\documentstyle[a4]{article} \pagestyle{myheadings} \markboth{Author:kk}{Doc.No. AID/newsletter/5} \setlength{\textheight}{9in} \setlength{\topmargin}{0in} \setlength{\headheight}{.3in} \setlength{\headsep}{.5in} \parindent=0pt \parskip= .35\baselineskip plus .0833333\baselineskip minus .0833333\baselineskip \begin{document} Artificial Intelligence for Development\\ Document No: AID/newsletter/number 5\\ Last Modified and by whom: 14/2/92 kk \\ Distributed on: 14/2/92\\ \LARGE \begin{center} Artificial Intelligence for Development\\ Newsletter Number 5\\February 1992\\ \end{center} \normalsize \section*{Contents} \begin{enumerate} \item Report on Some AI Initiatives Around the World \item New project: Representing Indigenous Knowledge \item Call for information: AIDev Practical Applications \item News from around the world \item Conferences \item Groups, bulletin boards and mailing lists \item Contact Personnel \end{enumerate} \section{Report on Some AI Initiatives Around the World} \subsection{India} With assistance from the United Nations Development Program, the Indian government introduced a five year Knowledge Based Computer Systems Project in 1986. Its main drive has been to finance visits from AI workers from major laboratories around the world to Indian KBS centres, and reciprocal visits by Indian KBCS workers, particularly those in the early stages of their careers for training in major AI centres abroad. The Ministry of Human Resource Development has also started an Intelligent Systems Project as part of this initiative. The Intelligent Systems project has multiple institutions participating throughout the country; a project on Machine Translation at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, a Masters Degree in AI and Robotics being taught at the Central University in Hyderabad, a post-graduate diploma programme in KBCS taught at the National Centre for Software Technology, Bombay and the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur are involved in projects on intelligent search. \subsection{China} Work in AI began in the early 1960s in China, although it is only since the 1970s, when computer science departments focussed on the problems of improvement in production process control that AI really got off the ground. It is not clear whether there is a national AI program, but \cite{xinsong83} points to projects in many areas of application in AI in China. In the area of Natural Language Understanding there is the English-Chinese Automated Translation (ECTA) system and some other machine translation projects. Work in Theorem Proving is being undertaken at the Institute of System Science, Academia Sinica. There has been successful Expert Systems work in both traditional Chinese medicine (the General Diagnosis System from the Shanghai Institute of Computing Technology) and Western medicine, an expert control system for blast furnaces, and expert assistance for cross-breeding programs for silkworms and wheat. In education a mathematics training program, based on modelling human problem solving, has been developed at Jinlin University and there is robotics research at the Shenyang Institute of Automation. \subsection{Brazil} The Rio Scientific Centre in Brazil is responsible for all the scientific research of IBM Brasil, and is associated with the Latin American Technology Institute. In Artificial Intelligence, much of their work focuses on expert systems research, with particular projects on Knowledge Acquisition (developing a tool for knowledge acquisition in equipment diagnosis), knowledge base management (integrating AI and database techniques) and heuristic learning (developing models for building `self-modifying' diagnostic expert systems). Some projects are co-operative, such as the heuristic learning system which is a collaborative project between the Rio Scientific Centre and the Informatics Centre in Health Care, and expert systems research in collaboration with a large manufacturing company, Villares Industries. The Universidade de Campina Grande has a strong AI team, teaching AI courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level and with research specialists in expert systems, remote sensing and numerical algorithms. They also have consultative and collaborative profiles in industry and medicine. There is currently no national AI program, although there is a government plan for a three year national computer science initiative (PROTEM) due to commence