This document discusses how the internet can promote rural development through improved communication and access to information. It describes how rural communities have historically been seen as being at the "last mile" of connectivity, but argues they should instead be viewed as the "first mile" in order to prioritize expanding their access. Radio is highlighted as an important medium for reaching isolated rural communities. The role of telecenters in providing internet access in developing areas is also examined. Geographic information systems are introduced as a tool to analyze spatial data and solve real-world problems.

1. The Internet
and
Rural Development
Presented by:
ENGR. JOHN A. LIWANAG
Masters in Management Engineering
Information & Communication Technology in Industry
2nd Semester 2011-2012
PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Graduate School
Urdaneta City, Panagasinan

2. The Internet & Rural Development
 The Internet is a flexible, decentralized, information-
sharing tool for rural and agricultural development.
Enhanced communication services and
accessibility of information are related to social and
economic development. Rural people, particularly
the food-insecure, must be given the opportunity to
obtain relevant information, to communicate and to
plan their own development efficiently.

3. The First Mile of Connectivity
 This term expresses a more equitable and far less
urban-centric view of the challenge of providing
everyone with the option of connecting themselves
to the rest of the world.
 Rural communities were often referred to as being
at the “last mile of connectivity” which carries a lot
of negative connotations creating the perspective of
an urbanite looking down at the rural margins.

4. The First Mile of Connectivity
 If rural communities are the “first mile,” then the real
challenge for enhancing rural connectivity lies with
the urban-centered governments, businesses and
agencies that have for so long ignored or placated
the desires of rural people to get connected to the
rest of the world.

5. A New Era of Accessibility: or Is It?
 Accessibility has always been important to a lot of
people. Individual access refers to one’s ability to
reach or obtain something desirable, and in the
non-virtual world achieving access – often even
access to information – requires physical mobility.
In both physical and virtual access, one must know
of the existence of a destination that will meet one’s
needs, be aware of how such a destination might
be found, and be able to reach the destination.

6. Rural Radio in the Philippines
 Among many rural folks, radio broadcast media is
considered their “window to the world.” It has the
ability to reach people who are impoverished, ill and
isolated, as well as minorities who have tended to
be ignored and neglected. Radio can cut across
geographic and cultural boundaries, as well.

7. Rural Radio in the Philippines
 Radio provides the needed reach, frequency, and
access to rural and remote areas, making it a
promising, appropriate and powerful tool for
education. In addition, ownership and patronage
among poor households are relatively high
compared to other media forms, particularly in rural
settings.

8. Lessons of Participatory Communication and
Training to Rural Telecenters
 The provision of access to ICTs by rural communities in
developing countries is likely to go through telecenters.
The purpose of these considerations is to ensure that this
development is as effective, efficient, sustainable and
equitable as possible, so that the promise of the
technology becomes a reality – a tool in the hands of
rural people.

9. Lessons of Participatory Communication
and Training to Rural Telecenters
 Telecenters may employ a number of types of ICTs
and offer services such as access to telephones
and fax machines, photocopiers, printing
equipments, e-mail, the Internet and electronic
networking. Telecenters are also a venue in which
new ICTs, such as the Internet, can interface with
conventional ICTs (print, radio and video).

10. Overview of Geographic Information
System
What is Geographic Information?
• Sometimes referred to as Spatial Information;
• Data that involves an aspect of location on the Earth's
surface or near-surface, which is converted to a form
that is meaningful to a user; and
• Built up from facts about the geographic world

11. Overview of Geographic Information
System
Why is it so important?
• Almost all our activities and decisions involve a
geographic component; and
• It helps us better understand the world around.

12. Overview of Geographic Information
System
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
“... a system of hardware, software, and procedures
designed to support the capture, management,
manipulation, analysis, modeling, and display of
spatially referenced data for solving complex
planning and management problems.” --
Rhind(1989)

13. Overview of Geographic Information
System
In simpler terms, GIS is
a set of computer-
based systems for
managing geographic
data and using these
data to solve real-world
spatial problems.

14. Overview of Geographic Information
System
Why is GIS important?
 GIS is a special class of
information systems that
keep track not only of
events, activities and Almost everything that
things, but also of where happens, happens
these events, activities somewhere. Knowing
and things happen or where something
exist; and happens is critically
important.
Longley, Goodchild, Maguire & Rhind
 GIS is about finding
patterns in data and
solving real-world
problems.

15. Overview of Geographic Information
System
Questions GIS can answer
 Location:What is at………….?
 Condition:Where is it………….?
 Trends:What has changed since…………..?
 Patterns:What spatial patterns exists………?
 Modelling:What if……………..?

16. Overview of Geographic Information
System
Traditional method: GIS:
 overlaying thematic maps manually  can take maps from different
to choose areas of coinciding sources and register them easily
constraints and opportunities.
and is consistent in its analysis of
 compilation of facilities data
manually and drafting on large multiple layers of map data.
scale street map bases.  faster than manual methods of
 difficulties with the manual overlay analysis, allowing the flexibility to
method include registering maps try alternate variables in analysis
which may be published at different
scales or projections.
 the more layers of maps included
in the analysis and the more
complex they are, the more the
likelihood of human error entering
the analysis and the longer the
process takes.

17. Overview of Geographic Information System
GIS
provides
ease of
registering
and
analyzing
multiple
map layers.

18. 5 Components of GIS

19. GIS Components
 Hardware
–consists of the computer system on which the
GIS software will run.
–Made up of a configuration of core and
peripheral equipment used for acquisition,
storage, analysis, and display of geographic
information.
–The computer forms the backbone of the GIS
hardware, the heart of which is the Central
Processing Unit (CPU).

20. GIS Components
 Software
–provides the functions and tools needed to
store, analyze, and display geographic
information.
–Examples are ArcView, MapInfo, ARC/Info,
AutoCAD Map, etc.
–Can range from a simple package designed
for a single PC to a major industrial-level
workhorse for an entire group of networked
computers.

21. GIS Components
 Data
–The core of GIS
–May be geographic or tabular/attribute
data
–Attribute data are additional information
that describe the characteristics of
spatial data.

22. GIS Components
People
–GIS users range from technical specialists who
design and maintain the system to those who use it
to help them perform their everyday work.
–Can be classified into three categories:
•Viewers
•General users
•GIS specialists

23. GIS Components
Method
–a successful GIS operates according to a well-
designed plan and business rules, which are the
models and operating practices unique to each
organization.
–various techniques used for map creation and
further usage for any project.

28. THANK YOU!
SOURCES:
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
TRAINING CENTER FOR APPLIED GEODESY
AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY
DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY