EUP1501
Assignment 3 – Exploring the Internet and ICTs for Development Concepts
Chosen Topic - Exploring the use of voice mail technologies to deliver messages
of public concern to rural communities.
Introduction:
Information communication technologies are so multi-faceted that their use can be adapted
to aid in the solution of almost any problem of social concern. In this essay I will be
exploring some of the unique challenges faced by a non-governmental organisation with
regards to the implementation of voice mail technologies to deliver messages on preventing
pulmonary diseases caused by air pollution. The NGO aims to deliver this information to a
large segment of the local population of a remote district of Lesotho. I will provide some
possible problems that might be encountered in this process and give solutions that might
be applied for their resolution.
1) Hardware Needed: Hardware that will be needed by the producer of the
voice mail, the service provider and the beneficiaries for the capture, storage
and distribution of voice mail messages
Producer: The producer of any mobile audio has to take a few very important factors into
consideration before production can begin. The most important tool for the production of
all digital media is a reliable computer (laptop or desktop) with adequate processing power
needed to process all input, storage and output components simultaneously. Special
emphasis should be placed on random access memory, since the process of recording
happens in real time. Luckily the cost and availability of such a computer has become less of
an obstacle in recent times. Next, the producer will need an audio workstation. AWs are
used to record, edit, mix and master audio. “Digital audio workstations” (DAWs) replace the
need for conventional mixing desks and are essentially controllers that interact with
production software. Again, the quality of publicly available AWs is so good that the most
important consideration for purchasing has become system compatibility. Capturing digital
audio can be very difficult without a microphone designed for the specific purpose of
recording digital audio. The range of products in this category can be intimidating, but the
requirements for voice capture are met by almost all quality microphones. Making sure that
the microphone is compatible with the systems’ AW is the most important consideration.
Another crucial capturing tool that a producer needs is a playback device capable of the
accurate reproduction of the recoded audio. Two choices are available: monitor speakers or
studio headphones. The choice of either is mostly dependant on taste and budget. Moving
on to storage devices, the range of features and functions is so widely varied that capacity,
reliability and system compatibility are the most important factors contributing to the
, choice of a device. Solid state drives are widely considered to be superior to most storage
formats. Cloud backup is always recommended as a secondary storage system. The
International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA), states: “One copy is no
copy” as being the most important guideline for storage of audio-visual content. The last
consideration involved in production is the intended means of distributing the captured
audio. In our example the audio must be consciously produced as a voice message to be
distributed using conventional, possibly outdate, mobile networks. Files should be as small
as possible, but still retain the highest level of audibility. Content should also be correctly
formatted for playback by even the most basic mobile devices.
Service Provider: The second participant in the use of voice mail technologies to deliver
messages of social concern, is the mobile service provider. The service provider is not
necessarily involved in the capturing of the media, but vital in the process of distribution.
There are a couple of hardware requirement needed for effective mobile telephony. Mobile
phones are essentially two-way radio systems that use microwave antennas mounted on
base transceiver stations to send and receive radio signals. This comes with some inherent
limitations influenced by various external factors such as; topography, magnetic
interference and interference caused by the simultaneous uncoordinated use of the same
frequency. Mobile switching centres are the next hardware requirement for service
providers. MSCs are essential for managing base station activity and providing a connection
to existing public telephone networks. MSCs are vital to the functioning of any mobile
network as they house systems failure safeguards. Backup power and duplicate circuits are
the most important tools to prevent possible systems failures. The service providers
hardware requirements also include data storage infrastructures. Well maintained, secure
facilities are required for the housing of cloud backup servers, commonly used by cellular
service providers. Unfortunately, hardware requirements pertaining to specific purposes or
outcomes are rarely considered in developing countries. Organisations responsible for
mobile communication to aid social development in these regions have to design their
products to be compatible with existing systems infrastructure and not the other way
around. Voice mail is thankfully a very basic operational function the can be seamlessly
executed by even the simplest or most antiquated mobile telephony hardware.
Beneficiaries: The last stop in distribution of lifesaving information, using voice mail
messaging as its medium of communication, is the individual whose quality of life could
ultimately improve by receiving information. If factors that might prevent access to
broadcasted media by the intended recipients are carefully considered by producers and
service providers, beneficiaries should have no hardware requirements other than a device
able to connect to a cellular network, keeping in mind that device batteries should be
regularly charged, and its’ operating systems software kept updated. The cost of even the
most basic mobile device is undoubtably a deterrent to low income individuals. Although
prices are rarely determined by consumers, there have been positive developments toward
making communications hardware available to lower income users. Recent legal battles by
Assignment 3 – Exploring the Internet and ICTs for Development Concepts
Chosen Topic - Exploring the use of voice mail technologies to deliver messages
of public concern to rural communities.
