/**
1.Village GIS system: This will use the openstreetmap to provide
all information like vao office, schools etc.
2.Agri/botanical information. The details about the crop, soil
and other such information to be aggregated using some tool.
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**/
This is an excellent suggestion and a nice idea..
However, to avoid the risk of being theoritical, can we evolve a set of use
cases, on how the people at rural villages would be using these
informations..
Instead of taking up bulk of suggestions at one time, can we take few
important suggestions, and then work in details, right from conceptual to
implementation, and sustainability.
Analysis of the predicted outcome in that area because of this project,
would help us improve the clarity of our goals..
Some of my suggestions:
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1. Establish Connectivity at rural areas, through Fibre Optics. And then
persuading IT related companies to setup office there. Initially, BPO's can
start with this. Once we could make a pilot project successful, i feel,
more will follow up.
Some of my predicted Usage Scenarios:
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-> People working in BPOs tend to settle in villages (due to reduced
living cost & work availability) . This will bring in economy there, which
provide more opportunities. As a result, shops with urban items would be
setup, clinics would be opened, good theatres will come, and these people
would be a good market for the surrounding farmers, to sell their produces.
Over the period of time, good schools would be setup, and thus, a complete
cycle of basic requirements will be available.
-> The rural people have immediate accessibilitie to the educated ITES for
any help or guidance. and the local people by implicit start learning IT
business.
2. I think, now internet connection is available in all Panchayat Offices.
We can approach the government, and use that connectivity to setup small
browsing centres and computer centre. But, that should not teach them c or
c++.. rather, that should teach only the tools and softwares necessary and
beneficial to those rural people..
They should not be trained to merely consume the information.. Rather, they
should be able to contribute their knowledge back, even though its not that
much technical or sophisticated.. Training the people to express themselves
will bring drastic change in their thought process.
Some examples are:
1. Creating a issue resolution system there. So that any knowledge person
can go to browsing center, and log in their complaints for view by their
panchayat leader. This would enable them to maintain issue history, which
they can review and analyse in the long run.
2. To create a local forum to discuss about their issues. (the forums
accessible in the browsing centre..)
And for using all these, they need to know typing. We can setup a small
typing training centre..
And all these in our Mother Tongue.. and they should be trained to type in
Mother Tongue first.
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I dont know if its practical or not.. But, my approach to problem is
"Enhancing our life with IT tools, rather than enhancing the tools with our
life"..
ie, first we need to understand our requirement.. then when we get a new
knowledge/tools/technology, how can we use it for improving our current
situation.. how can we adapt it to our lifestyle..
If we think in this framework, we can be more indigenous, and automatically
innovation will emerge, when we start implementing it..
Regards,
Senthil Raja
