LINCOS (Little Intelligent Communities) Foundation for Sustainable Development of Costa Rica (former President Jose Maria Figueres Olson) MIT Media Lab; Institute of Technology of Costa Rica; University of Rochester; also Univ. of Costa Rica; other academic partners in U.S. and Costa Rica Purpose:High-performance Internet-enabled information technology centers at affordable cost for developing nations.

Digital Town Centers 8-10 Computers 2 Printers, 2 Scanners Cell phone base station Smart card reader Medical diagnostic bay Analytical equipment External large screen Satellite connection (over 1Mb/s download, 256K upload) Education Telemedicine Government services Environmental sensing and monitoring General IT services Electronic Commerce Community owned Provides services for fee to business, government, individuals True “Town Center”: symbol of community pride and status What are they? How do they work? What do they do?

LINCOS and Sustainability Goal: To improve the standard of living with a technology base that minimizes resource extraction and facilitates sustainable practices State-of-the-art education, information and commun- ication (the entire Web) “Digital Ecosystems ” (industry and services based on sophisticated IT) Environmental monitoring (make degradation evident) Electronic certification of sustainable practices Makes rural areas attractive places to live in and protect! E-commerce for industries that protect the environment

A Sustainability Vision for the Developing World ApplicationSustainability Consequences General E- commerce Industries that minimize resource impact (knowledge-based industries, eco-tourism, etc.) Transportation efficiency (comfortable, effective public transport; efficient freight transport) Paper reduction Agricultural monitoring More food with less water, land and pollution; less impact on wild species Industrial ecosystems Eliminate waste (becomes feedstock for another industry); IT enables by making supply & demand information readily available (no longer need co- siting of facilities)  Control population growth  Provide economic incentives to protect natural resources  Imbue economy with sophisticated IT, integrated into all aspects as technological growth creates rising resource demands  Create innovation centers to develop and export improved practices to the developed world (more eco-efficient, “eco-abundant”, and customer-satisfying ) Environmental monitoring Effective maintenance of inexpensive and/or ecological water purification systems; forest and ocean ecosystem maintenance Worldwide connectivity Best practices for energy efficiency, land use planning, building design and construction, etc. Examples

Fundamental Elements of an Internet-based World Appliances InfrastructureE-services Thin client/server hubs (potential for an inexpensive computer in every home and business Sensors, computers, and peripherals designed and produced to fit the specific needs of their environment Very cheap wireless web browsers/PDAs Telemedicine Agriculture and environmental services Application service providers Content providers Service integrators The delivery of useful service from the Internet will require innovative business models, adapted to the users’ conditions and nurtured for success. Business creation, incubation, training and support are all essential. Much of this may be delivered via the net. hp High bandwidth satellite delivery

A General Model for LINCOS and E-Services Amazon.com Ariba.com E-bay.com... $ Technology Community Brand LINCOS E-services, infrastructure &appliances $ u Incubators u Entrepreneurs u VCs, Angels u Mentors MIT ITCR etc. Major CitiesGlobal Web HP and others Robust, environment- ally friendly, local e- economy $ $ “Village.com” Business Creation & Growth Internet-Enabled Service Providers  Companies  Government  Universities  Hospitals  Schools  NGOs  Individuals Customers Suppliers The Present The Future $