Internet Access Points Research Articles

Trajectory-Based Statistical Forwarding for Multihop Infrastructure-to-Vehicle Data Delivery

This paper proposes Trajectory-based Statistical Forwarding (TSF) scheme, tailored for the multihop data delivery from infrastructure nodes (e.g., Internet access points) to moving vehicles in vehicular ad hoc networks. To our knowledge, this paper presents the first attempt to investigate how to effectively utilize the packet destination vehicle's trajectory for such an infrastructure-to-vehicle data delivery. This data delivery is performed through the computation of a target point based on the destination vehicle's trajectory that is an optimal rendezvous point of the packet and the destination vehicle. TSF forwards packets over multihop to a selected target point where the vehicle is expected to pass by. Such a target point is selected optimally to minimize the packet delivery delay while satisfying the required packet delivery probability. The optimality is achieved analytically by utilizing the packet's delivery delay distribution and the destination vehicle's travel delay distribution. Through theoretical analysis and extensive simulation, it is shown that our design provides an efficient data forwarding under a variety of vehicular traffic conditions.

THE COMMON CHALLENGES OF MOBILE INTERNET FOR UP-COMING GENERATION

In this survey we concentrate on the mobile internet. Our main focus on mobile internet in two different cases of fixed connection which is provided by the telecommunication network provider and the second one is the wireless network which is getting from internet access point can be home network, Education campus .etc; in this case we also would like to discuss about network layer (protocols and Transport layer protocols).

INCLUSÃO DIGITAL EM TELECENTROS E LAN HOUSES: AS NOVAS DINÂMICAS ESPACIAIS DECORRENTES DOS CENTROS PÚBLICOS DE ACESSO À INTERNET NA PERIFERIA DE PORTO ALEGRE/RS

A Internet tem proporcionado uma quantidade significativa de transformações na sociedade e, conseqüentemente, no espaço geográfico. No presente trabalho, procuramos enfocar nossa análise na nova forma de exclusão social decorrente da falta ou da precariedade no acesso à Internet: a exclusão digital. Ao mesmo tempo, analisamos se efetivamente ocorre o processo de inclusão digital nos centros públicos de acesso à Internet e quais são as dinâmicas que emergem a partir desses locais, tomando, como recorte espacial, o município de Porto Alegre, principalmente a regiões Norte e Eixo Baltazar. Essa pesquisa demonstrou um panorama atual dos impactos das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação e como as mesmas alteram algumas dinâmicas espaciais. Esses centros, sejam eles gratuitos ou pagos, atendem principalmente às camadas da população que não possuem pleno ingresso ao uso de computadores. Os dados obtidos na pesquisa demonstram que, embora haja uma diferença em termos de perfil socioeconômico entre usuários de centros de acesso, existem muitas semelhanças nos usos e na importância adquirida pela Internet para os mesmos. Ao mesmo tempo, foi possível constatar que os centros públicos representam apenas uma entre outras possibilidades de entrada, fato que evidencia uma maior facilidade de obter acesso à Internet atualmente, mesmo que a posse de um computador ainda esteja restrita a uma minoria da população brasileira. As políticas públicas de inclusão digital continuam sendo importantes para o aumento da acessibilidade.Palavras-chave: Centros públicos de acesso à Internet, Inclusão Digital, Internet. Ciberespaço, Porto Alegre.

Trajectory-Based Data Forwarding for Light-Traffic Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

This paper proposes a Trajectory-Based Data (TBD) Forwarding scheme, tailored for the data forwarding for roadside reports in light-traffic vehicular ad hoc networks. State-of-the-art schemes have demonstrated the effectiveness of their data forwarding strategies by exploiting known vehicular traffic statistics (e.g., densities and speeds). These results are encouraging, however, further improvements can be made by taking advantage of the growing popularity of GPS-based navigation systems. This paper presents the first attempt to effectively utilize vehicles' trajectory information in a privacy-preserving manner. In our design, such trajectory information is combined with the vehicular traffic statistics for a better performance. In a distributed way, each individual vehicle computes its end-to-end expected delivery delay to the Internet access points based on its position on its vehicle trajectory and exchanges this delay with neighboring vehicles to determine the best next-hop vehicle. For the accurate end-to-end delay computation, this paper also proposes a link delay model to estimate the packet forwarding delay on a road segment. Through theoretical analysis and extensive simulation, it is shown that our link delay model provides the accurate link delay estimation and our forwarding design outperforms the existing scheme in terms of both the data delivery delay and packet delivery ratio.

