The problem with mobiles in emergencies…

Is that they often don’t work.

This photo of my mobile phone’s screen was taken around two and a half hours after a powerful bomb rocked Nugegoda, a suburb in Colombo, killing around 17 and injured over 30. It was Sri Lanka’s second bomb for the day. I live around 3 minutes away from the place where the bomb went off in Nugegoda and had just returned home when I heard the sound of the explosion.

Notice the icon between battery power level indicator and the Bluetooth icon? It’s been like that for the past two hours.

I received three SMS news alerts on the Nugegoda incident between 6pm – 7pm. One from JNW, two from Ada Derana. At 9.08pm I received 7 SMS’s in quick succession (possibly after network congestion eased up) from both JNW and Ada Derana, with updates on casualties and news that all schools in the Western Province were to be closed on the 29th and 30th.

However, for around two hours after the bomb went off in Nugegoda, not a single SMS went out from my phone. Also from 6pm to 8pm, not a single call (to mobile as well as land lines) I tried was patched through. While I was able to sporadically get messages, incoming and outgoing voice and outgoing SMS communications were completely off the air.

Thought there’s been more than a little emphasis on the potential of mobiles to help emergency response and facilitate the dissemination of vital news and information during emergencies in Sri Lanka, my own experience suggests that there is still some way to go before we can rely on them completely as devices resilient to sudden surges in network traffic. However, as the first images from the incident demonstrate, mobiles increasingly used by eye witnesses and even victims to record the incident through camera phone photos.

As some countries have priority to emergency response SMSs, I wonder if the same be done with news alerts, given that their use / subscriber base seems to be expanding with new Sinhala and Tamil based SMS news services entering the market?

What did you experience when you tried to send an SMS or call today or an emergency in the past?

P.S. Interestingly, my usually glacial paced ADSL connection from SLT (the Nugegoda exchange can’t be more than 50m from where the bomb went off) worked perfectly throughout the incident. Bizarrely, I got a data rate of around 215Kb/s at around 7pm, which is about the rate I get on Sundays and Public Holidays. Can’t figure that one out – maybe everybody in Nugegoda offices just logged off and scrambled home?

Dialog: Listening to customers?

I first expressed reservations about Dialog’s recently introduced WiMax service on Lirneasia’s blog, which has some interesting responses after my comment that call in general for a more rigorous study of the Quality of Service of “broadband” service providers in Sri Lanka (that I seem to recall Lirneasia was interested in doing, though I may be wrong).

Later, I wrote a post based on a letter I wrote to Dialog that brought out in detail the gross disconnect between what was then promised in the media blitz surrounding their WiMax campaign and what I many others, it turns out, experienced in areas that were ostensibly “covered”.

I’m happy to note that as of this week, the ads I’ve seen on Wimax (in the Daily Mirror) have added a new line that clearly indicates that connectivity is subject to site tests even in areas that are “covered”. As I wrote to Dialog’s Head of Marketing via SMS:

“Note with appreciation the caveat introduced in the wimax ads now, that access is subject to testing in each location. I think this is honest and instructive and only wish you had gone with this in the first instance. Thank you and best, Sanjana”

to which his response was:

“Thanks. As I said before we are an organization who listens to the pulse of the customers as much as we can. We always appreciate honest and direct feedback. Thank you once again.”

Though I am STILL waiting to be blown away by Dialog’s Wimax speeds, it’s heartening to note that someone listens to feedback at Dialog.

Dialog’s customer support, however, is another story and perhaps warrants another post (though I’m waiting to see if anything improves as a result of a letter I sent to them before going public). But a heads up to anyone from Dialog who reads this – your stock email response, which is rather inane because it is sent out unthinkingly by customer service reps irrespective of the precise nature of the issue brought to their notice, is not just factually incorrect (as was the case with the response I got) but also grammatically incorrect.

And I for one think it’s rather perverse to actually be charged for a phone call made to a service centre.

Clearly, exponential growth in market share has its own trappings.

Vint Cerf on ICT and Development: “If ever a technology defined an era of human development, ICT has that role in the 21st Century”

Speaking on the role of private, public and civil society in an interview with GKP, Google’s Vint Cerf goes on to explain how each can contribute to the exploitation of new ICTs for building and sharing Knowledge for Development purposes:

“The public sector (governments) have the opportunity to set policies and to support research that can lead to more rapid proliferation of ICT access and use. It can also lead by acquiring products and services that stimulate the use of ICT in government. Such uses can include provision of services to citizens via ICT as well as intra-governmental applications.”

