Equal Access To Information Raises All Boats

1 Global Day 2006

1.1 Outline

• Equal access in the information age
• Separating the message from the medium
• Technology, the great equalizer
• Open source as an access enabler

2 Equal Access In The Information Age

2.1 Information --- Currency Of The Digital Age

• Information is key
• Currency of information is vital
• Access determines haves and have-nots

2.2 Half-Life Of Information

• Information decays rapidly in the digital age
• Last month's India Today is no longer India Today
• Electronic information vital in providing immediate universal access

2.3 What Causes Iniquitous Access?

• Language barriers
• Band-width limitations
  • Network band-width,
  • Perceptual band-width,
  • Impedence mismatch between transmitter and receiver
• Lack of separation between the message and the medium

2.4 Bridgeing The Access Gap

• Digital Age: information dissemination == movement of bits.
• Makes information dissemination easier than ever before.
• Machine-readable information ->separates the message from its medium.
• Deliver information, when, where, and how the user wants.

3 Separating The Message From The Medium

3.1 Electronic Information Can Be Display Independent

• Receiver can determine how information is received
  • As print
  • As an online visual display
  • As a spoken presentation
• Enables a wider range of end-users access content

3.2 Consequences

• Information provider generates electronic content
• Subscribers determine delivery format
• Provide access when, where, and how the user wants

3.3 Consequence Of Moving Bits

• Bits are cheaper to move than atoms.
• Compare:
  • Distribution costs of printed vs electronic information
  • Braille is bulkier, compare same costs for Braille publications
  • Determining delivery format at receiving end reduces cost
• Cost reduction directly impacts availability of information
• Hand-written manuscripts -> Gutenberg -> Internet.

4 Technology As An Equal Access Enabler

4.1 Technology Can Raise All Boats

• Computer intermediated information delivery
• Can transform information at receiving end
  • Present it to user in suitable form
  • Speak it,
  • Print it,
  • Enlarge it,
  • Translate it

4.2 Currency Of Information

• Automated presentation enables delivery of current information
• Cost reduction directly reduces access barriers
• Wide information dissemination is a great equalizer

5 Role Of Open Source In Ensuring Equal Access

5.1 Open Source Software

• Users influence what software gets written.
• Is better at serving niche markets
• Today's niche markets may be tomorrow's mainstream.
• Is better at serving the long tail of users.

5.2 Impact Of Open Source

• Clients optimized for specific end-user needs Emacspeak
• Immediate online access to books BookShare
• Mainstream software in world languages OpenOffice.org
• Addresses markets not normally served by purely commercial interests

Author: T.V Raman <raman@cs.cornell.edu>

Date: 2006/10/07 08:53:32 PM