Homing‐pigeon‐based messaging: multiple pigeon‐assisted delivery in delay‐tolerant networks

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we consider the applications of delay‐tolerant networks (DTNs), where the nodes in a network are located in separated areas, and in each separated area, there exists (at least) an anchor node that provides regional network coverage for the nearby nodes. The anchor nodes are responsible for collecting and distributing messages for the nodes in the vicinity. This work proposes to use a set of messengers (named pigeons) that move around the network to deliver messages among multiple anchor nodes. Each source node (anchor node or Internet access point) owns multiple dedicated pigeons, and each pigeon takes a round trip starting from its home (i.e., the source) through the destination anchor nodes and then returns home, disseminating the messages on its way. We named this as a homing‐pigeon‐based messaging (HoPM) scheme. The HoPM scheme is different from the prior schemes in that each messenger is completely dedicated to its home node for providing messaging service. We obtained the average message delay of HoPM scheme in DTN through theoretical analysis with three different pigeon scheduling schemes. The analytical model was validated by simulations. We also studied the effects of several key parameters on the system performance and compared the results with previous solutions. The results allowed us to better understand the impacts of different scheduling schemes on the system performance of HoPM and demonstrated that our proposed scheme outperforms the previous ones. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Responsibility Rolls Down: Public Libraries and the Social and Policy Obligations of Ensuring Access to E-government and Government Information

Access to government information has been considered an essential element of democracy since the foundation of the American republic. Over time, the amount of government information produced has increased significantly, and the rise of e-government has made access to online government information, communication, and services equally vital to participation in society and interaction with governments. However, the outlets of free public access to government information and e-government have constricted over time, leaving public libraries as one of the only free public Internet access points in most communities. As a result, public libraries serve as a social guarantor of access to and assistance with government information and e-government services. This article first discusses the historical evolution of the means of access to government information and changes over time in responsibilities in providing such access. After exploring the interrelationships between government information and e-government, the article then details the development of the role of public libraries as guarantors of e-government access. Finally, the article examines the impacts of policy on e-government access in libraries, leading to a set of recommendations and conclusions to support the vital library roles related to e-government.

Effects of Cybercrime on State Security:Types, Impact and Mitigations with the Fiber Optic Deployment In Kenya

The identification of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an essential tool for sustainable development has proved to be worth every investment. As a result of this, Internet usage in Kenya has grown rapidly resulting in the explosion of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Internet access points. The general objective of this study was to model the impact of Cybercrime on security in Kenya, Nairobi as the case study. This was a census study on modeling the effects of Cybercrime on the security in Nairobi. Thirty one (31) out of the 3ifty one (51) responded giving a response rate of 60.78% percent. It was found that the Cybercrime is prevalent in Nairobi although largely unreported. To a great extent, it was discovered that Internet Service Providers had established basic measures in order to curb the growing cyberspace crimes; as spamming activities remain prevalent in Kenya. Also, to a great extent the Criminal Investigation department (CID) and Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) have recognized that cybercrime is a growing threat to security in Nairobi and have collaborated with ISP’s to implement measures.

Broadband for public libraries: Importance, issues, and research needs

Abstract U.S. public libraries provide free public internet services to the communities that they serve, but require robust, high-speed broadband internet connections to continue meeting public demands. The 2008–2009 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study (PLFTAS) illustrates challenges that public libraries encounter in achieving broadband connectivity and equipment upgrades, and maintaining acceptable levels of services as they meet continually increasing internet-enabled service demands. This article: 1) analyzes the ability of public libraries to serve as a community-based public internet access point in the context of limited funding and access to telecommunications services and equipment; 2) discusses key policy issues that affect the provision of public library internet-enabled services through broadband; 3) provides recommendations for policy makers to include libraries as part of a larger national-level telecommunications policy; and 4) identifies a number of topics and issues that need further investigation and research in this shifting policy environment.

