Practical Insights on Technology for ICT4D Projects

4 Requirements for Technology Project Sustainability

4 Requirements for Technology Project Sustainability

Published on: Feb 09 2017 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on 4 Requirements for Technology Project Sustainability
I am often called in to help when a technology project has gone awry. For example, once a partner organization gifted a network-attached storage server (NAS) to...
Please Help USAID Develop Responsible Data Practices for Digital Development

Please Help USAID Develop Responsible Data Practices for Digital Development

Published on: Feb 06 2017 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
Are you managing personally identifiable data? Have you struggled with the need to share, yet protect sensitive data? Do you worry about privacy risks and want...
Does Informed Consent Really Matter to a Poor Farmer?

Does Informed Consent Really Matter to a Poor Farmer?

Published on: Jan 26 2017 by Wayan Vota - 13 Comments
One of my first tasks at IRRI is to develop a consent form we can use across our agricultural extension service tools that at a minimum will inform end-users, usually...
How We Fought Ebola with Information

How We Fought Ebola with Information

Published on: Jan 25 2017 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
In December 2013, a little-known viral hemorrhagic fever in West Africa was detected in a forest region of Guinea. It was soon confirmed to be Ebola Virus Disease,...
We Can Now Fingerprint Children at 6 Months Old, But Should We?

We Can Now Fingerprint Children at 6 Months Old, But Should We?

Published on: Jan 19 2017 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
In 1899, Sir Francis Galton first captured ink-on-paper fingerprints of a single child from birth until the age of 4.5 years, manually compared the prints, and...
Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases

Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases

Published on: Jan 18 2017 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases
Guess what kids, there is a Hardware Santa Claus! Nethope has just announced its 2017 Device Challenge – $5 million dollars in cash grants for technology...
The Unequal Diffusion of Big Data Capacity

The Unequal Diffusion of Big Data Capacity

Published on: Dec 29 2016 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
A 2014 White House report from the office of President Obama underlined that Big Data leads to ‘vexing issues’. Big data technologies can cause societal...
Surprise! More Internet Bandwidth Leads to Worse User Experiences

Surprise! More Internet Bandwidth Leads to Worse User Experiences

Published on: Dec 22 2016 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Surprise! More Internet Bandwidth Leads to Worse User Experiences
In rural developing communities, access is often provided through slow satellite or other low- bandwidth long-distance wireless links, if available at all. As a...
The Biased State of Gender Disaggregated M&E Data

The Biased State of Gender Disaggregated M&E Data

Published on: Dec 12 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on The Biased State of Gender Disaggregated M&E Data
  Recently, we sent out a survey on international development experiences with gender data to help inform the MERL Tech conference. We asked whether international...
Do You Eat Your Own ICT4D Dog Food?

Do You Eat Your Own ICT4D Dog Food?

Published on: Nov 30 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on Do You Eat Your Own ICT4D Dog Food?
In software development, there is a term called “eating your own dog food” – meaning using your own software to better understand and address your...