Tapping into local lore

Abstract

In this paper we present a context-aware tool designed for mapping and tagging objects and places of importance to rural communities using sensor-enabled mobile devices. These data sets comprise comprehensive models of specific environments which we use for creating interactive visualized knowledge sharing platforms for indigenous knowledge in Southern Africa. The tool was originally created for researchers to efficiently capture large amounts of data in the field, but we realized that true scalability of the approach would only be attained when including local users. The tool has been through multiple design iterations and in-situ evaluations across several locations in Namibia, and this paper presents findings from our research into the feasibility and effectiveness of the tool to capture meaningful localized data in an efficient and scalable way. From this we conclude that it is very promising when used by trained researchers, but that the interface will need to be significantly redesigned and appropriated for local community members.

Technology literacy in poor infrastructure environments

“…Over the recent years, the HCI community has woken up to the realities of developing countries, and witnessed increasing attention to Human Computer Interaction for development, or HCI4D [28,40,30,26]. While initially the focus was on infrastructure-rich settings, and specifically on issues relating to the digital mission of access anytime, anywhere [22], recent research ranges from focusing on qualitative exploratory fieldwork for technology practices in infrastructure-poor settings [2,16,41], introducing new tools in such communities [15,18], to quantitatively assessing knowledge sharing in location-based social Q&A [21].…”