Internet Coverage Research Articles

Digital transformation of society as a necessary condition for its innovative development

Keywords: information, information technology, digitalization, innovations, transformation,integration, standardization, strategic directions
 It is substantiated that thedigitalization of the economy in today's conditions significantly affects the livelihoods of both enterprises and the population. It is the use of information technology that isthe basis of the digital economy.The significant impact of the use of information technology on the daily life of thepopulation of the countries of the world, regions, and the effectiveness of business entitiesbased on automation, mechanization, and robotics has been proved. It is establishedthat the digital transformation concerns all spheres of activity of the world'seconomies. It is reflected that digital transformation in the context of globalizationare the main factors in improving the efficiency of the world's economies, creating servicesand products of higher quality and value, etc.Statistics show that the highest level of use of information technology in domesticcompanies that provide financial, educational services; communication services, logistics.At the same time, in some sectors of the economy, the intensity of automation, robotics,and the use of digital technologies is very low.Analysis of different stages and models of the transformation of economic processestakes place in different countries according to forced or gradual models, focus onvarious technologies and programs. The assessment of the main indicators of digitalizationof the countries of the world showed that they can be found: internet coverage;the share of e-commerce in retail trade; the share of society that uses innovative informationtechnologies in all spheres of activity.It is substantiated that by 2025, digital transformation will affect all spheres of lifeof most countries of the world. It is established that the development of the digitaleconomy is inextricably linked with the formation of an innovative and informationsociety. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the basis of digital transformation isbased on the development of innovative information technologies, which are aimed atincreasing the quality of services and showing the productivity of work. The goals andstrategic directions of digital transformation are highlighted. The advantages anddisadvantages of digitalization of the Ukrainian economy are summarized.

Geoinformation assessment of digitalization in the urban space of Kaliningrad

ABSTRACT Cities around the globe that have residential areas spanning several eras of architecture face the challenge of developing a comfortable urban environment. New urban spaces must accommodate the needs of a modern urban dweller constantly engaged with information and communication technologies and the Internet of Things. A viable urban development strategy is the smart-city model based on a digital city ecosystem using urban informatics technologies. The study case is Kaliningrad, a city with an over 760-year history of development. We present a comparative analysis of its housing development dynamics, tourist zones and mobile internet coverage in the residential areas. Our findings identify digitally advanced and peripheral inner-city areas and, using geoinformation data, showcase the development of digital urban space.

Mobile-Social Learning for Continuing Professional Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Integrative Review.

BackgroundAccess to continuing professional development (CPD) for health care workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is severely limited. Digital technology serves as a promising platform for supporting CPD for health care workers by providing educational content virtually and enabling virtual peer-to-peer and mentor interaction for enhanced learning. Digital strategies for CPD that foster virtual interaction can increase workforce retention and bolster the health workforce in LMICs.ObjectiveThe objective of this integrative review was to evaluate the evidence on which digital platforms were used to provide CPD to health care workers and clinical students in LMICs, which was complemented with virtual peer-to-peer or mentor interaction. We phrased this intersection of virtual learning and virtual interaction as mobile-social learning.MethodsA comprehensive database and gray literature search was conducted to identify qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies, along with empirical evidence, that used digital technology to provide CPD and virtual interaction with peers or mentors. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed. Eligible articles were written in English, conducted in an LMIC, and used a mobile device to provide CPD and facilitate virtual peer-to-peer or mentor interaction. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened, followed by an assessment of the quality of evidence and an appraisal of the articles. A content analysis was then used to deductively code the data into emerging themes.ResultsA total of 750 articles were identified, and 31 (4.1%) were included in the review. SMS text messaging and mobile instant messaging were the most common methods used to provide continuing education and virtual interaction between peers and mentors (25/31, 81%). Across the included articles, participants had high acceptability for using digital platforms for learning and interaction. Virtual peer interaction and mentorship were found to contribute to positive learning outcomes in most studies (27/31, 87%) through increased knowledge sharing, knowledge gains, improved clinical skills, and improved service delivery. Peer-to-peer and mentor interaction were found to improve social support and reduce feelings of isolation (9/31, 29%). There were several challenges in the implementation and use of digital technology for mobile-social learning, including limited access to resources (eg, internet coverage and stable electricity), flexibility in scheduling to participate in CPD, and sociobehavioral challenges among students.ConclusionsThe summary suggests that mobile-social learning is a useful modality for curriculum dissemination and skill training and that the interface of mobile and social learning serves as a catalyst for improved learning outcomes coupled with increased social capital.

