transparent pricing models for everyone!

Minister of Information, Hon P Kaliati, Acting Director general of MACRA and MAREN Task Force

member Margaret Ngwira at MAREN Launch, August 2007


Part 2:Delivering Agricultural Information now

Bunda Library Question and Answer Service and where low cost bandwidth can assist

• This is a traditional University Agricultural Library information service beyond its walls supported by CTA:

• Over two years of questions are collated on the following pages:


Purpose of information sought

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2004 May-Oct

2004 Nov-Mar

2005 Apr -J un

2005 J ul -Sep

2005 Oct-Dec

2006 J an-Mar

2006 Apr -J un


Users of Bunda Library Q&A Service

0

5

10

15

20

25

Resea

rche

rs

Lect

urer

s/Tea

cher

s

Consu

ltant

Libra

rians

/Arc

hivis

ts

Stude

nts

Extens

ion o

fficer

s

Policy

mak

ers

Planne

rs

Farm

ers

Other

2004 May-Oct

2004 Nov-Mar

2005 Apr-Jun

2005 Jul-Sep

2005 Oct-Dec

2006 Jan-Mar

2006 Apr-Jun


Examples of source of current information being supplied by Bunda Library to a wider audience through its Q&A Service

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

MARC (BundaLibrary OPAC)

UNIMA OPAC(Library.Solution)

CTA databases onCD

eIFL e-journals INASP/PERI e-journals

FAO’s AGORA Internet in general TEEAL CDs

2004 May-Oct

2004 Nov-Mar

2005 Apr-Jun

2005 Jul-Sep

2005 Oct-Dec

2006 Jan-Mar

2006 Apr-Jun


Gender of Q&A Service User

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2004 2005 2006

Gender of user

Male

Female


Changes in information delivery pattern

• The Librarian says that more requests are coming by e-mail and SMS

• The requesters are complaining about the slow pace of postal services

• E-journals are regular sources of answers to the Questions

• Therefore cheaper bandwidth would enhance delivery of requested knowledge


Part 3 Recent developments in information delivery to the farmer

in Malawi• Banking changes – Biometric recognition,

thumbprints, ATM and mobile bank and instant money transfer on crop sale

• Sales information also accessible through ATM system of another Bank

• With Cell phones, extension officers can set up meetings with many farmers through texting /SMS-ing, saving many motorbike kilometres

• Farmers text for information about input supplies etc


Part 4 :USAID Chinyanja Triangle Last Mile Initiative

• The Chinyanja Triangle Last mile Initiative, jointly with USAID, University of Stellenbosch and NASFAM Malawi is examining many communication technologies with a view to sharing agricultural knowledge across the countries where Chinyanja /Chichewa is spoken : Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia


Potential Technologies for Last Mile Initiative

Possible ICT Services. Interactive Web and Voice Portal

• Interactive TV / Telematic Education via VSAT• Interactive Community Radio. Interactive Voice

Response for Telephony• Web Casting and Conferencing• Mobile Instant Messaging. eMail and Push eMail• GSM / GPRS Internet Services• VSAT Internet Services WiMAX Services• NREN Research Networkshttp://www.saasta.ac.za/ascc/pdfs/

Marike_Myburgh-PosterInfoCommTechnology.pdf


Thank you for your attention

1st UbuntuNet Alliance Council of Members, Nairobi, Kenya. February 2007


Resources and Acknowledgements

• Prof Zimani Kadzamira, Victor Kyalo and Dr. Duncan Martin for permission to build on previous Alliance presentations

• Geoffrey Salanje and CTA for access to Q&A data

• USAID staff for access to Last Mile Initiative Chinyanja Triangel documentation

cornell knowledge systems workshop oct 2007 session 4 knowledge creation through collaborative...

Documents

african nrens

global research

backbonefunctional nrens

nrens inter

south africaemerging

education institutions

bandwidth cost

bonafide nrens