Since 2011 researchers from the W4RA team (VU Network Institute, Computer Science Department, Centre for International Cooperation and AI-tech company Bolesian) have worked with farmer organizations in Mali to help improve the efficience of the seed value chain, to the benefit of local smallholder farmers, to help increase food security in this country. The seed value chain […]
Shuqi Yan did her master research project on an “AI for Sustainable Development in Africa” project. Machine learning for the interpretation of land use and object recognition on satellite images is a technique which is already widely used, given the large availability of open access satellite imaging and the popularity of data science and artificial […]
Siying Zhang’s master research was about how to design a participatory Covid-19 app. The events of this year 2020, have more than ever demonstrated the link between social networks and the spread of infectious diseases. No one can deny that opportunities are offered by the digitized society to prevent and control a contagious virus. However, […]
Last year we did research and wrote a book about the Amsterdam Digital Divide, with great contributions from five of my master students Information Science. Yet, the need for Digital Inclusion has never been so pressing as in these times of Corona, in which many, especially elderly and vulnerable people are separated from their families […]
WebSci’20 Workshop: Digital (In)Equality, Digital Inclusion, Digital Humanism Read the ACM WebSci’20 DigDivDigHum Workshop Final Proceedings: [PDF]. Or download the full companion proceedings from the WebSci’20 website. The full recorded video presentations of the DigDivDigHum workshop are now available. The WebSci’20 main conference proceedings can be accessed at the official site. From its inception, the […]
“The Digital Divide is commonly associated with those parts of the world, where access to Internet and Web is poor or lacking. However, even in places such as the city of Amsterdam, where Internet infrastructure and access are commonplace, a Digital Divide exists. A significant part of the population (1 out of 5) is currently […]
The VU’s Network Institute has awarded a research grant to two master students: Siying Zhang and Lisanne van Lent to do an interdisciplinary research on mhealth (mobile health) for the prevention and management of the spread of Dengue virus and other infectuous diseases in Southeast Asia. In this research project the health risks, as well […]
“Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development: can digital technologies support community-based innovations?” Every year the International Symposium “Perspectives on ICT4D”, held at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, aims to gather a broad community of researchers and practitioners to discuss and reflect on new paradigms of knowledge sharing and knowledge generation, to the benefit of unconnected communities, living in low […]
