Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
million people live in rural areas. Although
Sarawak has been promised a full and equitable
allocation within Malaysia's mass development
plan, many communities have no access to good
roads or to telecommunication services (Harris,
1999). Most rural areas lack both telephone lines
and a continuous supply of electricity. Bario, in
short, exemplified the disconnected portion of
the digital divide, and presented a challenging
environment in which to test the usefulness and
effectiveness of ICT in rural Malaysia (Harris
et al., 2001). Since access to ICT is predicted to
promote new social, economic and cultural op-
portunities in rural areas (Enberg, 1998), e-Bario
also provides a useful window to explore the roles
that ICT can play in advancing community-based
development in developing countries. With this in
mind, the villagers in Bario were systematically
connected to a range of ICT in September 2000
and have grown to include the following physical
and technological components.
5 rooms: a room for computing services, a
visitor's room with table and chairs for meet-
ings and resting, 2 rooms for administration
purposes - one for the e-Bario coordinator
and the other for technical assistance - and
another for staff to monitor and run the day
to day management of the telecentre. The
telecentre is equipped with 10 computers,
an inkjet printer, a laser printer, a laminat-
ing machine, a photocopier and Internet
access.
5.
Power Supply:
Since Bario is outside the
national grid, the telecentre was initially
powered by diesel run generators. This power
supply has evolved into a hybrid diesel (80%)
- solar panel (20%) power supply, and more
recently a solar panel - diesel system.
6.
Training and skills:
An Information
Technology (IT) Literacy Programme
was introduced by the research team from
University Malaysia Sarawak in conjunction
with COMServe, a local IT company based
in Kuching. Training was identified as an
ongoing process, and not a one-time or once
only activity. The training included word
processing, key-board usage, e-mailing,
browsing the web, and the management of
technologies including trouble shooting.
1.
Computer Laboratories:
Two computer labo-
ratories were designed and equipped with 16
computers due to demand from students and
teachers. The lab was also equipped with 2
printers and a scanner.
2.
Telephonic equipment:
The new technologies
were installed within the existing communi-
cations network, the telephones were placed
at strategic locations or important meeting
places in Bario, such as the airport, the shop
area, the school and also the clinic.
6.
Website creation:
Due to web hosting prob-
lems this information was incorporated into
a web site designed by UNIMAS at www.e-
bario.com. The web site contains informa-
tion on the project, and also on the Kelabit
Highlands. It was designed to promote Bario
as a tourist destination, and is linked with
other web sites developed by or used by
Kelabit, such as the Online Kelabit Soceity
(OKS).
3.
Very Small Aperture Terminals & Network
Configuration:
To provide access to tele-
phone (voice) and Internet networks four
Internet ground station technologies known
as Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs)
were installed by Telekom Malaysia Berhad.
These were located at the shop area, the
clinic, the school, and the airport.
8.
Storage of information - Bario Digital
Library:
An experiment with recording,
documenting and disseminating Kelabit
songs and dances on CD ROM has been
developed under the project. It is called the
Bario Digital Library (BDL). The first record
4.
Telecentre:
A permanent telecentre, known
as Gatuman Bario (Bario Link), was set up
in 2001. It is located at Pasar Bario and has
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