News
WiNS-DR and NSDR have been merged! For information about future events see http://nsdr.dritte.org
WiNS-DR 08
Information and communication technologies have been widely hailed as an important component in the advancement of the rural and underserved regions of the developing world. While technology alone cannot be a panacea for the diverse and myriad challenges in these regions, there is increasing evidence that communications technologies and access to information, far from being a luxury, can have direct and vital benefits to the economic and social well-being of the population in these regions. In particular, studies indicate that access to communication and information can contribute to specific measures such as increased GDP and living standards. Moreover, anecdotal evidence as well as pilot projects indicate that such access can lead to specific benefits, such as new economic opportunities and better medical information and intervention.
This workshop focuses on the technology required to provide communications and information access to rural regions in the developing world, and in particular technical aspects of wireless networking, systems and communication. This target environment poses unique system-wide challenges that require the development of new research approaches and innovative designs and techniques. These challenges include infrastructure issues, such as power and connectivity limitations, as well as particular user needs, including cost, literacy and language issues. Thus in addition to considering the specifics of networking protocols and architectures, the aim of the workshop is to consider the entire system by which networking and communication is provided, all the key technical stakeholders, and the overall system lifecycle from economic modeling to deployment.
The workshop aims to bring together a diverse group of technical researchers, including:
- network planners and economists,
- user experience researchers,
- network architecture and protocol specialists,
- networked application and middleware developers.