The goal of the project is to develop a modular system that allows connecting and expanding coverage for the interconnection of communities that do not have access to the Internet. Thus, the project will develop technology and conduct a study to design and build a programmable device that operates as a powerful router, allowing the interconnection of devices to share a single connection, or as a router to connect to the Internet. The device will be developed using open source firmware based on low-cost hardware and new algorithms for achieving greater Internet coverage, as well as an innovative use of programmable radio technology. This technology offers flexibility to modify and optimize the operation of the various systems that make up the proposed device. In turn, this allows expanding the connection to the Internet or increasing intranet coverage, since the fact that it can be programmed using free software means that the device will be adaptable. A key part of the design consists of implementing algorithm variants based on the OFDM modulation method. Together with spatial diversity techniques such as MIMO, these algorithms seek to achieve a broad coverage of data transmission, improved transmission speed and quality of service.
Deployment of Community Networks in the Traslasierra Valley
The goal of the project is to connect communities of the Traslasierra Valley in Córdoba, Argentina, that have little or no Internet access using wireless network infrastructure. The project will complete an infrastructure deployment that began years ago with the support of the Internet Society in the departments of San Alberto and San Javier. In this consolidation stage, the project will install a solar station and deploy a mesh network of more than 30 nodes using approximately 20 LibreRouters and 20 home routers. Networks currently reach about twenty families, and this initiative will allow some sixty more families to connect to a network. The project also seeks to complete the link between Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and the towns of the Traslasierra Valley and to interconnect the community networks of the Paravachasca and Traslasierra valleys. The project will attempt to create the conditions necessary for the development of new community networks and, by providing connectivity, to guarantee access to fundamental rights such as health and education.
Internet Connectivity and Lighting for the Yunguillo Native Council
The goal of this initiative is to bring Internet service to the inhabitants of the Mayor Yunguillo Native Council, located in the Putumayo department in Colombia, by creating a WiFi Internet mesh network for public use with connectivity provided by a third party, all of which will be supported by the Un Litro de Luz ELIoT® technology, which will also provide lighting to the public spaces of the council. ELIoT® is a smart light pole that uses solar energy to provide lighting, power and Internet access. ELIoT® has two USB ports that can be used to charge mobile phones and is completely autonomous thanks to its 100W solar panel and 55A battery that stores the charge for up to 72 hours. The poles have their own MPPT charge controller and the production of the technology is completely automated. WiFi networks are set up using a WiFi router with a 500m range and recycled items such as plastic bottles and PVC parts. The funds provided by FRIDA will be used to install 30 light poles, 10 of them capable of creating an Internet mesh network that will cover a large part of the council’s surface. This intervention will benefit 808 people who live in the council, 60% of which have a prepaid phone they can use to connect to the Internet. Connectivity will be achieved through the satellite service.
Enabling Internet and Connectivity for Remote Locations Using LoRa in a Mesh Topology
The proposal consists of developing low-cost devices for the construction of interconnection infrastructure that will allow connecting people living in remote and unconnected areas of Latin America, such as northwestern Brazil. The goal of the project is to build a device with low installation and maintenance costs and which can be used to provide basic network services to inhabitants of remote areas, either through public and/or private agents. The solution is based on the creation of a mesh network in which each device collaborates with others that are within the reach of a network that uses a physical medium based on wireless LoRa and WiFi (802.11) technologies. Creating the mesh allows enabling the routing of network packets that follow the Internet Protocol (IP), making the infrastructure fully Internet-enabled and guaranteeing the interconnection of different networks. End-users can access the network – and potentially the Internet – through WiFi access points that ensure interoperability with the users’ own devices. The activities planned as part of the project will seek to produce a prototype of the mobile infrastructure device, which will be open source, low-cost, capable and will allows users who live in remote areas to make use of basic Internet services, such as instant messaging applications. The prototype will also be available for use in case of natural disasters that compromise the primary infrastructure.
ComuREDE
ComuREDE is an initiative for empowering communities through open and accessible technologies that seeks to promote Internet access and quality of life in peripheral areas. ComuREDE has developed a platform for providing free wireless and community Internet using infrastructure that is also used to address the problem of an irregular and scarce water supply. The project was born in response to two challenges observed in peripheral areas of Brazil: an irregular water supply and the lack of Internet access. The project deploys low-cost sensors to notify residents via SMS when the water supply is available and uses this infrastructure to provide Internet connectivity through the installation of open networks. The first deployment of this solution has managed to provide Internet access to 200 residents and has sent more than a thousand notifications on the availability of water. The funds received from FRIDA will be used to develop new versions of our software and hardware, and to launch an enhanced platform that can be replicated in other communities. The goal is to facilitate the empowerment of peripheral communities through the construction of technically autonomous community networks as well as by the local generation of resources for achieving economic self-sufficiency.
