SIRCA Final Research Conference: Global Dialogue on ICT for Development
Date: 16-17 April 2011
Venue: Millennium Resort Patong Phuket, Thailand
About the Conference
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have had a profound impact on the socio-economic, political and cultural spheres of nations. The result is that there is growing interest to incorporate ICTs to achieve key development goals in the domains of health, education, livelihoods, and gender empowerment.
The “Global Dialogue on ICT for Development” brought together specialists from academia, industry, social welfare organisations and government to discuss and debate ideas to resolve challenges in the field of ICTD. It was a great opportunity to network and collaborate with researchers and scholars in the field of ICTD.
Emerging researchers from eight countries in Asia presented their papers on pertinent issues surrounding the use of ICTs for development in livelihood, education, employment, health and the environment. These sessions provided an overview of the type of projects that are part of the Strengthening ICT Research Capacity in Asia (SIRCA) grant programme administered by the Singapore Internet Research Centre (SIRC), under the auspices of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada.
The “Global Dialogue on ICT for Development” coincided with the launch of the Media Asia journal, Vol. 38, No. 1. The aim of this special issue is to publish cutting-edge research in the area of ICTD in Asia. The special issue seeks to publish findings and exchange knowledge on broad-based high-quality multidisciplinary research in ICT development, e-services, new media use and social impact, and policy for the benefit and advancement of individuals, organisations, nation and society.
For more information, please view the SIRCA Conference Programme.
Presentations made at the event are available for download:
- Agricultural market information services: Implications on the rural community in Bangladesh (Sirajul Islam)
- Empowerment of farming communities through the use of ICTs: A study in the Indian Himalayan region (V.L.V. Kameswari)
- Mobile phone application development for rural Cambodia (Phal Des)
- Lifeline online: E-counseling and the well-being of overseas Filipino workers and their families (Regina Hechanova)
- Internet for learning and knowledge building: Students’ perceptions and utilization in Cambodian higher education (Peou Chivoin)
- The Filipino blogosphere: An emerging alternative venue for political participation in the Philippines (Grace Mirandilla)
- Erosion and landslide hazard mapping in Vietnam (Huynh Van Chuong)
- An impact assessment framework to evaluate ICT-led development projects in Bangladesh (Mahfuz Ashraf)
- Nature of work, quality of employment and working conditions in ICT sector: A case of India (Balwant Singh Mehta)
- Communities, participation and technology in India (T.B. Dinesh)
- Evaluating the impact of the One Laptop Per Child project on the psychological empowerment of primary school children in rural India (Komathi Ale)
- Acculturation of migrants in work sector: Identifying the facilitative role of mobile phones (Rajiv Aricat)
- Mobile phones for healthcare in rural Thailand (Thanomwong Poorisat)