in March 1992, one of whose main thrusts is `Computer Science Theory and Artificial Intelligence'. \subsection{International enterprises} As well as individual countries' enterprises, there have been some international initiatives towards encouraging AI for developing countries. In 1989, the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology in Kathmandu, Nepal hosted the first International Conference on Expert Systems for Development (\cite{sadananda89}). A large binational AI project has been undertaken collaboratively between Brazil and Argentina for the dissemination of AI expertise, involving AI training courses, mainly in expert systems techniques. In 1990 the AI for Development group was set up at the University of Edinburgh with a global membership. Various journals, mailing lists and bulletin boards such as VITA (Volunteers in Technical Assistance), African Technology Forum, Computers in Africa, Information Technology for Development and AI and Society carry occasional articles concerning AI for developing countries. The report of a panel on the use of microcomputers for developing countries organised in 1988 by the Board on Science and Technology for International Development (BOSTID) includes many applications of AI including population programs, design and manufacture, civil engineering and education (\cite{bostid88}). \bibliography{phrefs,AIDrefs} \bibliographystyle{scribe} \section{New project: Representing Indigenous Knowledge} Local people possess a great deal of knowledge about their environment and about suitable land management practices. This knowledge can complement external scientific knowledge. However, there are considerable problems in disseminating this indigenous knowledge to others who could benefit from it, there are difficulties of integrating it with external scientific knowledge, and there is a real danger that much of this knowledge will be lost through social changes and the imposition of external solutions. The aim of this research is to develop computer-based methods for eliciting, testing and representing indigenous ecological knowledge, so that it can be used for supporting sustainable agroforestry practices. The work involves collaboration between 6 institutions: - The School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, is responsible for overall co-ordination and management of the project - The Department of Artificial Intelligence, and the Institute of Ecology and Resource Management at the University of Edinburgh are developing the formal methods for knowledge representation and the software for eliciting and reasoning with the indigenous knowledge. Each of the following four institutions is providing a Study Fellow who will spend most of his or her time in the home country, obtaining and structuring knowledge about a particular aspect of agroforestry practice, and some time in the UK for training in knowledge-based methods - Department of Biology, University of Chiang Mai, Thailand (mixed farming) - Faculty of Agriculture, University of Perdeniya, Sri Lanka (home gardens) - Division of Forestry and Beekeeping, Tanzania (trees in rangelands) - Pakribas Agricultural Centre, Nepal (production of browse for cattle). The project is funded by the UK Overseas Development Administration. More information on this project is available from Mandy Haggith or Robert Muetzelfeldt. \section{Call for Information: AIDev Parctical Applications} Here at the AIDev goup we are trying to set up a resource database, one of whose elements is a list of all known AI systems which have been, or are being, developed in or for developing countries (nothing like having a modest aim!). We feel that such a database, especially if kept up to date, provides an invaluable resource for those working in this sort of area. If you have any information about any such system, however fragmentary, we would be very pleased to hear about it. Please contact Howard Beck through email or any other channel including as many as possible of the following, and any other information: Country of development\\ Country of application\\ Current status\\ Trials information\\ Source of funding\\ AI tools or techniques used \\ Implementation language\\ Human language\\ Area of application\\ Associated literature\\ Machine requirements of developed system \section{News from around the world} News from Zimbabwe: The mail connection to the University of Zimbabwe in Harare should now be `robust'. The