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Technology for Developing Communities
Many communities throughout the world have been underserved by technology to date and technology has caused barriers that have impeded their progress. These communities (whether they be poor rural populations in Africa and Asia or poor urban populations in South and North America or physically challenged communities throughout the world) have not benefited from state-of-the-art technology despite the pressing needs of these communities and the fact that the “developing world” constitutes of more than two thirds of the global population. Much of this divide is due to incompatible monetary, infrastructural, and operational skill requirements for much of modern-day technology. Thus, designing and implementing technology that can enhance suitable and sustainable development in these communities provides unique challenges in creativity and resourcefulness. While many organizations continue to focus on a variety of means to assist these communities in their quest for sustainable development, very few organizations have studied how technology can aid this process. My principal research objective is therefore to define and advance the science of “technology for developing communities” (TFDC); that is, computing technology solutions accessible and relevant to communities where monetary resources are scarce, technology is in its early stage of impact, and the accessible infrastructure and indigenous skills are very different from the norms prevalent in the technologically developed world. In particular, the communities and application domains I am interested in have the following attributes:
TechBridgeWorld is in its early stages of operation, and a major part of our current work is conducting a variety of smaller-scale projects towards identifying the needs and challenges in these communities and thereby understanding and defining the currently non-existent science of TFDC. While this investigation is still in its early stages, we have begun to identify a few areas of necessary research of which the following are aligned with my research agenda: Effectively coordinating human-machine teams Due to large populations relying on labor-dependent income, the availability of cheap labor, and the lack of technological infrastructure, the solutions to most problems in developing communities will require effective human-machine systems. For example, environmental monitoring systems could be more prevalent if the data transportation and deployment of the sensors are carried out by humans while the data collection and analysis is carried out by computers. Similarly, human-machine teams can be deployed for more effective landmine detection, agriculture, healthcare, and even education. A principal difficulty in many of these communities is the lack of access to skilled professionals in essential areas such as medicine and education. Thus, relevant automated systems, if deployed effectively and coordinated with available human experts, can vastly enhance the quality of life in many of these communities. Coordinating these human-machine teams (scarce resources) is a non-trivial task however since often the same small team will need to address the needs of several villages or large geographical areas. Coordination algorithms that can effectively negotiate these constraints and maximize the desired objectives are therefore a necessary area of research in TFDC. Enhancing robustness in human-machine systems As described in the previous section, human-machine systems are a necessary element of several solutions in TFDC. These systems require different methodologies to operate effectively and robustly in many TFDC scenarios. For example, scheduling systems between a main hospital and surrounding health centers in Haiti requires humans not only to enter data into a computerized scheduling system but also humans traveling between the health centers and the hospital (often on foot) to act as the backup system for data transmission. Therefore, there is a great need for intelligent systems that can be cognizant of the human components of the system and provide necessary reminders and feedback mechanisms to improve robustness of the overall system. Systems that can also provide the necessary training to the human-components of the system will further enhance robustness. Dealing with unreliable infrastructure Transportation systems, communication systems, medical services, emergency response, retail industry, etc. are often very unreliable in underserved communities due to insufficient resources and poor infrastructure. In addition, there is a large human-labor-dependence in all of these systems and often the skill levels of the humans vary widely. Therefore there is a great need for optimization techniques that can plan, route, schedule, and coordinate for improved efficiency in these domains while taking into account the large probability of failure in different parts of the operation. Intelligent processing of incomplete and uncertain data Data acquisition is relatively difficult and lacking in quality control in a range of applications including medical diagnosis, agricultural diagnosis, epidemic prediction, optimizing flow of goods, etc. Intelligent systems that can collect, process, analyze, and inform based on incomplete and uncertain data, and even identify critical missing data so that limited resources are spent acquiring this data, can have significant impact in developing communities. Therefore, much research is necessary to develop relevant data mining, data processing, learning, and optimization algorithms in the context of TFDC. Enhancing user interfaces for people with a variety of skills User interfaces play a crucial role in relevance and sustainability of technical solutions in developing communities. Most users are unfamiliar with technology, often have literacy and language barriers, and sometimes even have physical challenges such as visual or aural impairments. User interfaces that are culturally relevant and accessible/adaptive to the different