Web 2.0 for development
Encyclopedia
Participatory Web 2.0 for development in short Web2forDev is a way of employing web service
s, in order to improve information sharing and collaborative production of content in the context of development
work. In this context actors in development can easily relate to other stakeholders, have selective access to information, produce and publish their own content and redistribute pieces of content released by others. They can integrate, combine, aggregate, generate, moderate and mediate content. In a typical Web2forDev scenario data and/or functionalities from a number of free/low cost online applications are combined and served as mashups
thus ensuring a wide range of online services at low cost.
and other development partners in Rome at FAO
in September 2007. The event was organised by The Association for Progressive Communications
, The ACP Secretariat, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) ACP-EU
, Euforic, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit
GmbH, International Fund for Agricultural Development
, International Institute for Communication and Development
(IICD), University of British Columbia
and Université Cheikh Anta DIOP
.
and proprietary, free or low-cost interactive user centered applications that promote communication, online collaboration, sharing information, user
empowerment, and social networking
. Considering the constraints which affect many developing countries, Web2forDev applications are usually low-bandwidth friendly. There's a revolution that is vitally transforming the way business and enterprise utilize the Web. Something like an enormous software upgrade for the entire Web and it's called Web 2.0. The web is shifting from just being an intermediate in which information is transmitted and consumed, into being a platform in which content is shaped, shared, remixed, repurposed, and passed along. Various companies have started understanding that the social side of change, including personal networks and developing trusting relationships, might prove to be the most powerful strategy for promotion. The new Web 2.0 Business ground rules include an increasing focus on knowledge, trust, relationships, and communities which in many senses is the true structure of today's organization. Web 2.0 applications are changing the way the world communicates allowing consumers to share opinions, wants, needs and motivations.
applications are used in the development sector for a number of purposes and by different actors. Examples are ...
Web service
A Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
s, in order to improve information sharing and collaborative production of content in the context of development
Development aid
Development aid or development cooperation is aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social and political development of developing countries.It is distinguished...
work. In this context actors in development can easily relate to other stakeholders, have selective access to information, produce and publish their own content and redistribute pieces of content released by others. They can integrate, combine, aggregate, generate, moderate and mediate content. In a typical Web2forDev scenario data and/or functionalities from a number of free/low cost online applications are combined and served as mashups
Mashup (web application hybrid)
In Web development, a mashup is a Web page or application that uses and combines data, presentation or functionality from two or more sources to create new services...
thus ensuring a wide range of online services at low cost.
History
Web2forDev was first used as a term at the Web2forDev International Conference organised by CTATechnical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU was established in 1983 under the Lomé Convention between the ACP countries and EU member states...
and other development partners in Rome at FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
in September 2007. The event was organised by The Association for Progressive Communications
Association for Progressive Communications
The Association for Progressive Communications is an international network of organizations that was founded in 1990 to provide communication infrastructure, including Internet-based applications, to groups and individuals who work for peace, human rights, protection of the environment, and...
, The ACP Secretariat, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
The CGIAR is a strategic alliance that unites organizations involved in agricultural research for sustainable development with the donors that fund such work. These donors include governments of developing and industrialized countries, foundations and international and regional organizations...
, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) ACP-EU
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU was established in 1983 under the Lomé Convention between the ACP countries and EU member states...
, Euforic, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit or GIZ is an international enterprise founded in 1975 by Erhard Eppler and owned by the German Federal Government, operating in many fields across more than 130 countries. It primarily works for public-sector organizations and is...
GmbH, International Fund for Agricultural Development
International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
, International Institute for Communication and Development
International Institute for Communication and Development
The International Institute for Communication and Development is a non-profit foundation established by the Ministry for Development Cooperation of the Netherlands in 1996...
(IICD), University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
and Université Cheikh Anta DIOP
Cheikh Anta Diop University
Cheikh Anta Diop University , also known as the University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60,000.-History:...
.
Technology Overview
Open sourceOpen source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
and proprietary, free or low-cost interactive user centered applications that promote communication, online collaboration, sharing information, user
User
User may refer to:* User , one who employs the services provided by a telecommunication system* User , one who uses drugs* User * End-user, one who uses a product in economics and commerce...
empowerment, and social networking
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
. Considering the constraints which affect many developing countries, Web2forDev applications are usually low-bandwidth friendly. There's a revolution that is vitally transforming the way business and enterprise utilize the Web. Something like an enormous software upgrade for the entire Web and it's called Web 2.0. The web is shifting from just being an intermediate in which information is transmitted and consumed, into being a platform in which content is shaped, shared, remixed, repurposed, and passed along. Various companies have started understanding that the social side of change, including personal networks and developing trusting relationships, might prove to be the most powerful strategy for promotion. The new Web 2.0 Business ground rules include an increasing focus on knowledge, trust, relationships, and communities which in many senses is the true structure of today's organization. Web 2.0 applications are changing the way the world communicates allowing consumers to share opinions, wants, needs and motivations.
