Amadeyr Cloud Ltd.'s Blog Posts

BBS Consumer Price Index (CPI) Tablet Training Complete!

2013-04-22T01:45:00.002-07:00

April 13^th, 2013 marked the last day of training on the Consumer Price Index! Four batches of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics CPI collectors and supervisors received training on the digitized CPI system.

Photo of final batch of CPI trainees on April 13th, 2013

ACL Intern Selected as a Session Chair for ICCSPA'13 in UAE

2013-02-20T02:46:00.003-08:00

Ms. Sabah Shamsy, an intern with Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. was selected as a session chair for the First International Conference on Communications, Signal Processing and their Applications (ICCSPA'13) in Sharjah, UAE (February 12 – 14, 2013). During the event she presented her paper on “EXIT Chart Analysis of Repeat Accumulate Codes for Log-BCJR Algorithm in Iterative Decoding” which will be published in IEEE Xplore next month. Her presentation outlined a simplified version of the complex BCJR algorithm (used in wireless communications) that she developed by using a trellis diagram and then preformed the algorithm in a turbo-like code to analyze the performance. Ms. Shamsy did her MSc in Wireless Communications from University of Southampton, UK, and is currently focusing on Network Latency and Alternative Energy.

Creating Greater Transparency Through Digitization

2012-11-18T23:00:00.001-08:00

BBS Consumer Price Index (CPI) Digitization

On the last day of August 2012, Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. (ACL) signed a contract with the Bangladesh Bureau Of Statics (BBS) to digitize the collection process of consumer prices for four index baskets. This job entailed creating a system where BBS field employees (rural and urban) using a seven-inch tablet could seamlessly collect the required index information and directly send the prices to BBS headquarters. Along with the collected price, the BBS will be receiving GPS coordinates for each collected itemed along with a time/date stamp. Reports as per the BBS requirement, will also be automatically generated and stored using a SaaS program developed by and hosted on a cloud server maintained by ACL.

On November 11, ACL successfully demonstrated the completed digitized CPI process and is prepared to begin training 185 BBS employees nominated for training.

Digitization of the CPI will not only reduce paperwork but it will also increase efficiency, accountability and transparency.

This picture shows two CPI collectors, one using the traditional paper method (left) and other using the tablet (right) at a local market in Kurigram. Whereas the paper method will take several days to be couriered to the main office where it will be manually entered into the system, the tablet information is sent directly, is automatically registered and can be view immediately.

Digits to All Project Cited in World Bank IC4D 2012 Report

2012-09-05T06:57:00.002-07:00

We are proud to announce that our “Digits to All” project has been featured in the World Bank 2012 Information and Communications for Development (IC4D 2012) Report entitled Maximizing Mobile (see page 24). To view this report, please see the World Bank link below:

World Bank IC4D 2012 Report

DTA II Closeout Report

2012-08-30T02:03:00.000-07:00

In reaching towards Bangladesh’s Millennium Development Goals alternative methods need to be utilized in order to achieve the desired targets. Technology fashioned in a usable form can provide the “tool” for development to the masses that currently only an intimate group has access to, this tool being information.

Below is a copy of our DTA II project closeout report. The report discusses in general the findings of the project. The results of this project demonstrates that technology can be used to deliver information to literate, semi literate, and illiterate users alike. The tablets used in the project are by no means intended to replace facilities, rather to provide immediate information in the interim.

This report is the sole property of Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. and may not be reproduced in part or in whole with out our written permission.

Click on the link below to download the report.

DTA II Closeout Report (5.5 MB)

Digits To All (DTA) II project closeout

2012-07-25T10:06:00.002-07:00

On July 9th, 2012 the ACL staff along with two Board Members traveled to the site for the purpose of handing out Certificates of appreciation and to personally thank the Moishal and Amarachala villagers for participating in the DTA II project. Above are a few photos from the certificate handout. Although many participants were sad that the project was completed they all said they appreciated the opportunity to learn from the tablet.