Sensor-Based Prototype of a Smart Assistant for Visually Impaired People-Preliminary Results.

People with visual impairment are the second largest affected category with limited access to assistive products. A complete, portable, and affordable smart assistant for helping visually impaired people to navigate indoors, outdoors, and interact with the environment is presented in this paper. The prototype of the smart assistant consists of a smart cane and a central unit; communication between user and the assistant is carried out through voice messages, making the system suitable for any user, regardless of their IT skills. The assistant is equipped with GPS, electronic compass, Wi-Fi, ultrasonic sensors, an optical sensor, and an RFID reader, to help the user navigate safely. Navigation functionalities work offline, which is especially important in areas where Internet coverage is weak or missing altogether. Physical condition monitoring, medication, shopping, and weather information, facilitate the interaction between the user and the environment, supporting daily activities. The proposed system uses different components for navigation, provides independent navigation systems for indoors and outdoors, both day and night, regardless of weather conditions. Preliminary tests provide encouraging results, indicating that the prototype has the potential to help visually impaired people to achieve a high level of independence in daily activities.

THE CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS TOWARDS HIGH-QUALIFIED ENGLISH STUDIES PROGRAM STUDENTS EXPERIENCED ONLINE LEARNING AMIDST CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC - A CASE AT CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

The pandemic of the COVID-19 forced the Vietnamese government to adjust its policies for the entire educational institution from conventional classrooms to virtual learning against the contagious pandemic. The study aims at examining the challenges faced by students and proposing several solutions from a High-Qualified English studies program during online learning amid Coronavirus. The researcher used quantitative and qualitative methods by using a questionnaire and conducting an interview via the Zoom application. Participants consist of one hundred sixty students from a High-Qualified English studies program, and ten interviewees who are fourth-year students at the School of Foreign Languages, Can Tho University. Findings show that the percentage of participants disclosed desirable viewpoints of the conventional classrooms compared to the virtual classrooms. In addition, students were highly contended with feedback and the clarity of teachers for tough questions and using sufficient resources. In contrast, participants claimed that they witnessed the considerable challenges and assumed that Zoom and Microsoft Teams were the two applications hindering students’ access. Noticeably, students encountered several five main challenges. Specifically, the difficulties in technology and connectivity students using incompatible devices and weak internet coverage. In terms of the economic problems, they had to buy high degree of data packages. Also, the psychological issues related to the considerable decrease in motivation, interaction, distractions, or shying of turning on their camera, and health issues in terms of eye strains and headaches while implementing online learning in the long run. However, participants revealed a positive learning attitude towards their online learning process by proposing diverse solutions regarding enhancing the interaction among teachers and students, being fully equipped in literacy skills, and using diverse video conferencing platforms. Also, teachers can reduce learning time by giving break time to avoid several physical issues such as eyes training, and headaches. Also, teachers can create tremendous workshops or seminars sharing where students can share their virtual learning experiences and manipulate diverse digital applications. Moreover, teachers can design vivid videos and diverse content materials which attract learners' attention. This study hopes to help students gain a positive outlook on the importance of online learning, and help teachers understand students' perceptions during their online learning process. Finally, the researcher gives several recommendations for further research.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0938/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Delphi Study to Identify Best Practices for Rural Community Engagement in Transportation Planning