Usage
Web 2.0Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
applications are used in the development sector for a number of purposes and by different actors. Examples are ...
- InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
/SMSSMSSMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
gateways are being used to distribute development-related information to people with access to mobile phones but without access to internet. Similarly, these gateways enable mobile phone users to make their presence on the internet by posting to blogs and online databases via sms, etc. - Tagging systemsTag (metadata)In online computer systems terminology, a tag is a non-hierarchical keyword or term assigned to a piece of information . This kind of metadata helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching...
and content aggregation enable users with access to only low-bandwidthBandwidthBandwidth is the difference between the upper and lower frequencies in a contiguous set of frequencies. It is typically measured in hertz, and may sometimes refer to passband bandwidth, sometimes to baseband bandwidth, depending on context...
to find quickly the information they are searching for, without having to navigate through many bandwidth-demanding websites. - Users with old computers can take advantage of some online applications which can process their computing tasks the way their computers never could (eg. online version of Adobe PhotoshopAdobe PhotoshopAdobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
) - Users who don't own their own PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s are using online services to store all their data, such as emails, documents, photos, etc, thus having access to them from any computer connected to internet. That way, online storage spaces and related services substitute physical hard drive spaces (PCs) which in many regions are shared by many users.
Works
- Agriculture and New Technologies - Web 2.0 in Africa Educational video produced by People TV and CTA
- The Machine is Us/ing Us Educational video by prof Michael Wesch, Kansas State University
See also
- Information and Communication Technologies for DevelopmentInformation and Communication Technologies for DevelopmentInformation and Communication Technologies for Development is a general term referring to the application of Information and Communication Technologies within the fields of socioeconomic development, international development and human rights...
- ICT UpdateICT updateICT Update is a bimonthly printed bulletin, a web magazine, and an accompanying email newsletter that explores innovative uses of information technology in agriculture and rural development in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries....
- A current ICT4D awareness bulletin for ACP agriculture - KabissaKabissaKabissa – Space for Change in Africa is a volunteer-led non-governmental organization that promotes Information and Communication Technology to empower and connect people and civil society organizations for positive change in Africa...
- Space For Change in Africa - Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU was established in 1983 under the Lomé Convention between the ACP countries and EU member states...
- The International Institute for Communication and DevelopmentInternational Institute for Communication and DevelopmentThe International Institute for Communication and Development is a non-profit foundation established by the Ministry for Development Cooperation of the Netherlands in 1996...
(IICD) - Web 2.0Web 2.0The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
Further readings
- Wunsch-Vincent S. and Vickery G. 2007. Participative web:User-created content, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Asoke K Talukder. 2007. Web – “Greatest Equalizer” for the Developing World; WWW 2007, May 8-12, 2007, Banff, Canada
- Boyera S. 2008. Can the Mobile Web Bridge the Digital Divide? Editor: Gary Marsden, University of Cape Town
- Glasson G. E., Evans M. A. 2008. Connecting Community Elders and Schools in Malawi Using Mobile Phones and Web 2.0 Technologies
- Labelle R. 2008. ICTs for e-Environment – Guidelines for Developing Countries, with a Focus on Climate Change, International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland
- WSIS follow-up Report 2008, UNCTAD, 2008
- The Participatory Web - New Potentials of ICT in Rural Areas, publication of the GTZ, 2008
External links
- Association for Progressive Communications Global Internet community for Environment, Human Rights, Development and Peace
- Information on Web 2.0 for Development
- DGroups, Development through dialogue
- Euforic
- International Institute for Communication and Development
- 2007 Web2 for Devevelopment International Conference Site where to find presentations delivered at the conference.
- Web2forDev Gateway Latest news on web 2.0 for development
- Web2forDev Community on LinkedIn Where to meet your peers dealing with Web 2.0 for Development Cooperation
- Web2forDev WebRing Hub Where Webmasters can start the process for joining the WebRingWebringA webring is a collection of websites linked together in a circular structure, and usually organized around a specific theme, often educational or social...
dealing with Web 2.0 for development. - Web2forDev Custom search engine tailored to retrieve information related to the topic
- IMARK: "Web 2.0 and Social Media for Development"; 2009.
- Web Dev 2.0 A company specialising in Web 2.0 Development.