Use of the Internet and Other Media for Health Information Among Clinic Outpatients With Serious Mental Illness

Use of the Internet and Other Media for Health Information Among Clinic Outpatients With Serious Mental Illness

Histology lab based on virtual microscopy

The shortage of histology slides on the one hand, the omnipresence of personal computers on the other hand, , make virtual microscopy almost a perfect replacement for the old fashioned histology lab. It is no longer to be rated as nice to have, but rather as need to have. Based on the award‐winning vMic (virtual microscopy) developed at the University of Basel (D. Glatz + K. Glatz‐Krieger) which enables students to explore interactively light microscopic slides, the scans of which have been stored on a internet server, virtual microscopy can be carried out with a simple internet browser from any internet access point, 24 h a day. Only one perfect histology slide which has been scanned on an automated microscope for acquisition of a matrix of images must be available to be utilized by hundreds of students. For the acquisition of scans a Zeiss Apochromat (40 x) with numerical aperture (NA) 0.95 was used to obtain high quality images. The images were post processed and then served by a plain http‐server. For the individual histology slide up to several thousand individual scans are used. However, a series of only 4 frames is transmitted to the internet user at the same time, thus the time for downloading is reduced to seconds or fractions thereof. The whole histology slide can be viewed on the browser with magnifications between 1.25x and 40x. Instruction leaflets stored as pdf‐format describe the aim of the individual preparation, the important details, stain, and show also some micrographs marked with arrows and labeled to alleviate the inspection of the slides. A number of multiple choice questions at the end of every instruction leaflet help the students to prepare for the exam.

Engineering host resistance against parasitic weeds with RNA interference

Host genetic resistance is a key component of integrated pest management. The present authors and others are investigating the use of RNA interference (RNAi) as a genetic tool for engineering host resistance against parasitic weeds. The general approach is to transform a host plant with a plasmid encoding a double stranded hairpin RNA (hpRNA) targeted against one or more vital parasite genes. When the hpRNAs are specifically designed against parasite gene sequences, the hpRNA should have no phenotypic effect on the host. They will, however, have a dramatic effect on the parasites that have taken up the parasite-specific RNAi from the host via the haustorium. The current status of using RNAi technology for controlling parasitic weeds is reviewed. A key component to success with RNAi technology is identifying the best parasite genes to silence. Some of the criteria for RNAi targets are discussed, the existing status of parasitic plant sequence databases is described and internet access points to the parasite genome data are highlighted. Sequence information obtained from different parasite species can be used to clone the homologous gene from a particular pest or can be directly transformed into crop plants.

User Experiences And Perceptions Of Online Information Resources In Libraries: A Case Of Sokoine National Agricultural Library (Snal), Tanzania

This study was conducted at Sokoine National Agricultural Library (SNAL) to find out student experiences and perceptions towards the Internet in meeting their learning needs. A total of one hundred and two (102) students participated in this study. Convenience and purposive sampling techniques were used to select respondents. Data for this research was collected through a survey using self administered questionnaires supplemented by observations. Findings showed that most students have a positive attitude towards the Internet and use it for academic purposes. Research also revealed that most students perceive information from Internet as current and easier to retrieve compared to print resources. However, results showed that while students prefer the Internet, its effective use is hampered by several factors including low band width, few internet access points, and lack of skills. The study recommends that users should undergo basic training in Internet searching skills. It is also recommended that information literacy should be incorporated into the university curriculum. Moreover, there should be a deliberate effort to create awareness on the availability of electronic information resources, particularly in the library. University of Dar es Salaam Library Journal Vol. 9 (2) 2007: pp. 56-71

Enhancing Learning Support System through the Use of Information and Communication Technology: a Case at Universitas Terbuka