mail software is elm + smail3. The link is 2400 baud dialup uucp to Rhodes University in South Africa. The current configuration can support 8 terminals (excluding the uucp dialup port). The intention is to provide async terminal access in various strategic departments, and to provide a terminal cluster in the computer centre building for general use. An attempt at setting up Usenet news was abandoned when it was discovered that a 170mb SCSI disk drive would cost Zdollars24,000-00. For more information send email to: postmaster@zimbix.uz.zw \\ or route to postmaster\verb+%+zimbix.uz.zw@quagga.ru.ac.za There are two other nodes on the campus, hyaena.uz.zw (a 386 Xenix system) and compsci.uz.zw (an NCR Tower system), but these are experimental. If direct mail routing fails, you can try sending to: postmaster\verb+%+zimbix.uz.zw@quagga.ru.ac.za \section{Conferences} \subsection{Expert Systems and Development, 20-23 April 1992, Cairo, Egypt} This conference is organised by the Expert Systems for Improved Crop Management Project (ECSICM). Specific topics include: Knowledge acquisition techniques, Knowledge representation and reasoning, Machine learning, User interfaces, Expert systems tools, Applications in agriculture, engineering, business, medicine, Impact of using expert systems on society development, education, management, Interfacing expert systems with other softwaretools (databases, graphics, simulation models) Deadlines: Up to 20 pp. manuscript by November 1st 1991\\ Acceptance notices by January 1st 1992\\ Camera ready copy by February 15th 1992 Papers should be sent to: Dr. Ahmed Rafea\\ Expert Systems for Improved Crop Management project (EGY/88/024)\\ FAO Country Rep. Office\\ P.O. Box 2223, Cairo, Egypt.\\ Tel: (20)(2) 360 47 27\\ Fax: (20)(2) 360 47 27\\ Email: esic@egfrcuvx.bitnet \subsection{Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence, 6-8 May 1992, Jos. Nigeria} Specific topics include: Distributed operating systems, Parallel computer systems (parallel processing, multiprocessorcomputing, image signal processing, animation and graphics), Fault tolerant systems, Neural networks, Neuro-computing, Expert Systems, Applied distributed computing, Databases, Robotics, Natural language systems, Software engineering environments, Future trends in Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence Deadlines: Submission of 200-400 word abstracts in English, 30th Nov. 1991\\ Notification of acceptance, 15th January 1992\\ Submission of full-length paper, 29th February 1992 Further details from \begin{verse} Dr. Adebayo D. Akinde\\ Dept of Computer Science\\ Obafemi Awolowo University\\ Ile-Ife, Nigeria\\ Fax 01-831210 \end{verse} \subsection{International Conference CISNA 92, Windhoek, Namibia 6th-8th May 1992} CALL FOR PAPERS: Information Technology: A vehicle for growth and development Topics: Computers in education, Financial services in a changing era, The process of software development, Constraints on information technology - problems and solutions, Technology transfer - is it happening?, Business efficiency - affected by information technology or not, Telecommunications, Open systems and international standards, Employment issues in information technology, Technology trends, Office automation, Information technology and the environment, Computers in medicine and health Abstracts should be submitted to: \begin{verse} Mr J du Toit\\ Chairman - Conference organising committee\\ P O Box 2184\\ Windhoek\\ 9000\\ Namibia Fax +264/61/36518\\ tel +264/61/34161 \end{verse} TUTORIALS: Parallel to the papers, six tutorials will be given. Abstracts for these tutorials with inclusion of equipment needed are also invited. A tutorial is intended as an introduction to a specific field of general interest. DEADLINES: Abstracts : 15 November 1991\\ Notification of acceptance : 15 December 1991\\ Full camera ready paper : 31 March 1992 For abstract/tutorial submission form: Fax/telephone/write to Mr J du Toit\\ E-mail Conrad Mueller e-mail address 122cons@wits.witsvma.ac.za \subsection{Toward a Truly Global Network} A Section of the 36th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences. University of Denver, Denver, colorado, USA, July 12-17, 1992 We wish broad participation, with papers from nuts-and-bolts to the visionary. Suitable topics include, but are not restricted to: Descriptions of networks, packet radio, satellite communication, communication protocols, connection