skill-levels of the users are thus in high demand for a large variety of applications. An example of an unusual and creative user interface for literacy is the use of same-language-subtitling in India which provides subtitles for popular Bollywood movie songs on TV and highlights the words as they are being sung. Since these video clips are very popular in India, and since most people know the lyrics, some indications are showing that people are learning to read while watching Bollywood video clips. Creating relevant and effective interfaces for technology tools will be a crucial element of the effectiveness and sustainability of the overall solution. Existing techniques for designing user interfaces do not address the constraints of TFDC, and hence, new advances are necessary in designing appropriate and adaptive interfaces relevant to TFDC. In addition to these research areas aligned with my research interests, we have also identified the following areas of research as important areas of research for advancing TFDC: Reducing the cost and power dependency of computingComputers are very expensive in comparison to most consumer goods in developing communities. Often a hospital or school may only be able to afford one computer for all their operations. Thus, a key research challenge is to develop low-cost computing infrastructure that enables schools and hospitals (and other relevant organizations) to operate with minimal computing infrastructure. Possible solutions to this problem include developing new general low-cost devices sufficiently powerful for the necessary applications, developing low-cost devices for specific applications, and developing shared models for large groups to effectively share a single high-cost device. To add to this challenge, many of these communities do not have regular access to a stable power grid. As a result, power failures and power fluctuations are the norm. Thus, building intelligent systems that are low cost, that can be robust to power fluctuations, and that can have low dependence on access to a stable power grid is a much needed area of research if technology is truly to benefit developing communities. Reducing the cost and power dependency of communication The lack of communication infrastructure is a significant roadblock to the development of many communities. Communication allows farmers to obtain better prices for their crops, allows schools to share educational information, enables telemedicine, and in general, gives communities access to experts and resources outside their locality. For all of the reasons mentioned in the previous section, relevant communication solutions must be low-cost and have low power requirements while being able to tolerate frequent power fluctuations. Mobile phones have caused a significant change in many developing communities. However, much research is still needed to enable access to reliable communication in these communities. Some of the needed research is on developing new communication devices and infrastructure that match the needs of these communities, while other research is needed to create relevant applications and data transmission techniques that enable crucial needs such as remote diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and education despite the constraints of TFDC. Creating low-cost transportation mechanisms that can traverse rough terrain The lack of effective transportation systems causes many problems including the loss of large amounts of agricultural produce that cannot be stored appropriately or transported long distances. For all of the reasons mentioned in the previous sections, relevant transportation solutions must be low-cost and have low power requirements. In addition, roads are often in poor condition or non-existent so transportation mechanisms must be able to traverse rough (and sometimes mountainous) terrain. For example, currently, transporting patients from some mountainous areas of Haiti to a hospital in an emergency requires 8 adults to run from the patient’s home to the hospital with four adults at a time carrying the patient on a bed; the other four adults carry the patient when the first four are fatigued. Relevant transportation mechanisms will likely need to be general-purpose systems and therefore must also provide refrigerated storage capacity and/or safety components based on what is being transported. Much research is needed to enable access to relevant transportation devices; the primary need is for transporting human passengers in emergency situations and perishable goods to distributed markets. The process of identifying the above areas of necessary TFDC research, and conducting the initial stages of research in some cases, has been the major accomplishment of TechBridgeWorld in the past couple of years. The next section of this document details some of these on-going TechBridgeWorld projects. Within the broader theme of TFDC, I have focused my efforts specifically on technology to enable and enhance access to education, healthcare, and safety in these communities. In particular, I have focused on the following topics:
One of the greatest needs for sustainable development is a good education. Unfortunately, well-trained educators and resources for education are scarce in most developing communities. Additionally, students have several challenges in gaining access to education due to reasons such as physical or mental challenges, the necessity to provide income support for their families, economic difficulties in paying for education, or language barriers. Some of these challenges can be mitigated by innovative technology solutions. Within this broader theme, my interests are in creating technology tools to enhance the level of education and skills of people in underserved communities. Furthermore, from an education standpoint, I am interested in designing and teaching courses to enhance technology education in these communities so that future generations will be able to use and create technology to address community needs. Some relevant projects I am currently working on are briefly described next. 
