Dear Darius, Compliments of the season in the first place. You posed a number of questions in your postings but I wanted to respond to only one of them. Just like you, I have been just an ardent reader of various postings. One of your questions was: "Is GIS an appropriate technology for developing countries?"
My immediate reaction to this would be yes, although I learnt that the GIS software itself is quite expensive and this excludes a number of interested users. I had an opportunity both to organise and attend a workshop on GIS. Both meetings, one organised by the Computer Society of Zambia Northern Chapter, and one organized through the auspices of the e-Brain Forum of Zambia, Copperbelt Chapter, for the Kitwe City Council, on developing an information policy, took place in November, 2003. My overall impression after these two presentations was that GIS is an essential tool for a number of reasons. Some examples of the use of GIS in Dar es Salaam, Lilongwe City Council in Malawi and Lusaka City Council were outlined. It is a tool that could effectively help local councils and other interested communities. Due to enormous costs, the Computer Society of Zambia North proposed coming up with a strategy paper that will foster partnership of all interested institutions through common ownership of GIS infrastructure as another alternative. I hope this contribution will be of benefit to you. Mwala K Sheba Copperbelt University, Library Dept., Jambo Drive, Riverside, Box 21692, Kitwe Zambia "Small successes boost confidence' while big failures teach a lesson for the future" ".. Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.." Minnie Louise Haskins, 1875-1957) ****************************************** On 12/17/03 "Darius Bartlett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > My interest is in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and related > technologies - including the development of Spatial Data > Infrastructures. Over the past decade or so, my work has taken me to > many parts of the world, including several Developing countries (Egypt, > India, Mauritania, Senegal, Kenya, etc.). Having seen the diffusion to, > and take-up of GIS in these countries, I have been struck by the reality > that this is a technology developed initially in and for the "West", > that is now being transferred in various ways to other, non-Western > societies. This diffusion must inevitably carry with it many important > and interesting cultural / other implications and impacts. > > I also get the strong impression that most transfer of GIS to developing > world countries has, so far, been through a top-down mechanism (the > technology brought in, and often even managed by, donors or outside > agencies from "Western" countries) rather than through bottom-up means > (local communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, taking the initiative > to acquire and use GIS for their own requirements with only minimal > inputs from system vendors and "Western" interests). > > Over the next six months, I hope to research some of these issues and > hypotheses. Questions that I have already identified, and would > particularly like to explore, include the very basic one: > > * "Is GIS an appropriate technology for developing countries?" > > And, leading from this, > > * "What are the social, cultural, economic and other impacts that may > attend diffusion of GIS to developing countries?" > * "What are the main current models of GIS diffusion to and take-up > within these countries, and how do each of these models compare in terms > of impact and effectiveness?" > * "To what extent are the cartographic and other metaphors embedded > in current GIS technologies relevant to the world views and geographies > encountered in non-Western societies?" > * "What are the biggest success stories, and the heroic failures, > regarding the application of GIS within developing world countries?" > * "What impacts does GIS have on the decision-making process in > non-Western societies, and how does - or should - this relate to > cultural and other nuances of the societies in question?" > > I am posting this message now, in the hope that GKD readers might help > me (a) frame the research and suggest any important questions they > believe I have overlooked; (b) point me in the direction of "must-read" > literature on the topic; and (c) help me make contact with key > authorities and other organisations or individuals who might be > particularly relevant to such research? I am especially interested in > making contact with people who can help bring a critical and analytical > eye to the role of GIS in these non-Western contexts. ..snip... ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
