There is some debate between the merits of Web based “Online” databases verse stand alone “Offline” databases for International NGOs. Online databases store all their information on a central server, while Offline databases store all of their information on the computer of the person using the database. I agree that online databases have a number of distinct advantages:
They allow information to be much more easily shared.
The information is easier to back up.
They don’t require any software to be installed in the user’s computer.
They are much easier to upgrade (Only the software on the server needs to be upgraded).
There are no conflicts from people editing the same records at different time.
As a colleague of mine pointed out, Online databases are the “Future”. However they also have one very major constraint – they rely on an Internet connection. Considering this constraint, in the developing world they are still “The Future” and not yet “The Present”.
Feeling the draw of a new city to explore I embarked on an expedition to see as much of Harbin as possible in a day. I set off armed with only a map with no English, my Lonely Planet and three words in Chinese: ni hao – hello, xei xei – thank you and shaguar(sp?) – handsome young man (don’t ask). Here are the tales from my encounters…
I loved the juxtaposition of the Buddhist temple and ferris wheel.
Harbin is very far north, and has a considerable Russian influence, such as this church (St Sophia) and the copious amounts of vodka for sale. Read the rest of this entry
I’ve been struggling to find time to update my blog in the aftermath of my trip to China, but I’ve finally got a spare moment. This will be the first post of hopefully many.
The main reason/excuse for this trip was to attend the ISCRAM (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management) – China Workshop, where I was presenting my paper in Developing Databases for Disasters in Developing Countries. The workshop was held the in Harbin Engineering University. Unfortunately I suffered from the same communication difficulties at the conference as I found during the rest of my time in China (despite the language of the conference being English). This meant I didn’t have many good conversations with the (majority) Chinese attendants. However this did give me the chance to talk to some of the foreign keynote speakers, which was very interesting and useful.
One person I met was Chamindra de Silva, who works on Sahana, an Open-Source Disaster Management Software system. Although I’ve been aware of this project for some time, it was good to finally met him in person, and have him show me through the software. Although I think that there are a number of usability features which they need to address (the Online vs Offline issue for example), I believe that open source-software is a very good approach in this field, and hope to get involved in the project – I’ve just got to find the time!
Other points of note include the Chinese keynote speakers, who were translated into English. The non-Chinese attendees received the translation from an earpiece via a radio broadcast. Unfortunately during the first half of one of these speeches, the broadcast didn’t work. I found this a slightly amusing example of how we can’t afford to be too over-reliant on technology, let alone during a crisis!
I had some more conversations about what technology is appropriate in emergency response. Nuwan, one of the attendees working for LIRNEasia in Sri Lanka, told a story about a woman in Sri Lanka who just used a whiteboard to coordinate the relief effort to the 2004 Tsunami. I pointed out that a whiteboard is still technology (high tech when compared with stone tablets), and that in emergencies people will tend to just use the technology which they are familiar with.
I also found myself chairing a session on Mathematical Modeling. The presentations discussed predicting financial crisis’s, which was a slight change from my perception of crises as tsunamis and earthquakes. I did point out to the session that the same techniques might be able to be used for predicting complex emergencies too. It was interesting to be the only non-Chinese in the session, yet have the speakers deliver their presentation in English. After all, it was the language of the conference. Never-the-less when it came time for questions a few people did slip back into Chinese.
I’ve barely been here 12 hours, but the Great Firewall of China is preventing me from blogging – so why not!
My trip here was slightly hectic. I had to catch four flights from Banda Aceh, but my second flight got delayed by 2 hours (never again will I use a AirAsia), as a result I missed my connection. Fortunately I was only held up for one day in Kuala Lumpur, and managed to reschedule my flights to Beijing then to Harbin for the next day and still arrive in time for the conference I’m attending.
I’m still coming to grips with my initial impressions here. From what I’ve seen so far, China is very much a developed country. However I’ll see how this opinion holds up after I spend some time in the congested mass of Beijing. It’s definitely different to the developing countries I’ve been to, but part of this could just be the difficulty in communication. Everything’s written in Chinese (funny that) and people don’t seem to speak any English. I have to hold myself back from trying to communicate in Indonesian!
I’ve met a few of the conference attendees, and already had some interesting discussions. I’ll see how it goes once it gets into full swing tomorrow.
I had the chance to have a look around Harbin (a small city of 4 million people in the north). Belly and Wong Wei who were student volunteers with the conference guided me around some of Harbin.
I’m posting a paper which I prepared for a ISCRAM (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management) Workshop in China which I am going to this week.
ABSTRACT
Databases are an important tool for International Non Government Organizations (INGOs) to use for disaster management. However they are only a component of a larger information system, and must correspond to the useful information which people can collect practically. Determining how a database records information is an important consideration. Flexible data entry allows the user to enter more detailed information and respond to changing circumstances. However fixed options simplify the data entry process and allow information to be analyzed more easily. All stakeholders must be involved to implement a database, and their feedback is vital for the continued improvement of the system. INGO head offices need to support the development of software in field locations, as this is where the context is best understood. If this is done, databases have the potential to empower staff with information.
I’m a big fan of the TED (Technology, Engineering, Design), which is an annual conference. Although attendance costs $6000, all of the presentations are available online, and can be downloaded. The latest presentation by Hans Rosling is a gem (It’s 20 minutes long, but well worth it, especially for the surprise at the end). Hans Rosling was initially a doctor, has worked in Africa, and is involved in international development. One of his focuses is development statistics, and making them more accessible.
On Saturday, 2 Europeans, 2 Americans, 4 Aussies, 2 Kiwis and a South African, a fellowship of sorts, headed off into the jungle in search of a far away beach.
Though the journey was perilous, fraught with dangers of the jungles and wrong turns, our trusty guide (the other Kiwi) managed to lead us to the beach (see video), via a “scenic detour” to a particular stream.
Four different beds in four different days, but I’m finally back “home” in Banda Aceh. Changing countries has become a certain ritual. First I change the time zones in my watch, phone and computer (my body is still lagging a little this time). Then I change my SIM card. Then the cash in my wallet gets changed over. Finally I change over my power adapters and I’m ready to plug into a different country.
The past month has gone too fast, although I’ve prefer it to the previous month where I was stuck in a rut, constantly behind my computer, programming.
A month ago I started the roll out for the warehousing module of the supply chain management database I have been developing. My life went from a monotonous routine of every day behind the computer, to a cross country adventure, working with different people in different locations.
I started in the Warehouse just out of Banda Aceh (surrounded by rice paddy fields), because that was where I was based. The biggest challenge was cataloguing all of the “Gado-Gado”. Gado-Gado is an Indonesian salad, with all sorts of vegetables thrown in, covered in peanut sauce. The storekeeper used the term to refer to all of the random, disused, broken and unknown items in the warehouse, particularly left over from the emergency response to the tsunami. This is a problem I’ve seen in other warehouses. Unless you keep good track of what’s in the warehouse, and who it belongs to, the items will be unutilized and wasted. Hopefully the database I developed can help.
August 30th, 2007