options, surveys of the current state of affairs in global networking, descriptions of current applications, descriptions of proposed applications, education in a networked world, education for a networked world, social implications of a global network, economic implications of a global network, haves vs. have-nots, politics and funding for a global network, political implications of a global network, free speech on the global network, environmental implications of a global network, global networks in the context of Gaian evolution, depictions of the global network in science fiction. Deadlines: Notice of intention to participate, ASAP\\ Submission of paper, February 15, 1992\\ Notice of acceptance or rejection, March 15, 1992\\ Final, camera-ready copy due, May 1, 1992 Send 3 copies of your paper to: Professor Larry Press,\\ CSUDH, 10726 Esther Avenue,\\ Los Angeles,\\ CA 90064\\ USA\\ Tel: +(310) 475-6515\\ Fax +(310) 516-3664\\ Internet: lpress@venera.isi.edu Tel: +468-663-6302. \subsection{1st African Conference on Research in Computer Science, Yaounde, Cameroon October 14-20, 1992} TOPICS: Software engineering, Parallel Computing, Scientific Computation, Architecture, Databases, Networks, Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Programming Languages INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS Authors are invited to submit, in French or in English, contributions on their most recent research results. 5 copies of the full text (20 double-space pages, title and abstract included) should be sent to the Conference Secretariat, before February 15, 1992. The front page should include the title of the communication, the name of the author (or authors) and the full address. In case of co-authors, clearly indicate the name of the person in charge of the correspondence with the organisers. Every submitted paper will be reviewed by the Programme Committee with the help of experts. The accepted papers will be published for the Conference. A financial support (travel and sojourn expenses) will be granted to the authors of the best papers. Deadlines: February 15, 1992: full paper (5 copies)\\ May 1st, 1992: Notification of acceptance or refusal\\ June 15, 1992: Distribution of the program\\ June 30, 1992: Final version INFORMATION University of Yaounde\\ Computer Science Department\\ BP 812\\ YAOUNDE (Cameroon)\\ Tel : + 237 22 47 95\\ Fax : + 237 22 13 20 Brigitte KERHERVE\\ Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecommunications\\ 46, rue Barrault\\ 75634 PARIS Cedex 13\\ Tel: +(33) 1.45.81.78.81\\ Fax: +(33) 1.45.81.31.19\\ e-mail : kerherve@inf.enst.fr \subsection{First International Working Conference on Health Informatics in Africa (Provisional)} HELINA'93, 19-23 April 1993, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Organized by International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) jointly with O.A.U. Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Computer Science Department, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Computing Centre, University of Kuopio, Finland; and prospective other co-organizers, co-sponsors and supporters. PROGRAMME AND TOPICS The programme will cover the whole range of existing understanding and experience on the field of computers in health care in Africa, from Primary Health Care to hospitals and national planning, from records- keeping to research and telecommunications. Researchers and reflective practitioners throughout the continent will be drawn together. The speakers will be the best experts in their respective topics. The conference is thus an ideal opportunity for newcomers to get an overview of the state of the art. Each session will start with a tutorial overview of the topic, and end with a discussion summing up the theme. Practical country cases from all parts of Africa are encouraged. A conversational and multi- voiced mood is strived for. The conference also aims to establish a network of researchers and practitioners who want to cooperate, share their experiences, and learn from each other in the future also. Proceedings will be published by Elsevier North-Holland Publishers under IMIA sponsorship. The official language will be English. If enough interest and sponsoring will be found, simultaneous interpretation to and from French will be provided for. IMPORTANT DATES\\ 30 April 1992: Deadline for letters of intent.\\ 31 July 1992: Deadline for extended abstracts.