The private sector can help to develop products and services based on ICT for use by government, business and residential users. It can engage in competitive investment and development of new ICT products and services and it can be active in the development of standards to achieve interoperability in the context of competition, to the advantage of users.”

Civil society can participate in the development of policies favoring the use of ICT, protecting a competitive environment for the private sector that favors domestic and international investment in ICT. Civil society also has the opportunity to collaborate with the other sectors to develop policies that protect privacy of individuals while at the same time empowering governments to protect against the abuse of ICT (spam, fraud, denial of services, viruses, worms, Trojan horses and so on).” 

Cerf goes on to say:

“I believe that information technology has the potential to open up a world of information to those who have been denied access in the past owing to lacking infrastructure or weak economic conditions.”

but fails to flesh ot his own position on Google’s internet censorship.

Journalism in Second Life – CNN enters the fray

First it was media such as The Metaverse Messenger. Then Reuters. Now CNN enters the world of journalism within Second Life by opening an iReport centre in Second Life:

Just as CNN asks its real-life audience to submit I-Reports — user-generated content submitted from cell phones, computers, cameras and other equipment for broadcast and online reports — the network is encouraging residents of Second Life to share their own “SL I-Reports” about events occurring within the virtual world.”The thing we most hope to gain by having a CNN presence in Second Life is to learn about virtual worlds and understand what news is most interesting and valuable to their residents,” said Susan Grant, executive vice president of CNN News Services.

Also check out CNN’s blog on SL iReports here. In a previous post on journalism in Second Life, I ask:

There are a number of interesting questions that crop up for reflection. Do real world standards of journalism apply in publications such as The Metaverse Messenger? Are consumers of The Metaverse Messenger rising even as subscribers to newspapers decline? In the future, can we envision communities who may be more interested in news of online / virtual events more than real world issues? How do media such as The Metaverse Messenger fit into the social / new / community media paradigm? If the year-on-year exponential growth in MMORPG’s continues, the millions of those who inhabit the worlds of these games may create media that is only understood by fellow inhabitants – using new media (podcasts, blogs, mobile content etc) to communicate issues that may only exist online?

But most importantly, how is the media industry going to address the challenges of audience fragmentation between real and virtual worlds?Reading through The Metaverse Messenger is an eye-opener. This is not some school magazine trying to look and sound like a mainstream newspaper, this is actually news of worlds, lives, issues, events and business that exists in virtual domains today.If the future of media is to be explored, publications such as The Metaverse Messenger and indeed, the plethora of new media on MMORPG’s and the lives of those who treat them as seriously as real life need to be examined in far greater detail.

Second Life journalism – hype or a harbinger of things to come?

GKP Panel – Pushing the envelop: New Media, Citizens Journalism, Human Rights and Development

Despite a degree of skepticism about the event, in which I am not alone, I helped design and will moderate a panel for the 3rd Global Knowledge Conference organized by Global Knowledge Partnership.

Pushing the envelop: New Media, Citizens Journalism, Human Rights and Development

• Moderator: Sanjana Hattotuwa
• Panelists: Dan Gillmore, Ory Okolloh, Steven Gan, (plus Al Jazeera representative tbc)
• Session Lead and Rapporteur: Sharmini Boyle

This panel brings together key thought leaders and innovators in new media and citizen’s journalism to explore the intersection of traditional and new media and the opportunities and challenges this presents to support human rights and media freedom – especially in countries with violent and repressive regimes.

Key questions explored by this panel will be:

• Are citizens journalism and new media mere buzzwords or do they really make a difference compared to the reach and impact of traditional media?
• Does censorship that traditional media is often subjected apply any differently to new media and citizens journalism?
• Placed in harm’s way for the content one produces or showcases, how resilient is citizens journalism in the face of regimes that attack human rights defenders and media freedom?
• Broadband is a pre-requisite for most new media. Is the new media revolution exacerbating the digital divide? How much can we generalise on the potential of new media to strengthen sustainable development as well as political and human rights issues?
• Is new media more or less reflecting the imbalances in old media (gender related, for example) or is it more representative and equitable?
• YouTube and SecondLife play a visible role in the mainstream party politics of some countries – is it a sign of things to come and what are the possibilities it presents for the future?
• What does the future hold? Will the new media in 2015 look, feel and sound like?

More details here.