The revolution of information and communication technology (ICT) has brought the new millennium into an information era. The general consensus is that we have entered the information age and that we will not be exempted from the current forces of technological development and globalization (Taylor, 1998), have been acknowledged and realized. Nevertheless, in less advantaged countries, it has also raised a lot of worries. As with other countries, the Indonesian government is determined to harness the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for increasing the country’s national competitiveness. The initial step was done through the establishment of the Indonesian Telematics Coordinating Team (known as TKTI) in 2000, consisting of all cabinet ministers and chaired by the Vice President of Indonesia at the time, Megawati Soekarnoputri. In 2001, the ICT national plan was formulated by Presidential Decree No. 6/2001 (“Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of ICT in Indonesia”), which states the government’s general policy towards ICT and calls on TKTI to take an active role to drive ICT implementation in Indonesia (International Telecommunication Union, 2002) Indonesia is one the largest countries within ASEAN with a population of over 215 million. The country is mostly water (81%) with five big islands and about 14 thousands of small islands. Despite the economic crisis, which started in 1997, Indonesia has progressively increased its telecommunication network over the last decade. Nowadays, Indonesia ranks number 13 within the top 20 countries with highest number of Internet users (Internet World Stats, 2006). However, the percentage of Internet users to the total population is only about 8.1 %. This is slightly lower than the Internet penetration in China (8.5%) and much lower than that in other ASEAN countries such as Malaysia (36.7%) and Singapore (67.2%). According to Internet World Stats (2006), the growth of ICT users in Indonesia within the last five years was phenomenal (800%), increasing the number from around 2 million (in 2000) to about 18 million (in 2005). Nevertheless, only about 8% or only around 1.5 million of those users are Internet subscribers (APJII, 2006). The increase in user number was initially due to the expansion of Internet access points provided by Internet Kiosks (known as WARNET), which are mostly owned by private individual business enterprise. A survey conducted by APJII in 2002 showed that about 43% of users accessed Internet from WARNET (APJII cited in International Telecommunication Union, 2002). The rest accessed Internet from offices (41%), homes (12%), and schools/universities (4%). The growth of WARNET gave a lot of hopes to Indonesians who can not afford to have computers and Internet access in their personal homes and work places; and had helped increase the Internet penetration in Indonesia significantly. However, the later survey in 2004 showed a significant decrease in the number of Internet users surfing from the WARNETs. Nugroho (in Purbo, 2005) reported that this was caused by the reduced number of WARNET from approximately around 2,500 in 2002 to about only 1,724 in early 2004. Discussion in various mailing lists blamed the high telecommunication tariffs for the decreased number of those Indonesian WARNETs. “Other explanations included the conversion of WARNETs into gaming centers, illegal tariffs imposed by local governments, and some local governments requiring WARNETs to apply for a license to operate as entertainment center” (Purbo, 2005, p. 103)

A convergência dos aspectos de inclusão digital: experiência nos domínios de uma Universidade

Traz resultados de um estudo de caso, aplicado com técnicas de survey, visando analisar os aspectos da inclusão digital através dos usuários do telecentro Tabuleiro Digital da Faculdade de Educação da Universidade Federal da Bahia - FACED/UFBA. O principal objetivo destinou-se a investigar o tipo de inclusão digital, promovida por este Projeto, em conformidade com a perspectiva da literatura atual. Os objetivos específicos indicam as características do perfil dos usuários; tipos de aplicações utilizadas e a finalidade da Internet em confronto com o nível educacional e social. Desta forma, a sociedade da informação e a inclusão digital são contextualizadas; também os aspectos da inclusão do Tabuleiro são demonstrados e discutidos. Por último, com a análise, foi comprovado que o modelo de inclusão digital do Projeto é induzido (técnico).

Access to electronic health knowledge in five countries in Africa: a descriptive study

BackgroundAccess to medical literature in developing countries is helped by open access publishing and initiatives to allow free access to subscription only journals. The effectiveness of these initiatives in Africa has not been assessed. This study describes awareness, reported use and factors influencing use of on-line medical literature via free access initiatives.MethodsDescriptive study in four teaching hospitals in Cameroon, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda plus one externally funded research institution in The Gambia. Survey with postgraduate doctors and research scientists to determine Internet access patterns, reported awareness of on-line medical information and free access initiatives; semi structured interviews with a sub-sample of survey participants to explore factors influencing use.ResultsIn the four African teaching hospitals, 70% of the 305 postgraduate doctors reported textbooks as their main source of information; 66% had used the Internet for health information in the last week. In two hospitals, Internet cafés were the main Internet access point. For researchers at the externally-funded research institution, electronic resources were their main source, and almost all had used the Internet in the last week. Across all 333 respondents, 90% had heard of PubMed, 78% of BMJ on line, 49% the Cochrane Library, 47% HINARI, and 19% BioMedCentral. HINARI use correlates with accessing the Internet on computers located in institutions. Qualitative data suggested there are difficulties logging into HINARI and that sometimes it is librarians that limit access to passwords.ConclusionText books remain an important resource for postgraduate doctors in training. Internet use is common, but awareness of free-access initiatives is limited. HINARI and other initiatives could be more effective with strong institutional endorsement and management to promote and ensure access.

Locating digital divides at home, work, and everywhere else

Contributing to previous research that has identified differences in connection speed, user skill, and experience as mechanisms affecting digital divides among Internet users, this paper explores whether location of use should be considered a factor that limits or facilitates individual efforts to apply the Internet toward beneficial activities. At some locations, Internet users enjoy high levels of autonomy, while at others, users may be regulated by restrictions or concerns about surveillance. Results of analyses performed on Current Population Survey (CPS) data suggest that users who have many connection points including home are most likely to conduct four particular activities for which previous research has demonstrated some tangible benefit to users: searching for health and product information online, making purchases online, and banking online. Most broadly, results support the proposition that differences in Internet access point quality can be identified as a previously unexplored digital divide among users, and also that differences in locations of use can partly explain gaps in participation in some beneficial activities by income and education.