\\ September 1992: Letters of acknowledgement sent. Final decision on holding the conference depending on funding.\\ 30 November 1992: Deadline for full texts of papers.\\ 19-23 April 1993: HELINA'93 in Ile-Ife? Please send all correspondence concerning registration, papers, and funding to:- Mikko Korpela/HELINA'93\\ Univ. of Kuopio, Computing Centre\\ P.O.Box 1627\\ SF-70211 Kuopio\\ FINLAND\\ E-mail: helina@uku.fi\\ Telefax: +358-71-225566\\ Telex: 42218 kuy sf (Attn. HELINA'93) \section{Groups, Bulletin Boards and Mailing Lists} \subsection{Artificial Intelligence in Mexico and Latin America} 1. Cultural/geographical region: Mexico, Latin America 2. Description: a listserver devoted to the exchange of ideas and discussion of practical applications of AI. It is located at the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. 3. Service: listserver (IAMEX-L) 4. E-mail addresses: -Subscriptions/information: (see additional information below)\\ -Messages to the members: IAMEX-L@tecmtyvm.bitnet;\\ or: IAMEX-L@tecmtyvm.mty.itesm.mx\\ -Administrators: J. M. Gomez Puertos (PL500368@tecmtyvm);\\ or: F. Careaga Sanchez (PL57961@tecmtyvm) 5. Status: ACTIVE 6. Additional information: students and researchers with some experience the field are eligible for membership. To subscribe, please send e-mail to one of the administrators asking for the registration form. \subsection{International Networking Task Force} Sender: Technology Transfer in International Development, \verb+DEVEL-L@AUVM.BITNET+ As a first step toward the establishment of an ``International Networking Task Force'', we decided to create a mailing list as a forum where our colleagues based in developing countries could post their requests for help. The subscribers of the list would either provide direct answers, or forward the request to other persons able to answer. This list will be advertised and distributed to many remote networks that are linked by expensive telephone lines. We should therefore use this list strictly for the purposes for which it was created, limiting activity to the minimum. At some point, if the traffic increases considerably, we expect to split the list into several others which are more "topic oriented". The subscription process is not automated, partially to make it easier for us to deal with addresses from developing areas. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or for other administrative requests: Send mail to intf-request@infoods.mit.edu. To post messages to the list\\ Send mail to intf@infoods.mit.edu Please feel free to circulate the information about the list to anyone you consider relevant. John C. Klensin, Ph.D.\\ klensin@infoods.mit.edu\\ International Network of Food Data Systems\\ (A United Nations University project)\\ MIT Room N52-457 tel: +1 617 253 1355\\ 77 Massachusetts Avenue fax: +1 617 491 6266\\ Cambridge, MA 02139 USA Enzo Puliatti\\ puliatti@acfcluster.nyu.edu\\ United Nations Development Programme\\ One U.N. Plaza 2284 tel: (212) 906 5426\\ New York, NY 10017 fax: (212) 906 5892 \section{Contact Personnel} Please send contributions to the newsletter to Kathleen King. Send requests for addition to the mailing list to Mandy Haggith. Email is the communication method of choice (it takes so long to type the gubbins in) but communication through any medium is welcome, especially if it contains contributions to the newsletter! \begin{tabular}{l|l} {\bf Software library:} & {\bf Newsletter, overall co-ordination, meetings:}\\ Howard Beck & Kathleen King\\ Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute & Department of Artificial Intelligence \\ University of Edinburgh & University of Edinburgh\\ 80 South Bridge & 80 South Bridge\\ Edinburgh EH1 1HN & Edinburgh EH1 1HN\\ 031 650 2747 & 031 650 2726\\ hab@uk.ac.ed.aiai & kk@uk.ac.ed.aisb\\ \hline {\bf Contacts and Funding:} & {\bf Literature resource and bibliography:} \\ Robert Muetzelfeldt & Ehud Reiter\\ Department of Forestry and Natural Resources & Department of Artificial Intelligence\\ University of Edinburgh & University of Edinburgh\\ Kings Buildings & 80 South Bridge\\ Mayfield Road & Edinburgh\\ Edinburgh EH9 3JU & EH1 1HN\\ 031 650 5408 & 031 650 2728\\ R.Muetzelfeldt@uk.ac.edinburgh & reiter@uk.ac.ed.aisb\\ \hline {\bf Mailing Lists:} &\\ Mandy Haggith & \\ Department of Artificial Intelligence &\\ University of Edinburgh &\\ 80 South Bridge &\\ Edinburgh &\\ EH1 1HN &\\ 031 650 2721\\ hag@uk.ac.ed.aisb &\\ \hline \end{tabular} \end{document}