Mobile phones and SMS help vital information flows in beleaguered Pakistan

From Ken Banks came news today of how mobiles phones and SMS were helping vital information flows in a country under draconian military rule, both within communities in the country as well as with locals and the international community. 

Added to the fears that the internet may be taken offline in the weeks ahead (this hasn’t happened  in Pakistan yet) and the growing concerns over the clampdown of independent media in Pakistan, a coalition of various non-profit organizations, left-wing political parties, NGOs and human rights organizations, labour and trade-union federations, academics, students, and concerned citizens was formed as an umbrella group to resist the ‘emergency’ in Pakistan. It was decided to deploy SMS to aid efforts in getting factual/accurate information flowing in a two-way manner for the people by the people, from reliable sources embedded in various locations to the masses and those concerned overseas. This information was designed to feed to and from international sources, such as student-organized peace rallies and movements in places like Washington DC and national marches by the ABA (American Bar Association) to the Supreme Court of the US, to events in the UK and elsewhere, as well as collect messages of support from leaders of parties. With the use of print or traditional broadcast media out of the question, the groups turned to text messaging. Not only is SMS accessible by citizens in Pakistan, it also provides a channel to report and provide information to others overseas. 

 Read the full case study on the Frontline SMS website here. 

Prevention Web: a new tool to increase knowledge on disaster risk reduction

The UN/ISDR secretariat is launching PreventionWeb.net, a new website for increasing knowledge sharing on disaster risk reduction (DRR) issues, for both the general public – including media and teachers – and DRR specialists, on 15 November.

“Information and knowledge are key to reducing disasters, and this new tool will facilitate the sharing of information, expertise and experience. Prevention Web will be a reference for experts, practitioners and all people interested in building resilience to natural hazards,” said Salvano Briceño, Director of the UN/ISDR secretariat in Geneva.

For the first time, a website will provide a common tool for both specialists and non-specialists interested or working in the area of disaster risk reduction (DRR) to connect, exchange experiences and share information at all levels of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction:  local to global, UN, international and non-governmental organizations to citizens and companies. Prevention Web is a product of many months of user research, information architecture, visual and technical design, and testing, to meet the needs of target audiences in this field.

Prevention Web relies on contributions from the DRR community and includes: disaster risk reduction news, country reports, publications, good practices, fact sheets, networks and communities, and more. The beta release period will emphasize content development by calling for contributions from the community at large – UN, international, non-governmental, academic, and civil society partners. The website will be managed by a dedicated team of seven information managers between Geneva, Panama City, Nairobi, Cairo, Bangkok, Kobe and Bonn.

DRR practitioners are invited to submit their contents online at: www.preventionweb.net/english/submit/

Craig Duncan, senior coordinator of the project, said “Prevention Web is expected to become an indispensable tool for practitioners working to build the resilience of nations and communities to disasters, much like Relief Web has served the humanitarian response community in the effective delivery of emergency assistance.”

For more about the project, visit: www.preventionweb.net/english/about/ or contact: Craig Duncan, duncanc@un.org. Prevention Web will organize a press briefing later this year to explain to media and the public at large how they can use the tool to facilitate their coverage and understanding of disasters.

Reuters breaking news alerts no more on Dialog

Seems that Reuters has pulled out of offering SMS news alerts and information bulletins through Dialog.

Dialog is now advertising Ada Derana, from the TV station Derana, as a replacement though to date, I’ve received many SMS’s from Ada Derana asking me to await breaking news alerts, none have been forthcoming.

The last I reviewed Reuters and Sri Lanka’s first SMS based news alerts service, JasmineNewswires, was when they both reported an incident in  Yala National Park.

Rumour has it that there was a question of censorship involved in Reuters decision to pull out of offering breaking news alerts through Dialog.

If true, and given that telcos in Sri Lanka covertly support the censorship of news and information, the implications are quite disturbing for mobiles as a vehicle of dialogues (no pun intended) that critique propaganda and offer alternative perspectives on war and conflict.

Dialog Wimax advertisements vs. reality

The following is the text of an email sent to Dialog today on what I see as a misleading marketing campaign made worse by customer service staff who themselves know not exactly what is going on.

This is an issue I first flagged on Lirneasia’s blog.

Dear Sir / Madam,

I wish to lodge an official complaint against misleading Dialog Broadband advertisements as they have appeared recently in the print media. The advertisements claim that Nugegoda, which falls under the Colombo Metro area, is “covered”. An example of such an advertisement can be found in The Sunday Times of 11th November 2007 on page 9.