Introduction:
Information communication technologies are so multi-faceted that their use can be adapted
to aid in the solution of almost any problem of social concern. In this essay I will be
exploring some of the unique challenges faced by a non-governmental organisation with
regards to the implementation of voice mail technologies to deliver messages on preventing
pulmonary diseases caused by air pollution. The NGO aims to deliver this information to a
large segment of the local population of a remote district of Lesotho. I will provide some
possible problems that might be encountered in this process and give solutions that might
be applied for their resolution.
1) Hardware Needed: Hardware that will be needed by the producer of the
voice mail, the service provider and the beneficiaries for the capture, storage
and distribution of voice mail messages
Producer: The producer of any mobile audio has to take a few very important factors into
consideration before production can begin. The most important tool for the production of
all digital media is a reliable computer (laptop or desktop) with adequate processing power
needed to process all input, storage and output components simultaneously. Special
emphasis should be placed on random access memory, since the process of recording
happens in real time. Luckily the cost and availability of such a computer has become less of
an obstacle in recent times. Next, the producer will need an audio workstation. AWs are
used to record, edit, mix and master audio. “Digital audio workstations” (DAWs) replace the
need for conventional mixing desks and are essentially controllers that interact with
production software. Again, the quality of publicly available AWs is so good that the most
important consideration for purchasing has become system compatibility. Capturing digital
audio can be very difficult without a microphone designed for the specific purpose of
recording digital audio. The range of products in this category can be intimidating, but the
requirements for voice capture are met by almost all quality microphones. Making sure that
the microphone is compatible with the systems’ AW is the most important consideration.
Another crucial capturing tool that a producer needs is a playback device capable of the
accurate reproduction of the recoded audio. Two choices are available: monitor speakers or
studio headphones. The choice of either is mostly dependant on taste and budget. Moving
on to storage devices, the range of features and functions is so widely varied that capacity,
reliability and system compatibility are the most important factors contributing to the
, choice of a device. Solid state drives are widely considered to be superior to most storage
formats. Cloud backup is always recommended as a secondary storage system. The
International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA), states: “One copy is no
copy” as being the most important guideline for storage of audio-visual content. The last
consideration involved in production is the intended means of distributing the captured
audio. In our example the audio must be consciously produced as a voice message to be
distributed using conventional, possibly outdate, mobile networks. Files should be as small
as possible, but still retain the highest level of audibility. Content should also be correctly
formatted for playback by even the most basic mobile devices.
Service Provider: The second participant in the use of voice mail technologies to deliver
messages of social concern, is the mobile service provider. The service provider is not
necessarily involved in the capturing of the media, but vital in the process of distribution.
There are a couple of hardware requirement needed for effective mobile telephony. Mobile
phones are essentially two-way radio systems that use microwave antennas mounted on
base transceiver stations to send and receive radio signals. This comes with some inherent
limitations influenced by various external factors such as; topography, magnetic
interference and interference caused by the simultaneous uncoordinated use of the same
frequency. Mobile switching centres are the next hardware requirement for service
providers. MSCs are essential for managing base station activity and providing a connection
to existing public telephone networks. MSCs are vital to the functioning of any mobile
network as they house systems failure safeguards. Backup power and duplicate circuits are
the most important tools to prevent possible systems failures. The service providers
hardware requirements also include data storage infrastructures. Well maintained, secure
facilities are required for the housing of cloud backup servers, commonly used by cellular
service providers. Unfortunately, hardware requirements pertaining to specific purposes or
outcomes are rarely considered in developing countries. Organisations responsible for
mobile communication to aid social development in these regions have to design their
products to be compatible with existing systems infrastructure and not the other way
around. Voice mail is thankfully a very basic operational function the can be seamlessly
executed by even the simplest or most antiquated mobile telephony hardware.
Beneficiaries: The last stop in distribution of lifesaving information, using voice mail
messaging as its medium of communication, is the individual whose quality of life could
ultimately improve by receiving information. If factors that might prevent access to
broadcasted media by the intended recipients are carefully considered by producers and
service providers, beneficiaries should have no hardware requirements other than a device
able to connect to a cellular network, keeping in mind that device batteries should be
regularly charged, and its’ operating systems software kept updated. The cost of even the
most basic mobile device is undoubtably a deterrent to low income individuals. Although
prices are rarely determined by consumers, there have been positive developments toward
making communications hardware available to lower income users. Recent legal battles by