Public involvement is defined as a two-way communication aimed at providing information to the public and incorporating the views, concerns, and issues of the public in transportation decision making. According to U.S. Census data, 60% of U.S. counties are considered rural. Rural communities face unique challenges such as scarce resources, technological and geographical issues, and demographic shifts, which can limit effective engagement capabilities. Engagement strategies that are effective for urbanized and metropolitan areas may not be as effective for these rural communities. This study employed a mixed methods research approach to identify readily deployable practices for meaningful rural community engagement in transportation planning. The research methodology involves a literature review, interviews with supervisors from offices of community transportation, interviews with 24 community leaders in four case communities in Tennessee, and two rounds of Delphi community survey. The research process brought together all key stakeholders to build a true consensus of best practices to engage rural communities in transportation planning. Data analysis showed rural communities feel detached and unaware of the role of Departments of Transportation (DOT) in and their plans for community transportation. Engaging rural communities using social media and conducting virtual meetings can reach wider sections of the community. Lack of consistent internet coverage in rural communities, however, means this type of outreach cannot replace in-person engagement. Securing the support of community leaders, building partnerships, and having a presence in the community will increase trust in DOTs and foster better engagement. A list of recommendations is provided that will enhance rural community engagement for long-range transportation planning in predominantly rural states.

Effects of local government social media use on citizen compliance during a crisis: Evidence from the COVID-19 crisis in China.

Improving citizen compliance is a major goal of public administration, especially during crises. Although social media are widely used by government agencies across the globe, it is still unclear that whether the use of social media can help local governments improve citizen compliance especially during crises. Based on an original daily panel dataset of 189 cities in China during COVID‐19, this study provides empirical evidence for the positive effect that crisis‐related social media posts published by local government agencies has on citizen compliance. In addition, this effect is mediated by the topic of prevention measures in social media posts, and is stronger in cities with higher GDP per capita, better educated citizens and wider internet coverage. The findings imply that social media is an efficient and low‐cost tool to assist local government agencies to achieve public administration objectives during crises, and its efficacy is largely dependent on regional socioeconomic status.

Representativeness in Six Waves of Cross-National Online Survey (CRONOS) Panel

Abstract Driven by innovations in the digital space, surveys have started to move towards online data collection across the world. However, evidence is needed to demonstrate that online data collection strategy will produce reliable data which could be confidently used to inform policy decisions. This issue is even more pertinent in cross-national surveys, where the comparability of data is of the utmost importance. Due to differences in internet coverage and willingness to participate in online surveys across Europe, there is a risk that any strategy to move existing surveys online will introduce differential coverage and nonresponse bias. This paper explores representativeness across waves in the first cross-national online probability-based panel (CRONOS) by employing R-indicators that summarize the representativeness of the data across a range of variables. The analysis allows comparison of the results over time and across three countries (Estonia, Great Britain and Slovenia). The results suggest that there are differences in representativeness over time in each country and across countries. Those with lower levels of education and those who are in the oldest age category contribute more to the lack of representativeness in the three countries. However, the representativeness of CRONOS panel does not become worse when compared to the regular face-to-face interviewing conducted in the European Social Survey (ESS).

Optimisation Methods for the Controller Placement Problem in SDN: A Survey

Software-defined networking (SDN) has emerged in response to increasing requirements for new networks and expansion of Internet coverage. Modern needs exceed the limitations of traditional networks, for which, to simplify management, SDN is proposed as a promising paradigm that separates the control and data planes, allowing for the programming of network configuration. SDN deployment and applications are directly affected by the controller position. Single or multiple controllers are used in SDN architecture to enable programmable, flexible, and scalable configurations. Multiple controllers are essential in the current SDN, and various solutions have been recently developed to improve scalability and placement selection. In this study, the Controller Placement Problem (CPP) is explored using objective optimisation with proposed algorithms. An overview of SDN issues and the controller role is provided through its three-plane architecture with a focus on scalability and reliability. In addition, a comprehensive problem review is discussed on the basis of a well-known compendium of available solutions. Finally, relevant open problems and future research challenges are identified.