However, I live in Nugegoda and two technical teams from Dialog who have visited me over the past fortnight have not even managed to get a signal from your transponder in Nugegoda. In fact, the customer service representative I was in touch with (Zubair) himself did not know that coverage was limited and was as surprised as I was to find out this when told by the technical team that visited my residence in the first instance.

To register my disappointment at the discrepancy between what is promised in the media and what is actually available from Dialog Broadband today, I spoke with customer service representative Pradeep Balachandran on 0117 400 400 at 8.30am today (11th Nov. 2007) who informed me that:

a) Coverage in Nugegoda was limited to a 3km radius. When asked what the exact footprint was, he said he did not know where the Wimax transmission tower was located.
b) When I asked to lodge a complaint regarding an advertisement that was misleading the public, he said that I could not. Dialog, he said, defined coverage / “covered” as the 3km radius in Nugegoda (when pressed again, he said he did not know exactly what area this was and how reliable services were).
c) He had no idea when coverage would be extended

Coverage that covers only a 3km radius, of which the exact footprint is unknown even to Dialog Broadband customer service representatives, runs contrary to the impression given in the advertisements that make no mention of limited coverage of any other limiting technical factors that impede signals in the areas mentioned and promise immediate connectivity.

In fact, this is a clear misrepresentation of service availability and by extension an example of a marketing campaign that is at best grossly misleading.

Given an admiration of Dialog in general and as a long standing customer of and advocate for your mobile voice and data services, I find this extremely disappointing and contrary to the Dialog’s avowed values of professionalism and customer care.

Best regards,

Sanjana

Second Life avatars aren’t as eco-friendly / carbon neutral as first thought?

Anuradha Vittachi’s presentation at the United Nations OCHA +5 Symposium mentioned that each flight killed a child. She then went on to demonstrate the potential of Second Life to cut down on air travel by meetings in sims and showcased OneClimate Island that will have virtual events running in parallel to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, 3 – 14 December 2007. As noted here,

OneClimate.net is supported by Cisco Systems. Adrian Godfrey, Director of Corporate Affairs at Cisco, says: “We are delighted to be supporting OneClimate.net as a global initiative that brings together Cisco’s commitment to tackle climate change and to utilising the power of the human network to make a difference.”

OneClimate.net links directly through to OneClimate Island, built by OneWorld within the 3D virtual world of Second Life.

“It will come into its own when the United Nations meets on December 3-14 to hold its Climate Summit. We will be opening a virtual window on events in Bali for anyone in the world who can access Second Life. But unlike its Real Life equivalent – and appropriately for a climate change conference – it will produce no travel-related carbon emissions.”

Emphasis mine.

On the other hand, in Avatars consume as much electricity as Brazilians, Nicholas Carr writes:

So an avatar consumes 1,752 kWh per year. By comparison, the average human, on a worldwide basis, consumes 2,436 kWh per year. So there you have it: an avatar consumes a bit less energy than a real person, though they’re in the same ballpark.

Now, if we limit the comparison to developed countries, where per-capita energy consumption is 7,702 kWh a year, the avatars appear considerably less energy hungry than the humans. But if we look at developing countries, where per-capita consumption is 1,015 kWh, we find that avatars burn through considerably more electricity than people do.

More narrowly still, the average citizen of Brazil consumes 1,884 kWh, which, given the fact that my avatar estimate was rough and conservative, means that your average Second Life avatar consumes about as much electricity as your average Brazilian.

In a comment on this post, Sun’s Dave Douglas takes the calculations another step, translating electricity consumption into CO2 emissions. (Carbon dioxide, he notes, “is the most prevalent greenhouse gas from the production of electricity.”) He writes: “looking at CO2 production, 1,752 kWH/year per avatar is about 1.17 tons of CO2. That’s the equivalent of driving an SUV around 2,300 miles (or a Prius around 4,000).” 

So while Anuradha was correct to emphasise the fact that meetings in OneClimate Island in Second Life will not result in any travel related carbon emissions (which is not to be scoffed at), it also seems to be true just using Second Life has a very real environmental footprint.

Or does it?

Carr’s findings are hotly contested in the comments and read in particular the comment by Markus Breuer on May 19, 2007 at 5:49 AM.

Whatever the case, I’ve long since argued that Second Life holds great potential, in the right circumstances, for Online Dispute Resolution (ODR). If it means that in some way it’s use cuts down on carbon emissions through the reduction of air-travel, then I guess it’s all the more reason to promote it as a platform for serious work and collaboration.