CS294-12:
An Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Framework for Developing Regions

UC Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon University

Wed 11-2 in 290 Hearst Mining
CCN: 27274

Eric A. Brewer, Prof. of Computer Science
Richard Newton, Dean of the College of Engineering
Tom Kalil, Special Assistant to the Chancellor

CMU Instructors:

- Prof. Raj Reddy, Robotics Institute/Computer Science
- Rahul Tongia, Institute For Software Research International
- M. Bernardine Dias, Robotics Institute

Note: See the Expanded Course Description

This Special Topics course explores the key research and deployment issues for novel Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for the world's poorer 4 billion people who today lack access to modern technologies and infrastructure. Although there are a number of technologies that are a part of development, we focus on ICT.

Looking beyond digital divide issues, which are important, we consider ICT to be an enabler of sustainable development. Hence, we will study the intersection of technology, policy, and business issues related to ICT and sustainable development. The course is jointly taught at the University of California Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Washington via videoconferencing, and will include several guest lecturers from a wide variety of backgrounds relevant to the discourse.

Although listed in computer science, we are encouraging advanced undergraduates and graduates in social science, business, regional planning, public policy to take the course as well.

The course will address:

• Applications of IT that can address challenges in developing countries related to economic growth, poverty reduction, health, education, governance, environment, etc.
• New technologies that meet some of the unique requirements of developing countries (e.g. low-cost, low-power, user interfaces that support populations with low levels of literacy)
• Economic and social context

Draft Syllabus

Presentations and Reading List

Grassroots ICT Projects in India: Some Preliminary Hypotheses
Serving the World's Poor, Profitably [Harvard Business Review, Sep 2002]
What Works: Serving the Poor, Profitably [optional longer version from Markle, WRI] [pdf]
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid (another Prahalad and Hart article; from strategy+business issue 26)

Lecture notes: PowerPoint, PDF  

Reading List [Microcapitalism paper]

This is all background reading; it varies in technical depth...
Internet Overview
Internet Address Space Issues
Scientific_American article on wireless and cell phones
802.11 Primer
(reference) calculator for WiFi range
Ericsson MiniGSM
Satellite overview
Telkom South Africa Case Study (from vendor)

Reading List

Economics Primer - to be used for the upcoming homework

http://www.ce.cmu.edu/pmbook/06_Economic_Evaluation_of_Facility_Investments.html

This is a book chapter that deals with investments and economic evaluation in a construction sense, but the principles apply universally. Feel free to skim some sections, but do read 6.l - 6.6 and parts of 6.8 and 6.9. Some later sections also get into taxes and tax shields. Some of you might already know the material, in which case this should be a quick refresher.

• Jim Fruchterman, President and CEO, The Benetech Initiative (benetech.org)
• Ronni Goldfarb, Executive Director, (equalaccess.org) 
• Martin J. Fisher, Technical Director, ApproTec.org 
• William D. Unger, Partner Emeritus, Mayfield Fund
  

Healthcare and ICT - This is from a workshop CMU hosted on IT and Sustainable Development, with active partcipation of all the faculty.

http://www.developmentgateway.com/node/595233/dg-contribute/item-detail?item%5fid=328593&version%5fid=195936&return%5furl=%2fnode%2f595233%2fbrowser%2f%3fkeyword%255flist%3d605203%26country%255flist%3d0

This paper is Dr. Henry Mosley's talk, about alternative structures for handling healthcare, in that the family and women especially are critical; it talks less on technology. FYI, http://www.developmentgateway.com/itsd has general info on the workshop.