Hybrid solution for smart rural applications in areas without internet coverage

Agriculture and livestock farming are one of the main economic bases of rural areas in Southern Europe, with many classified as 'sparsely populated'. This article proposes and tests a technical solution to support different applications that require a large range of coverage and tracking assets, as can be found for instance in smart farming, or environmental monitoring. LoRaWAN, which provides several kilometres of coverage, low battery consumption and robust communications, is selected as the solution to overcome the lack of cellular network connectivity in those areas. Then, the design of a hybrid solution for rural areas, that requires the use of a LoRaWAN mobile gateway to extend the range of LoRaWAN coverage, is presented. In addition, to ensure quality of service (QoS) and avoid data loss, a 5G internet connection is used to provide connectivity to the LoRaWAN gateway, combined with the store and forward communications mechanism to avoid data loss in areas without internet connection.

Hybrid solution for smart rural applications in areas without Internet coverage

Hybrid solution for smart rural applications in areas without Internet coverage

Digital space of the city: factors of heterogeneity

Urbanization is a bright trend in the modern socio-economic development of territories around the world, accompanied by an increase in the density of the urban population and the growth of cities. The latter are experiencing a new development trajectory associated with the need for a wider introduction of information and communication technologies in all spheres of public life, followed by the restructuring of the urban environment. The article deals with the problem of the heterogeneity of the urban digital space, which is the result of the cross-influence of socio-economic, infrastructural, cultural and other factors. The purpose of the study is to assess the relationship between the spread of mobile Internet, as an important component of the modern urban environment, and everyday mobility trajectories of citizens associated with the placement of significant infrastructure facilities. Using the methods of geoinformation, geometric and correlation data analysis, the dependence of Internet coverage by mobile technologies of the 4G / 4G + standard on the time of commissioning of residential buildings and the placement of cultural and historical objects was analyzed. The research area covered three inner-city districts of Kaliningrad, the administrative-territorial center of the Kaliningrad region. The results of the study showed a close relationship between the density of modern buildings and the level of mobile Internet coverage. Also, a higher representation of the 4G + standard in the tourist areas of the city was noted. The authors came to the conclusion that the city retains a reserve for the development of urban space based on digital technologies. First of all, digital renovation of areas with residential development of the Soviet period is required.

Teachers’ Experiences in Piloting the Integrated Curriculum in Lesotho: Constraints and Prospects

This study aimed to investigate the challenges and opportunities experienced by teachers in piloting the integrated curriculum in Lesotho. Moreover, this research was underpinned by a Constructivist paradigm which concedes that peoples’ views of the world are influenced by their experiences. The qualitative case study research design was employed and data were generated through the semi-structured interviews. In particular, purposive sampling technique was deployed to obtain sufficient and useful data. For this reason, three teachers with ten years teaching experience were selected from three departments in a chosen school. The departments included; Commercial studies, Science and Mathematics as well as Languages respectively. Overall, findings from this study affirm that constraints experienced while piloting the integrated curriculum outweigh the prospects. The opportunities raised included the following; development of creative skills and nurturing of the students’ talent while the challenges highlighted were; content overload, lack of CPD, absence of monitoring and supervision among others. Therefore, the implications of these findings are that a successful implementation of the reformed curriculum is under threat. In order to reprimand this threat, provision of regular workshops, monitoring and evaluation of the CPD programmes, reliable internet coverage, free data bundles for both teachers and students, as well as frequent follow ups by curriculum developers may address the issues of concern hence improve the quality of education as intended by the Lesotho Curriculum and Assessment Policy of 2009.

Impact of VR virtual reality technology on traditional video advertising production

Impact of VR virtual reality technology on traditional video advertising production is studied in this paper. At present, this attempt of video advertising is slowly beginning. For fast-moving consumer goods, if the Internet coverage reaches a certain range, advertisers will naturally choose Internet media with a lower cost per thousand people to launch. For young people, the proportion of clothing and beverage industries will be increasing. The total time that everyone spends on media is relatively constant. Hence, we consider the proper combination with the VR model. The efficiency of the designed model is also validated.