Free and Safe Online: Empowering the LGBTIQ+ Community in Paraguay
In light of the urgent need to strengthen digital wellbeing and security among the LGBTIQ+ community in Paraguay, considering organized online attacks, hacking, the creation of fake profiles, extortion, information theft and manipulation, and many other actions that violate their right to appear and express themselves in free and safe digital spaces, the purpose of the alliance between TEDIC, Diversxs Paraguay and Cuarto Mundo is to create and develop decentralized content that will not only contribute to the safety of the members of the LGBTIQ+ community, but that will also allow the co-production of materials that elevate the voices and narratives of the community in relation to their digital, sexual and reproductive rights, both in Guarani and in Jopara (a combination of Spanish and Guaraní), thus reflecting the country’s linguistic diversity. The proposal also seeks to generate the active appropriation of digital spaces through access to, and the use of, material in audio format, including stories of diversity and resilience among members of the community; online love and sexuality stories of non-binary persons and persons with functional diversity; information on how fertility tracking and reproductive health applications can be used for surveillance and control purposes; free and safe sexting, and resilience for minorities in digital environments. The aim of the project is to create a web portal that will offer content and training materials that take into account the needs of the members of the LGBTIQ+ community, as well as to create and distribute a toolbox (webcam covers, stickers, kerchiefs and anti-surveillance face paint that can be used for protection during collective actions such as webinars, marches and demonstrations) they can use in their daily lives and which represent small, easy-to-implement changes to their digital habits. In addition, because we acknowledge the power of orality and sound for sharing stories and connecting with people through different formats, we propose establishing a space where people can tell their stories by creating a series of podcast episodes.
The Right to Share on a Free Internet
Internet intermediaries are the key to freedom of expression and access to culture, they are the mediators of public discourse, and their platforms serve as a space for participation and the circulation of information. However, as a result of the legislation of their countries of origin, they have developed strict policies for managing intellectual property online. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is the digital copyright standard and therefore has an impact on user rights. FVL seeks to defend freedom of expression and the rights of users of online platforms operating in Latin America by developing a solid and articulated protection of public discourse, which is currently mediated by social media companies that implement the notice and takedown system under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This goal will be achieved through the identification and promotion of the use of copyright flexibilities in the region, the training of key sectors in the use of copyright regulations in favor of access and freedom of expression, and the promotion of public-private dialogue to strengthen access policies and legislative reforms that will allow expanding the range of copyright flexibilities in defense of Internet users.
Okamasüei (White Man’s Technology in Cabécar)
The Sulá Batsú cooperative and the Network of Cabécar Women in Alto Pacuare are developing a digital application that will generate, in Costa Rica, conditions to counteract the risks of indigenous knowledge extractivism with the penetration of connectivity into their territories. This project seeks to strengthen indigenous women through their appropriation of knowledge on how the Internet works and “how their knowledge travels” along the network, as well as the risks of extracting knowledge; to generate local and national spaces where indigenous women can present their concerns, proposals and plans of action before networks of local stakeholders; to build a network of national stakeholders that support the process of awareness-building, advocacy and research on the problems of indigenous knowledge extractivism in Costa Rica, and, finally, to generate a course of action to develop the (normative, legislative, procedural, etc.) conditions needed to protect indigenous knowledge in Costa Rica. The project anticipates the creation of training materials showing how to use the Internet; an assessment of the benefits and disadvantages of the Internet for indigenous knowledge in Cabécar; the training of women from Alto Pacuare on the use of the Internet; a trip to Oaxaca by an indigenous leader and designer of materials for an exchange with TIC-AC; the creation of an action plan in response to the concern for the extraction of knowledge; a meeting with indigenous women from other territories to enrich the action plan as well as a national meeting with multiple stakeholders led by the women of Cabécares, and the development of an awareness and advocacy campaign.
In@Web: Accessible Website Generator
The purpose of this project is to build a Content Management System (CMS) with native accessibility for both generating and consuming content and which also allows content producers with disabilities to use the tool with complete independence. The project will be developed in six stages: a survey on website accessibility guidelines, a study of strategies for taking into account accessibility resources, implementation of accessibility guidelines, integration of the platform with various components, development of the CMS prototype, and validation and enhancement testing. The project will use as a reference existing website content accessibility guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 and the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0, as well as eMAG3.0, developed and recommended by the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG WG), member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), which includes recommendations for making websites more accessible. Developing this code will involve the following language and frameworks: PHP, JQuery, HTML 5, CSS, BootsTrap, and JavaScript. The development of the In@Web prototype will provide a way to generate accessible digital content in an accessible manner, with a friendly user interface and allowing the construction of accessible websites for users with no experience in the development of algorithms, whether they have a disability or not.
Online Safety Tools for Vulnerable Groups in the Caribbean
Many instances of abuse that used to occur offline have been transferred to online spaces or intensified by the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). Particularly, women, girls, and the LGBTQ+ community are disproportionately affected by severe forms of online abuse including revenge porn and cyber-stalking. This problem is exacerbated in small closely-knit communities like the Caribbean where it is difficult to recover from or avoid abusers. Unfortunately, the affordances and barriers to online safety are severely understudied in the Caribbean. The aim of this project is to empower Caribbean citizens by understanding perceived threats to their personal data and barriers to having control by collecting and analyzing empirical data to assess how the use of ICTs contribute to or hinder users’ online safety and recommending technological and educational interventions that could reduce the prevalence of safety threats. The methodology employed for this study will include two main elements: the deployment of a large-scale survey, and an online behavioral study to gather direct input from Caribbean citizens. In addition to publications in academic venues, dissemination activities will include a publicly available website with a dashboard that highlights the insights learned about the needs of vulnerable groups and using research insights to develop an educational awareness campaign.
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