Satisfying Real Information Needs

The deployment of technology in the developing world finds greatest utility where it is applied to solve social problems. The real information needs of those populations are in widespread education, greater empowerment and independence and hence the growth of social capital. However, the deployment of such technologies may meet resistance from traditional societies and raise some tensions.

Communication for Development

Valuable information must be made available to those who need it in order to solve their own problems. There are particular groups who can benefit from wider access to information. Young people and women who may be left out of the traditional decision-making processes of their societies may find a voice in the "information society."

Developing countries often have a great reliance on agriculture. The same problems, solutions and resources can often be found in geographically disparate regions. National Agriculture Research Centres can act as agents to support local access by farmers to participate, gain access to resources and tools that they need to solve their own problems, set their own agendas and empower themselves through knowledge.

The barriers here are language and other cross-cultural factors. In Papua New Guinea, there are over 800 separate languages. Communication between people from different regions, indeed even adjacent villages may be possible only through recourse to common tongues of English, Melanesian Pidgin or Motu. Children growing up in villages learn their own village or local language (tok ples) first, then Pidgin and English if they are lucky enough to attend high school. Literacy among the older generations is low. For effective communication amongst peoples, if the solution is to adopt a common tongue, then diversity will be lost.

Local and regional content is important in a developing country. That is, content that is provided by nationals of those countries intended primarily for their peers or for others in the region. Publication of this information for the external world is secondary when the information is of greatest importance to those in similar situations.

Some aspects of foreign cultures may be completely unacceptable. The separate cultures in PNG have their own taboos and their own ways of making decisions. Pornographic material is illegal in PNG, but is widely available on the Internet. Clearly, there must be some control, but how is that to be achieved? Government control over Internet content as seen in China and Singapore is one approach that can control access to some material. But how will a cooperative society cope with technology that empowers individuals, or empowers women?

Sustainable Development

Land is an important resource for developing nations. A good understanding of land ownership issues is essential for the responsible exploitation of natural resources, however traditional landowner rights often conflict with macro-economic development. Cadastral systems link land titles to accurate surveys of the terrain to formally establish ownership. A cadastral system is essential for the transition of a developing country to "developed" status (Williamson, 1997). Work is ongoing in PNG to establish a digital cadastre (Burrage, 1997).

The work of the MASP project to document Agriculture Systems in PNG provided valuable information to assist with relief aid during the recent frosts and droughts in PNG (Bourke et al., 1997). The work of researchers on the social and economic impact of the Lihir gold mine in New Ireland highlight the importance of wealth distribution. Payment of royalties and issues relating to land rights were major factors in the Bougainville conflict over the Panguna mine.

Rural Telecommunications

Telecommunication is an important link in the development process (Hudson, 1995). Electronic commerce and the Internet assume the widespread availability of low-cost global telecommunications. In developing countries, a regulated telecommunication industry acts as a barrier to competition whilst providing ready profits for governments (often valuable foreign currency). The market forces of the Internet demand competition amongst telecommunications providers and ready access at the point of need.

Rural telecommunications can be hard to guarantee effectively in rural areas. The cost of hard-wiring telecommunications services to remote locations has led many organizations to explore digital wireless telephony as a more effective solution.

Wireless local loop (WLL) developed by the Indian Institute of Technology demonstrates an effective solution for low-cost access in rural areas (Jhunjhunwala, 1998). The Bushnet project (www.bushnet.net) in Africa uses HF radio to distribute Internet and email services to remote subscribers. NGOnet (www.ngonet.org) is an initiative to create Internet access for NGOs in Africa to enhance communication and provide access to information.

Rural telecommunications do not necessarily have to support high-rate communication. Email is still the most valuable form of communication for many individuals. Even though they have access to the Web, the complex graphics and heavy content of many pages act as a significant barrier to information access.

The obvious beneficiaries of widely available telecommunications are rural commercial enterprises and educational institutions. Healthcare can benefit from a reliable communication infrastructure for tele-medicine and to improve access to medical records (Fleming, 1998).

Local providers will spring up to meet the demand, once there is deregulation. In Papua New Guinea, the initial round of five licensed Internet Service companies in 1996 was augmented a year later by a second round to allow any private enterprise to distribute Internet access. In Egypt, 11 Internet companies immediately began providing access when commercial licensing began in 1996. Across Africa, private companies and individuals are exploiting technologies as systems become deregulated.

People will use the Internet if it provides them with answers to their questions, or practical solutions to their problems. They will not use it if it presents them with social, cultural or intellectual barriers that they cannot or will not cross.