THE USAGE OF WEB TOOLS IN EXTENSION SERVICE DELIVERY AMONG AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORKERS IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA

The advent of Covid-19 pandemic has contributed meaningfully to ICT in terms of its relevance, those that deal with communication like agricultural extension had no choice than to flow with the current trend of communicating with their clientele with the use of certain ICT tools such as the web-based tools. This enables a free flow and continuous contact with the farmers on updated information that is useful for agricultural productivity. The study therefore was conducted to assess the usage of web tools among the agricultural extension workers in south-west Nigeria, the study was carried out to: examine the socioeconomic characteristics of extension workers, determine the extension workers on the usage of web tools in disseminating agricultural information and constraints facing the usage of web tools in disseminating of agricultural information. The study was carried out in three out of the three states in Southwest Nigeria. Oyo, Ekiti and Osun were used and multi-stage sampling techniques was adopted. Primary data were collected and analyze using descriptive. The findings also show that respondents are high using of most the web tools such as facebook, whatapps, tiwtter etc for disseminate agricultural information to the farmers. Furthermore, the findings show that web tools usage has crucial role to play in promoting quality extension delivery, best agronomy practices and promoting new generation agriculture and make agriculture more lucrative and sustainable as well as improving livelihood in Nigeria. However, some constraints were identified with the use of web tools during the period of carrying out this study, such constraints are: poor internet coverage, lack of awareness of information sources available and untimely provision of information, high cost, complex to use, it requires special types of devices to use some of the webtools etc. The study therefore concludes that if the constraints faced was solves then the level of usage webtools will increase and enhance agricultural productivity. However, the study recommended that both agricultural extension workers needs to be trained on almost all the identified web tools.

THE USAGE OF WEB TOOLS IN EXTENSION SERVICE DELIVERY AMONG AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORKERS IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA

The advent of Covid-19 pandemic has contributed meaningfully to ICT in terms of its relevance, those that deal with communication like agricultural extension had no choice than to flow with the current trend of communicating with their clientele with the use of certain ICT tools such as the web-based tools. This enables a free flow and continuous contact with the farmers on updated information that is useful for agricultural productivity. The study therefore was conducted to assess the usage of web tools among the agricultural extension workers in south-west Nigeria, the study was carried out to: examine the socioeconomic characteristics of extension workers, determine the extension workers on the usage of web tools in disseminating agricultural information and constraints facing the usage of web tools in disseminating of agricultural information. The study was carried out in three out of the three states in Southwest Nigeria. Oyo, Ekiti and Osun were used and multi-stage sampling techniques was adopted. Primary data were collected and analyze using descriptive. The findings also show that respondents are high using of most the web tools such as facebook, whatapps, tiwtter etc for disseminate agricultural information to the farmers. Furthermore, the findings show that web tools usage has crucial role to play in promoting quality extension delivery, best agronomy practices and promoting new generation agriculture and make agriculture more lucrative and sustainable as well as improving livelihood in Nigeria. However, some constraints were identified with the use of web tools during the period of carrying out this study, such constraints are: poor internet coverage, lack of awareness of information sources available and untimely provision of information, high cost, complex to use, it requires special types of devices to use some of the webtools etc. The study therefore concludes that if the constraints faced was solves then the level of usage webtools will increase and enhance agricultural productivity. However, the study recommended that both agricultural extension workers needs to be trained on almost all the identified web tools.

THE USAGE OF WEB TOOLS IN EXTENSION SERVICE DELIVERY AMONG AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORKERS IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA

The advent of Covid-19 pandemic has contributed meaningfully to ICT in terms of its relevance, those that deal with communication like agricultural extension had no choice than to flow with the current trend of communicating with their clientele with the use of certain ICT tools such as the web-based tools. This enables a free flow and continuous contact with the farmers on updated information that is useful for agricultural productivity. The study therefore was conducted to assess the usage of web tools among the agricultural extension workers in south-west Nigeria, the study was carried out to: examine the socioeconomic characteristics of extension workers, determine the extension workers on the usage of web tools in disseminating agricultural information and constraints facing the usage of web tools in disseminating of agricultural information. The study was carried out in three out of the three states in Southwest Nigeria. Oyo, Ekiti and Osun were used and multi-stage sampling techniques was adopted. Primary data were collected and analyze using descriptive. The findings also show that respondents are high using of most the web tools such as facebook, whatapps, tiwtter etc for disseminate agricultural information to the farmers. Furthermore, the findings show that web tools usage has crucial role to play in promoting quality extension delivery, best agronomy practices and promoting new generation agriculture and make agriculture more lucrative and sustainable as well as improving livelihood in Nigeria. However, some constraints were identified with the use of web tools during the period of carrying out this study, such constraints are: poor internet coverage, lack of awareness of information sources available and untimely provision of information, high cost, complex to use, it requires special types of devices to use some of the webtools etc. The study therefore concludes that if the constraints faced was solves then the level of usage webtools will increase and enhance agricultural productivity. However, the study recommended that both agricultural extension workers needs to be trained on almost all the identified web tools.

