Enhancing Empowerment in Social Life Networks
Tamara Ginige 42760100
Supervisor – Prof Deborah Richards
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Outline
Overall objective of the collaborative project Main focus of my research within the collaborative project User Empowerment Key Problem – Overall project Possible solution Social Networks and Social Life Networks Research Approach Progress in the last six months High Level Conceptual Architecture of Mobile Based
Information System Research plan for next year
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Overall objective of the collaborative project
To investigate how to develop a Mobile Based Information System (MBIS) to assist the livelihood of people in developing countries using a new concept called Social Life Networks (SLN).
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Main focus of my research in the collaborative project
To investigate how to design, implement and evaluate software applications in the proposed Mobile Based Information System to facilitate processes to empower individuals and community.
This research will produce an empowerment model a software artefact
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User Empowerment and Empowerment Theory
User empowerment is a process. Via that process individuals learn to see a closer
correspondence between their goals and sense of how to achieve them their efforts and life outcomes1
The empowerment theory suggests that actions, activities or structures may be empowering, and the outcome of each process results in a level of being empowered2
1Mechanic, D. (1991). "Adolescents at risk: New Directions." Seventh Annual Conference on Health Policy 12(8): 638-643
2Zimmerman, M. A. (1988). "Citizen participation, perceived control and psychological empowerment " American Journal of Community Psychology 16(5): 725-750
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Empowerment Processes and Outcomes
Level of analysis
Process (“empowering”)
Outcome (“empowered”)
Individual
Decision making skills
Sense of control
Managing resources Critical awareness
Team work skills Participatory behaviours
Community
Access to resources Organisational coalitions
Accessible government
Improved community leadership
Tolerance for diversity
Participatory behaviours
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Key Problem – Overall Project
Sri Lankan farmers do not have easy access to farming information.
Information required: Dynamic: market prices, supply and demand situations for their
produce, farming hands, weather patterns Static: pests, fertilizer, soil types, seeds, transportation
Un-informed decision making
Leads to financial hardship, feeling helpless, frustrated and less empowered
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Key Problem
Example: Growing the same crop in an area the same season Taking these crops to the local market at the same
time
Outcome Oversupply Wastage
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Current Information exchange among farmers
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New opportunities to solve the problem and enhance empowerment
There are new opportunities to solve this problem using
Widespread use of mobile phonesFeatures of Web 2.0Social Networks
Mobile Growth in the World
Growth of Mobile Phone Usage
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010*
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Subscriptions (in millions)
Su
bsc
rip
tion
s (m
illio
n)
Per
10
0 in
hab
itan
ts
*EstimatesSource: ITU World Telecommunication /ICT Indicators database
Global mobile cellular subscriptions, total and
per 100 inhabitants, 2000-2010*
Penetration by Continents
CIS** Europe The Amer-icas
Arab States
World Asia & Pacific
Africa0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140 131.5
120.0
94.1
79.4 76.1 67.8
41.4
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, 2010*
* Estimate** Commonwealth of Independent StatesRegions are based on the ITU BDT Regions, see: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/definitions/regions/index.htmlSource: ITU World Telecommunication /ICT Indicators database
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Mobile Growth in Sri Lanka
80% of the population uses a mobile phone1
ICT usage of farmers2: 6% of farmers use computers 68% of farmers own a mobile phone
1Telecommunications. (2011). "Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka." Retrieved 28/11/2011, from http://www.trc.gov.lk/information/statistics.html
2Lokanathan, S. and N. Kapugama (2012). Smallholders and Micro-enterprises in Agriculture. Knowledge-based Economies. Colombo, Sri Lanka, LIRNEasia.
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Web 1.0 and User Empowerment via Web 2.0
Web 1.0 Two groups: Information consumers and information
producers
Web 2.0 Two groups started to merge. Information consumers have become information producers
-> can lead to user empowerment Results of this empowerment : Blogs and wikis, and
websites such as Wikipedia and YouTube Micro-blogs Information aggregation
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Social Networks
Connecting People
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Social Life Networks - SLN
Connecting People and Public Resources
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Creating a better market dispersion
Land Market
Market A
Mkt B
Market C
Farmer A
Farmer B
Farmer C
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Review of available mobile applications
Type Domain Description Countries
Access to Information
Farming mKrish delivers crop advice to farmers in rural India by mobile phone. China Mobile sends information about planting techniques, pest management and market prices to farmers.
India, China
Mobile as a sensor
Health In Uganda and Mozambique, new mobile diagnostic equipment are getting used.
Uganda and Mozambique
eMarket Farming TradeNet in Ghana links buyers and sellers. CellBazaar provides a text-based classified ad service in Bangladesh
Ghana, Bangladesh
Selling Fisheries In India fishermen are using to negotiate price before coming on shore.
India
mLearning Education mLearning projects have been piloted in Africa, India and Bangladesh.
Africa, India, Bangladesh
Money transfer
Banking M-PESA, a mobile phone-based money transfer service.
Kenya
There is no user empowerment in these mobile applications.
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User Empowerment
Given some information
How can we assist user to act on that information
From user action
How can we extract useful information
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Research Approach
Design science research approach will be used.
Relevance of the problem Literature review Design and implementation of empowerment model
as an artefact How to test the artefact Field testing of the artefact Evaluation of results Design changes and continuation of iterative process
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Progress - last six months
Technology Review Social Networks, User empowerment through use of Web 2.0, Growth
of micro blogging, Social Life Networks, Available mobile applications
Review of information and empowerment needs of farmers Focus group meetings, surveys, reports Future interview with other researchers in Sri Lanka - Ethics
application has been submitted
Review of empowerment theory and other empowerment studies Publication of a poster and two international conference papers Involvement in the design of high level conceptual architecture
for Mobile Based Information System
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High Level Conceptual Architecture of MBIS
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Collaborative Research Team
Agriculture Ontology and localisation of
application for SLN by the Sri Lankan research group
Information Aggregation Unit by the American research group
Mobile User Interface by the Italian research group
Empowerment Model by Macquarie UniversityKM and Query Engine by UWS
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Research Plan – Next 12 months
Analyse of information and empowerment needs of farmers
Design and implementation of possible processes for empowerment
Publication of results in an International Conference
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Thank You.