While tremendous benefit results from technology education in underserved communities, implementing relevant courses is non-trivial and several challenges must be addressed. One of the most important challenges is the limited availability of the necessary equipment, mechanical and electrical components, and tools required for robotics projects. Addressing cultural perceptions and fears of technology can also provide interesting challenges when designing appropriate courses. Intellectually, the biggest challenge is in mapping classroom experiences to projects and concepts of local relevance. In some technologically underserved communities, cost can also be a concern since many of the available robotics kits tend to be outside the price range of local universities, and sometimes even computers are prohibitively expensive. Training and hiring technology educators and maintaining technical equipment can be a further challenge in many of these communities. Despite these challenges, technology education in underserved communities is an important endeavor. While it is important to address all of the challenges, our work primarily focuses on undergraduate robotics education in communities with access to some computing infrastructure, but where technology is in its early stages of impact. Our courseware emphasizes the characteristics of participatory design, encouraging creativity, using local resources, inspiring with examples of state-of-the-art, enabling a broad understanding of computing-technology, teaching dissemination skills, and involving local community. We are also exploring opportunities for students and faculty in developing communities to gain access to membership in relevant professional organizations, and to participate in international conferences and disseminate their work globally. Our first two contributions in this area have been through relevant courses taught in Qatar (www.qatar.cmu.edu/cs/16200/) and Ghana (www.ashesi.org/ACADEMICS/compsci/robotics.html). Technology tools for health and safety in underserved communitiesA second important need for sustainable development is health and safety. Once again, well-trained health-care providers and resources for health and safety are scarce in most developing communities. Many people have to walk long distances and spend time waiting in long lines to get access to basic health care and this often competes with time spent in paid work. This is a new area that we have just started to explore. Specifically, I am involved in two exploratory projects in this area which are described next.
Defining and advancing the science of TFDC is an important part of the work I do in this area. Because this is a new area of research, much of my time and energy at this early stage has been dedicated to creating an active and high-quality research community in TFDC both within and outside Carnegie Mellon University. Relevant activities include designing and implementing several TechBridgeWorld courses and programs at Carnegie Mellon University, organizing relevant conferences, workshops, and academic journals, exploring new funding mechanisms and opportunities for this area of research, building relevant partnerships with a variety of organizations around the world, and publishing relevant papers and presenting relevant talks and panels in existing conferences, workshops, and journals. Specifically, at Carnegie Mellon University, we now have several sustained courses and programs under the TechBridgeWorld umbrella including courses such as Technology Consulting in the Community, Technology and Global Development, Technology for Developing Communities, the V Unit, Technology Consulting in the Global Community, and the TechBridgeWorld seminar series. In terms of conferences, workshops, and journals, I was on the programming committee of the inaugural conference on Information Communication Technology for Development that was held at the University of Berkeley in 2006, jointly organized by Carnegie Mellon University, Microsoft Research, and the University of Berkeley. This conference also promoted the ITID journal published by MIT Press. I was also an invited panelist and program committee member for the first workshop on the same topic at IJCAI 2007, organized by Microsoft Research India. Since then, I have been invited to several other opportunities to speak on the topic of TFDC. Securing funding for this work has been non-trivial and has required coordinated efforts to convince alumni, industry, foundations, and individual donors to invest in this research area. Building relevant partnerships has required reaching out to a variety of organizations ranging from universities and schools to non-governmental organizations, to governmental ministries, and even hospitals and small businesses and not-for-profit organizations. I also accepted an on-going foreign assignment (one semester a year for six years) at our Qatar campus to increase the impact of my work in the Gulf region. Dissemination of our work in this area has been accomplished by publishing a journal paper in an online ACM journal, conference and workshop papers in conferences such as ICRA and IJCAI, and presentations and panels in conferences including the Grace Hopper Celebration and IJCAI. Finally, we have created and maintain an active webpage (www.techbridgeworld.org) and are pursuing a potential opportunity to publish a book describing the science, challenges and innovations in TFDC. Educational resources for future leaders in TFDCI am also invested in designing and teaching courses and other educational programs that emphasize TFDC-related topics at Carnegie Mellon University and promoting these courses in other universities so that future generations of technologists can continue and enhance this area of research. Relevant programs and courses I have built over the last few years are described next. Additionally, I continue to extend my efforts in understanding cultural and gender differences and similarities in computing technology and incorporating this understanding into the development of educational technology through designing and teaching robotics and related courses in diverse cultures and through my leadership in organizations such as women@SCS (www.women.cs.cmu.edu).
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