Peruvian Public Investment Effectiveness in educational achievements

which points educational achievements is determined by years of schooling, set of school and This research finds to explain if the public investment in education is significant to explain the Peru’s educational achievements. Indeed, the research’s objective is to determine if reading comprehension is explained by executed public investment in education in the period 2007-2016. For this reason, research is based in educational production theory, teacher characteristics, child characteristics, household characteristics and educational inputs that households contribute. Further, it built an econometric model to test the relation between these variables. As a result of this, it is proved executed public investment in education it is not a significant variable to explain changes in educational achievements in Peru. Evidently, it demonstrated educational achievements are further explained by others variables which are not commonly analyzed as educational variables. For instance, the rate of schools in good conditions, level of malnutrition, coverage of drinking water, coverage of electricity, coverage of internet and current expending per student. In conclusion, it means public investment in education should concentrate further their interventions in this kind of variables, not only in schools and teachers but in other variables which speak for existent conditions for studying in households. Another important result is found model which it is possible to determine the necessaries changes in the explain variables to increase the educational achievements. Such as the case of Loreto, which need a reduction of 4.5 percentage point in the malnutrition to increase 1 percentage point in educational achievements.

Mobile internet adoption in West Africa

Mobile broadband internet is the main technology through which individuals access the internet in developing countries. Understanding the barriers to broadband adoption is thus a priority in designing policies aiming to expand access and close the digital divide across socioeconomic groups and territories. This paper exploits data from harmonized household expenditure surveys in seven countries in West Africa in 2018/19—a subregion with one of the lowest levels of mobile internet penetration in the world—to identify the main factors that limit mobile broadband internet adoption. Results show that low levels of household consumption and the price of mobile services are two key constraints. A one standard deviation increase in household expenditure, about US$65 per capita per month, is associated with a 6.5% point rise in the probability of adoption, while a one standard deviation drop in the price of mobile internet services (as a share of per capita household expenditure), about 5.5% points, raises the probability of adoption by 2.4% points. Other determinants include demographic characteristics (sex, age, language, urban location), socioeconomic features (educational attainment, sector of employment), and other factors linked to policy (access to electricity, ownership of assets, alternative means of internet access). Results are robust to specifications focusing only on areas with mobile internet coverage (3G).

COVID-19 Effects on Students’ Teaching and Learning Perspectives in Malaysian Varsities

The COVID-19 pandemic has had dramatic effects on the socio-economic and well beings of Malaysians. The objective of the study is to find the effects of the pandemic on university students both on the technical side, such as the sufficiency of infrastructure and the internet to support online teaching and learning (T&L), as well as on the social side, such as stress level and focus on the study. The nationwide study on the effect of the pandemic on Malaysian varsities students was conducted at the end of 2020. There are many important issues uncovered in this study ranging from the technical side, such as internet-ready programs, socio-economic side, to the psychological perspectives. It shall provide invaluable insights to the related ministries while preparing appropriate reactions during the recovery period. The survey revealed that almost 74% of students highlighted that internet coverage and connectivity was the main issue in online T&L. Although statistics show that 90% of Malaysian households have access to the internet, 49% of students reported that their internet connections were poor. The effects of the pandemic are far-reaching, students belonging to the most vulnerable category find themselves in the most non-conducive place to learn, and they are disturbed by siblings. The socio-economics impacts brought about by the pandemic cause ripple effects onto their families. The government distribution of relief aids has lessened the burden of many people, including students; nevertheless, much improvement could be made, especially in the internet facility and coverage.