ICTD interventions: trends over the last decade

In this study, we examine Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) technology interventions that have been developed over the last decade. The purpose is to provide a snapshot of the trends that have characterized ICT4D technology interventions from the period starting 1995 to 2010. This paper presents three general dimensions i.e. ICTs, development and research which are further broken down into seven variables used to categorize projects over this period. The seven variables include: telecommunication, terminal device, target group, domain area, region, research methods and discipline. Results suggest that applied research stood out as the methodology of choice; health and education as the most researched areas; hand-held interventions as the most popular choice of solutions; and Computer Science, Informatics and Information Systems as the disciplines that offer ICT4D technology interventions. Consequently, we argue that these trends will facilitate understanding the past performance of ICT4D, both as an academic field and as an area of development practice, and identify defining ideas on the potential directions for the future.

[1]  Kentaro Toyama,et al.  Text-Free User Interfaces for Illiterate and Semi-Literate Users , 2006, 2006 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development.

[2]  Dipanjan Chakraborty,et al.  Organizing the unorganized - employing IT to empower the under-privileged , 2008, WWW.

[3]  Nathan Eagle,et al.  Parameterizing the Dynamics of Slums , 2010, AAAI Spring Symposium: Artificial Intelligence for Development.

[4]  Kentaro Toyama,et al.  Exploring the feasibility of video mail for illiterate users , 2008, AVI '08.

[5]  Edwin H. Blake.  Extended abstract a field computer for animal trackers , 2002, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[6]  Kentaro Toyama,et al.  Comparing semiliterate and illiterate users' ability to transition from audio+text to text-only interaction , 2009, CHI.

[7]  J. Midgley,et al.  Social development: the intellectual heritage , 2003 .

[8]  Matthew Kam,et al.  Human computer interaction for international development: past present and future , 2011 .

[9]  Marshini Chetty,et al.  Developing locally relevant applications for rural South Africa : a telemedicine example , 2005 .

[10]  Pearl Brereton,et al.  Systematic literature reviews in software engineering - A systematic literature review , 2009, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[11]  Ronald Rosenfeld,et al.  HealthLine: Speech-based access to health information by low-literate users , 2007, 2007 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development.

[12]  S. Berg.  Snowball Sampling—I , 2006 .

[13]  Richard Heeks,et al.  ICT4D 2.0: The Next Phase of Applying ICT for International Development , 2008, Computer.

[14]  Louis Putterman,et al.  The Quest for Development , 2004 .

[15]  Kathleen Diga,et al.  ICTD Research by Africans : Origins , Interests , and Impact , .

[16]  Edwin H. Blake,et al.  A Field Computer for Animal Trackers , 2002 .

[17]  Anupam Basu,et al.  Sparsha: a comprehensive indian language toolset for the blind , 2005, Assets '05.

[18]  N. C. Tiglao,et al.  Mapping ICT4D Projects in the Philippines , 2009 .

[19]  M. Kruk,et al.  Ending Africa's Poverty Trap , 2004 .

[20]  Pearl Brereton,et al.  Performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering , 2006, ICSE.

[21]  Joyojeet Pal,et al.  ICTD state of the union: Where have we reached and where are we headed , 2009, 2009 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD).

[22]  Åke Grönlund,et al.  The quest for development : reviewing ICT4D research , 2008 .

[23]  Kentaro Toyama,et al.  Challenges in computerized job search for the developing world , 2008, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[24]  David Frohlich,et al.  Research Article Democracy, Design, and Development in Community Content Creation: Lessons From the StoryBank Project , 2009 .

[25]  Rebecca E. Grinter,et al.  Deliberate interactions: characterizing technology use in Nairobi, Kenya , 2010, CHI.

[26]  Madelaine Plauché,et al.  Tamil market: a spoken dialog system for rural India , 2006, CHI EA '06.

[27]  Jennifer Bussell.  Norms on ICTs for Development : New Data , Initial Findings and Opportunities for Analysis , 2006 .

[28]  Richard Heeks,et al.  Development Informatics Working Paper Series Failure, Success and Improvisation of Information Systems Projects in Developing Countries A. Introduction: Defining and Measuring Success and Failure.....................................2 C. Explaining Developing Country Information Systems Success and F , 2022 .

[29]  Gerard C. Raiti,et al.  The Lost Sheep of ICT4D Literature , 2007 .

[30]  Connor Graham,et al.  A Review of Mobile HCI Research Methods , 2003, Mobile HCI.

[31]  M. Best,et al.  A directory service for multi-literate users , 2004, 2004 IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo (ICME) (IEEE Cat. No.04TH8763).

[32]  The Lost Sheep of ICT 4 D Research , 2007 .

[33]  Ruy Cervantes,et al.  VoiceList: user-driven telephone-based audio content , 2008, Mobile HCI.

[34]  Sajda Qureshi.  Social and economic perspectives on the role of information and communication technology for development , 2009, Inf. Technol. Dev..

[35]  Kentaro Toyama,et al.  A comparison of mobile money-transfer UIs for non-literate and semi-literate users , 2009, CHI.

[36]  Gerard C. Raiti,et al.  The Lost Sheep of ICT4D Research , 2007 .