A Community-Based Participatory Health Information Needs Assessment to Help Eliminate Diabetes Information Disparities

This article describes the participatory research process, results, action plan, and implications of the community health information needs assessment conducted within the African American community in two South Carolina counties. The REACH 2010: Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition library program is a partnership among community organizations, public and health sciences libraries, and lay community health advisors. A planning committee studied digital divide issues related to health information, designed and implemented a survey, held focus groups, analyzed data, identified needs and assets, and formulated an action plan to increase the dissemination of diabetes information. Key survey findings show that older (older than 60) and less educated (fewer than 12 years of education) African Americans in Charleston and Georgetown counties lack skills to access Internet and library services and suffer disparities in health information. Based on assessment evidence, the community plans to increase Internet access points and provide a train-the-trainer program to teach people skills for using Internet and library resources to get high-quality information about diabetes and its complications. This process taps community resources, builds local capacities and technical skills, educates about health, and empowers participants as active partners in their own health and their community's health.

On Profitability and Efficiency of Wireless Mesh Networks

The convenience of wireless networking and lightweight handheld devices has led to a large-scale adoption of wireless technologies. Corporations, universities, hospitals, homes, and public places are deploying these networks at a remarkable rate. In a wireless mesh network, a few Internet transmit access points (ITAPs), serving as gateways to the Internet, are deployed across the neighborhood. Wireless nodes (e.g., houses) are equipped with low-cost antennas, and serve as routers to send traffic for both itself and its neighbors. In this way, a multihop wireless network is formed among wireless nodes to cooperatively route traffic to the Internet through the ITAPs. Such a multihop structure dramatically reduces the number of ITAPs, which is a major cost in deployment. The promise of wireless mesh networks has attracted lots of research work in the area, ranging from designing MAC protocols to developing routing protocols and routing metrics, to studying interactions with TCP, to controlling topology via power control, channel assignment, and directional antennas. In addition to network technologies, another major factor that determines the success of wireless mesh networks is whether there exist viable business models. There is limited research on this problem. In wireless mesh networks, wireless nodes are required to forward traffic for both itself and its neighbors. If the nodes are controlled by self-interested users, they may not efficiently share their capacity to route traffic for other nodes. Such possibility undermines the performance and feasibility of wireless mesh networks. Therefore effective pricing mechanisms need to be developed before the mesh technologies are commercialized. Motivated by the observations, we develop two pricing mechanisms for non-cooperative wireless mesh networks: a centralized pricing mechanism and a decentralized one. In the centralized pricing mechanism, the service provider needs to monitor and price the traffic originated from every node, while the decentralized scheme leaves the traffic monitoring and pricing to each router. We describe algorithms a service provider uses to efficiently place the ITAPs, and determine the prices. We evaluate the profitability and overall efficiency of the wireless mesh network under the centralized and decentralized pricing mechanisms. As a comparison, we also analyze an alternative structure based on a single-hop wireless network. In such a network, each user can directly communicate with an ITAP, and does not rely on other users for its communication. On the other hand, the singlehop wireless network requires more Internet access points to be deployed, thereby increasing the infrastructure cost. Our analysis has important practical implications to wireless service providers and the future of wireless mesh technologies.

Brest, une ville apprenante. La mutation d'une ville-port militaire

Thanh Nghiem Brest, a learning city Brest is one of the first French cities to provide Internet access to all interested residents. Setting up PAPIs (public Internet access points) has facilitated social appropriation of new technologies.

Public internet access revisited

In recent years the Australian government has dedicated considerable project funds to establish public Internet access points in rural and regional communities. Drawing on data from a major Australian study of the social and economic impact of new technologies on rural areas, this paper explores some of the difficulties rural communities have faced in setting up public access points and sustaining them beyond their project funding. Of particular concern is the way that economic sustainability has been positioned as a measure of the success of such ventures. Government funding has been allocated on the basis of these rural public access points becoming economically self-sustaining. This is problematic on a number of counts. It is therefore argued that these public access points should be reconceptualised as essential community infrastructure like schools and libraries, rather than potential economic enterprises.