Movable and Deployable ICT Resource Unit for rapidly bringing broadband back online under disaster situations

We would like to start this story with expressing our sincere gratitude to the people in the world for the immense support to Japan when the country suffered the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March, 2011. One way to give a reward to them is to develop new technology from the precious experience so that human society can handle similar situations with more proficient manner in the future. This story was motivated by such thought. One of the lessons learned from the disaster was the importance of the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, which is simply called broadband nowadays. People in and around the damaged area rushed for broadband services including telephone, electric-mail and the internet access to confirm the safety of their family, relatives and friends, and to gather information for perceiving what goes on. However, most services became out of order from the occurrence of the event for a long time since broadband network facilities were severely damaged and yet suffered from traffic congestion. In addition, lack of information systems in the disaster area prevented local governments, hospitals, shelters and any other organizations from adequately offering services to the victims. These inconveniences accordingly reminded people the importance of broadband infrastructure. Improving the resiliency of the infrastructure was recognized as a critical issue to be urgently resolved. To tackle this issue, NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation) in Japan launched an R&D project in early 2012 with the support of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in Japan. Tohoku University, NTT Communications Corp. and Fujitsu Corp. successively joined the project. Through the over-one-year dedicated effort, we succeeded in developing a unit which enables us to rapidly and simply restore the desired broadband environment in the damaged area. The unit is named Movable and Deployable ICT Resource Unit, the MDRU. The MDRU is approximately the same size as a 12-foot-long shipping container. It is equipped with an array of communications equipment, servers, storage devices, and designed to bring not only a communications infrastructure but also data center functions to a disaster-stricken area in a very short time. Within approximately one hour of being set up, the MDRU is operational and providing services such as harnessing the wireless LAN of nearby areas to enable people in the affected area to make phone calls. It also efficiently supports on-site evacuation shelter operations, such as by being able to easily create a database to keep track of evacuees and relief supplies. The use of the MDRU is by no means limited to large disasters. In fact, it is also ideal for any venue or event, in an area with limited or no broadband infrastructure, where the massive transmission of data over short periods of time is required. We are still working hard to raise the units degree of perfection and to standardize the unit so that people worldwide can reap the benefits of this technological achievement.

Toshikazu Sakano
JAPAN

Baran : Residents of Jungle go WiFi

Sahariyas or the residents of the jungle are a tribe that live in the Baran district of Rajasthan in India. The indices for Baran district tell a story of their own. Eighty five percent of the population of Baran is rural. More than 60 percent of the women are illiterate. More than forty percent of the million strong population is tribal. These tribal peoples of Baran are largely illiterate. Many of them are nomadic homeless, bonded labourers. They eke out a living on a day-to-day basis. This does not mean that there are no opportunities for the Sahariyas and the other tribal people of the Baran district. The major problem is that news of opportunities and openings rarely reach them. Like many other rural and remote areas, information is a biggest casualty. It hardly ever gets through to the people who need it the most. Illiteracy, poverty, lack of identity, subjugation, and exploitation have collectively oppressed the Sahariyas and the other tribals in Baran. Most people outside the area are not even aware of the Sahariyas existence, as they live in a media dark geography. However, things have begun to change quite dramatically. Vijoy Roy, who is in his early 20s, is a Sahariya tribal youth who got bitten by the Broadband Internet in 2010. He was working with a local NGO when he heard about Wireless for Communities project of Internet Society (ISOC) and Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF). He joined the training and learnt about wireless networking, routers, modems, line of sight, mapping geo locations, planning networks etc. Now as a lead barefoot Wireless Network Engineer, Vijoy has helped establish 8 major nodes all across Baran, some of them as far as 40 kilometres from each other. All the nodal points have facilities like video conferencing, telehealth, video cameras, web cam, projectors, printers, scanners and availability of more than 45 MBPS of broadband. Now, the broadband wireless Internet connectivity has already benefited at least 2,000 Sahariya tribals through digital literacy, vocational programs, tele-health programs, and entrepreneurial skill building.

Mr. Osama Manzar
INDIA

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Sudlon National High School: From Cardboard Computers Towards Internet Connectivity

Sudlon National High School, a school located in a remote mountainous area in Cebu City, Philippines. It tells a story of a currently enrolled student (JJ) and a former student of the school and now a teacher (Bines) who shared their experiences on how the use of internet created a big impact in their education and further learning. Broadband wireless internet was only introduced in the year 2009 by CVISNET Foundation a blessing and opportunity unexpected. At present, the school served as a gateway of internet connection for the entire community. The beginning of dreams coming to reality for the once digitally disadvantaged community.

Mr. Jeffrey N. Llanto
PHILIPPINES