Social Life Networks: Concept, Research Challenges and Progress Professor Athula Ginige School of Computing and Mathematics University of Western Sydney Australia

Agenda Social Life Network concept Potential Applications Research challenges and Approach User Information need Analysis Mobile UI development Knowledge Management in SLN User Empowerment High Level Logical Architecture Next Step – V-0 End-to-End System

Social Networks Ref: Ramesh Jain

The Geo-Social Universe May 2011

Growth of Mobile Phone Usage

Penetration by Continents

Middle 3.5 Billion Top 1.5 Billion Bottom 1.5 Billion MOP: Strengthening Information Environment TOP: Strong Information Environment BOP: Deprived of Information Middle of the Pyramid Ref: Ramesh Jain

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Every human in a society should be provided with the first two. Other stages follow only after that. Basic Highest

Going Beyond Social Networks Current Social Networks Important Unsatisfied Needs

Mobile phone used to be a phone. It is now a: – Phone – Camera and an album – GPS – Music system – Video Game console – Communication device – Personal BUTLER – Computer – Information source – … much more What is a Mobile Phone?

Connecting People And Resources Aggregation and Composition Situation Detection Alerts Queries Information HealthEducationAgricultureTransportationSocial Ref: Ramesh Jain

Framework for Situation Analysis Level 3: Event Graph Level 2: S-T-T Aggregate Level 1: S-T-T Data RepresentationTransformationCharacterisations Properties More abstraction Less details Less abstraction More details Examples NYC,02/12/11, Flu Case Raw Data – e.g. Tweets, photos, weather, RSS

Where to open the next store?

Potential Applications Though much effort has been put into developing mobile applications for people in developed countries not much has happened for the vast majority of people living in developing countries.

Creating a better market dispersion

Selecting Crops to Cultivate

International Collaborative project to develop Social Life Networks for the Middle of the Pyramid. Current collaborates are University of Western Sydney, Australian Catholic University, Macquarie University, University of California Irvine, University of Salerno in Italy, University of Colombo and University of Ruhuna. First pilot project SLN for Sri Lankan farmers SLN4MOP

Initial System Architecture

What are the potential scenarios that can benefit from Social Life Networks What factors will motivate people to use such a system What impact such a system will have on Social Processes. Research Challenges - Overall System

Input and output Subsystem. – Language and Usability issues – Data input method – Output data visualisation Processing Subsystem – Data validity – Managing application domain knowledge – etc Aggregation Subsystem – What information alerts are required for different types of applications. – Sequence of operations to generate information and alerts and respond to user queries Research Challenges - Sub Systems

SLN4MOP Research Methodology Exploring possibilities using Action Research Requirements for Aggregation Unit Aggregation Unit Requirements for Processing Unit Processing Unit Requirements for User Interface Unit Mobile App Evaluation Stakeholder Needs SLN for Farmers Requirements Artefacts Evaluations

Action Research Approach

Design Science Research Approach

Spread of Disciplines Core Technologies Infrastructure and the System Human Mobile Interactions Social and Business Aspects

Farmer Information Need Analysis

What Crop to Grow? What are the best seeds to be cultivated? (Quality) From whom/where to buy good quality seeds at a lower rate? (Quality / Resource Prices) How much yield is estimated for the selected vegetable seeds? (Prediction) What would be the weather within the harvesting period? Any sudden changes that would affect the yield? (Quality / Precautions / Decision taking) What are the best fertilizers to be used for the selected crops and in which quantities?(Quality) From where to buy good fertilizer at a lower rate? (Quality / Resource Prices) What are the precautions to be carried out to avoid specific pest and diseases? (Quality / Precautions / Decision taking) Information Need - 1

In case of a disease what are steps to be carried out? (Quality / Knowledge) Any disease that spreads within neighbouring farm yards? (Quality / Precautions / Decision taking) How to inform other farmers with respect to the pest and diseases? (Agricultural Knowledge / Information Sharing) What others grow? Cultivation extent? (Agricultural Knowledge / Precautions / Decision taking) How to inform others that farmer would be growing a specific crop? (Agricultural Knowledge / Information Sharing) What are the other possible ways of selling the harvest? Any other vendors? (Agricultural Knowledge ) How to inform other food processing companies that farmer have grown a specific crop? How to get aware of any special interests of such companies? (Agricultural Knowledge / Information Sharing / Decision making) Information Need - 2

High Level Conceptual Architecture

Mobile UI Development

Here we have identified some information which is required by farmers: Information regarding pest and disease identification, seeds and fertilizer, weather, etc (eg: “vegetable disease/rice disease caused by insect”) information related to the places to buy, the places to sell and the prices of almost all the products and services and serve the prices of vegetable and fruit at selected economic center traditional knowledge and practices of different cultivations, and about modern agriculture methods/ new farming techniques information about crop diseases and find remedies predictability of income and details on demand of trend for harvesting, information about health and chemical hazards which information farmers depend to start cultivation/or land extended(soil, weather, water:rain/drough, financial, pest and diseases, selecting seeds/crops, fertilizer, season, demand, previous price, other grow on a particular season, etc) information about post-harvest losses and the most important input which can ensure the availability of all other required inputs at the right place and right time. Knowledge Management

Given the control methods of the vegetable diseases (chemical control, cultural control, biological control, and etc) and diseases of the vegetable crops(Fungal, Bacteria, Viral, etc) and some economical constraints (i.e. budget of the farmers is limited and cultivation area(small to- large scale) and land types and the other conditions such as soil, planting dates, and environment factors(light, relative humidity, etc)), which are most appropriate control methods to particular disease. Agriculture Ontology for SLN

Context of Information Need

User Empowerment Given some information How can we assist user to act on that information From user action How can we extract useful information

Empowerment Theory Definition one: Empowerment is defined as “an intentional, ongoing process centred in the local community, involving mutual respect, critical reflection, caring and group participation, through which people lacking in equal share of valued resources gain greater access to and control over those resources Mechanic, D., Adolescents at risk: New Directions, in Seventh Annual Conference on Health Policy1991: Cornell University Medical College.

Empowerment Theory Definition two: Empowerment is “a process where individuals learn to see a closer correspondence between their goals and sense of how to achieve them, and a relationship between their efforts and life outcomes” Group, C.E., Empowerment and Family Support, in Networking Bulletin1989. p

Empowerment in Summary Empowerment is a process which has outcomes. The empowerment theory suggests that actions, activities or structures may be empowering, and the outcome of each process results in a level of being empowered

Levels of Empowerment Individual Organisational Community

Individual Level Empowerment Processes – Learning decision making skills – Managing resources – Working with others Outcomes – Sense of control – Critical awareness – Participatory behaviours

Processes Level Empowerment Processes – Opportunities to participate in decision making – Shared responsibilities – Shared leadership Outcomes – Effectively compete for resources – Networking with other organisations – Policy influence

Community Level Empowerment Processes – Access to resources – Tolerance for diversity Outcomes – Organisational coalitions – Pluralistic leadership (leadership with diversity) – Resident’s participatory skills

High Level Logical Architecture

Design and implement End-to-End system V0. – Where to start – How to collaborate Interesting secondary project – Collaborative development and knowledge sharing. Next Step