Of the 138 contents on the tablet here is a list of the top 10 most viewed:

Most Viewed Contents

Complimentary Feeding - Meena Cartoon
  How to File a General Diary
  Action Taken After Acid Attack
  Bengali alphabets (Okkhor) - application
  Bead-urea Related Folk Song
  Empowerment of Women
  Women’s role in Agriculture
  Improving Cultivation of Herbs and Fruits
  Animals - interactive application
  Rats Infestation

Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. partners with Eucalyptus System Inc.

2012-07-02T05:13:00.001-07:00

We are proud to announce that we have signed a partnership contract with Eucalyptus Systems, creators of the most widely deployed open source on-premise infrastructure as a service (IaaS) cloud platform. For more than 2 years Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. has been building its own infrastructure on open source technologies.

About Eucalyptus Systems
Eucalyptus Systems provides IT organizations in enterprises, government agencies and Web and mobile businesses with the most widely deployed cloud software platform for on-premise Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). To date, over 25,000 Eucalyptus clouds have been started all over the world, including more than 20 percent of Fortune 100 companies. Eucalyptus is specifically designed for enterprise cloud use, and the software platform is uniquely suited for private cloud or hybrid cloud computing. Built as an open source cloud product, Eucalyptus supports the industry-standard Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud APIs, as well as all major virtualization platforms including Xen, KVM and VMware vSphere, ESX and ESXi. The company has an active and growing ecosystem of customers, partners, developers and researchers that benefit from Eucalyptus’ open, fast and standards-compliant path to cloud computing. For more information about Eucalyptus, please visitwww.eucalyptus.com.

DTA II - End Line Survey Begins

2012-06-28T04:36:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, June 24, 2012, the ACL met at site with the local site staff to begin the closeout process for the DTA II project. Members of household who participated in a baseline survey will be given an end line survey this week. The purpose of the surveys is to compare what users know before the tablet intervention, and after. All of the information that they will be tested on is in the tablet and the questions in both surveys are the same except for a few additional questions on their experience with the tablet in the end line.

Channel I Site Visit

2012-06-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

On May 18th, Channel I visited the Digits to All II project site in Nizmawna. During the visit Channel I reporter Rezvi Newaz interviewed several of the household participants along with the Founder and Managing Director Imran Ali. The interview aired on Bangladeshi TV on May 26, 2012.

Channel I Airs May 18th Site Visit

2012-05-26T01:19:00.002-07:00

On May 26th, Channel I aired their May 18th visit to our project site in Nizmawna. Several tablet users were interviewed along with the founder and Managing Director Mr. Imran Ali.

Channel I Site Visit - May 18, 2012

2012-05-20T01:24:00.000-07:00

On May 18, Channel I visited the DTA II project site. This gave the project participants the opportunity talk about their experience in using the tablet.

The interview will be aired later this week on Channel I (we will give an update when the time is known).

Tablet Updates

2012-03-21T02:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our visit to the project site on March 16, 12 to monitor the tablet update process:

DTA II Project Launch - Pictures from Moishal and Amrachala Paras

2012-03-10T05:41:00.008-08:00

Early on Friday morning the ACL staff along with 1° Initiative traveled to Moishal and Amrachala paras to launch the Digits to All II Project. Here are a few pictures from the setup and training sessions.

Moishal Para

Amrachala Para

Here are a few photos from Amrachala para:

Digits to All Project II

2012-03-07T06:19:00.002-08:00

On March 9th Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. will be traveling once again to Nizmawna village to launch our "Digits to All Project II"! This time we will be working with 100 households within the Moishal, and Amrachala para areas. In this endeavor, the following organizations have provided assistance in kind, content for the tablets, and financial support!

Partnering Organizations
1° Initiative - 10 +/- volunteers for the training of the households at site on the use and care of the tablets (March 9th)
JICA - Content for the tablets on " Solid Waste Management" and the "Polo Vaccination"
G&R/Maya - Content for the tablets on "Birth to 5 Years"
Khan Academy - for letting us use their instructional videos (translated into Bengali) on our tablets
Research Initiatives Bangladesh (RIB) - Assistance in creating content for the tablet on "The Right to Information Act"
Bangladesh Foundation - for cordially agreeing to help in funding the Digits to All Project II!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has sent us their goods wishes and have offered to help us move forward! THANK YOU!!!!!!

Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. YouTube Channel

2012-02-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

To view interviews of our Digits to All pilot project participants on our YouTube Channel, please go to the following link:

Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. YouTube Channel

JICA Mission Visit to DTA pilot site

2012-02-21T22:16:00.000-08:00

A high powered 18 member delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) came to visit our Digits to All (DTA I) pilot site on Wednesday (February 15, 2012)! The team was given a live demonstration of the Amadeyr Delivery System including the Okkhor application. Villagers that participated in the DTA I were also present and gave the ACL team members updates on initiatives that they started using the information they gained from the tablet.

ACL Named As BRAC Innovation Competition Finalist!

2012-02-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Last week Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. entered the BRAC Innovation Competition and with your help became a finalist! ACL is one of ten entries that have been selected to participate in a second round of competition.

Thank you once again for your support! We will keep you posted on the next phase.

BRAC Innovation Competition (Facebook)

2012-01-22T08:16:00.000-08:00

Please visit the following link https://www.facebook.com/BRACWorld/posts/331433916887815 and "like" our and other posts that highlight innovative ideas/programs. The competition closes at the end of the day of January 22, 2011. The post is pasted below.

1. DIGITS TO ALL AND BRIDGING THE ILLITERACY WALL. Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. (“ACL”) is a private organization that utilizes technology to provide access to information to semi literate and illiterate persons so that they are empowered to use the information to enhance their ability to compete for goods and service that are rightfully theirs; effectively “Technology for Development”.
ACL’s ultimate goal is to bridge the Illiteracy Wall that deprives people who are unable to read to access information directly, and to procure and deliver an Amadeyr Tablet (see description of the Amadeyr Tablet on attached Exhibit A) for each household. The ACL “Digits to All” (“DTA”) project initiates an information loop delivery system starting with illiteracy proof content uploaded to the “Amadeyr Cloud”, which content is then accessed and comprehended by the user group through the “Amadeyr Tablets”. The Amadeyr Tablets will be given free of charge (for usage) to the user groups, and their usage of the tablets (and the fees generated from advertising and data mining) is expected to finance the purchase of the tablets. The loop terminates with the usage data being immediately relayed to the “Amadeyr Cloud”, completing an information delivery system analogous to Registered mail. This loop provides instant usage behavioral data of the users, which data in turn would contribute to the continuous customization of the content uploaded into the Amadeyr Cloud. The DTA model is ideal in optimizing poverty and illiteracy alleviation programs.
Further information on ACL and its projects may be found at http://www.amadeyr.org/,http://amadeyr.blogspot.com/ (blog), and our YouTube Channelhttp://www.youtube.com/AmadeyrCloud.

2. PROJECT BACKGROUND. With the assistance of Government of Bangladesh and A2I, ACL has sourced, programmed and loaded the tablets with over 25 hours of audio/visual illiterate proof content in the areas of (by not exclusive to) education, health, agriculture and general public services. In addition, ACL has developed and copyrighted various Android based software such as the “Okkhor “ application which teaches the user the Bangla alphabet by having them pass their finger over the letter which turns green when done correctly and gives an audio cue. Also notably, it has developed its own cloud which the first in country! ACL has a full time staff of software developers and maintains a strong technology transfer relationship with BRAC University.
Finally, of the 200 tablets that ACL had previously sourced and modified, around 140 were lent to households in a village in Gazipur, Bangladesh. These households participated in a four-month pilot project sponsored by ACL namely “Digits to All”. The pilot demonstrated the effectiveness of the Amadeyr Delivery System (ADS). Prior to the pilot, an independent survey company was hired to conduct a base-line and an end-line survey. The results of those surveys coupled with the “user usage” which was monitored at the server level (in terms of clicks) overwhelmingly confirmed the effectiveness of the ADS.
ACL is self-funded.

3. PROPOSED SECOND DEPLOYMENT. ACL is in the process of starting its second deployment which will include 100 households (average 5 persons per household) in Nizmawna village, Gazipur, Bangladesh. The second deployment will introduce further innovative usage of the ADS; Amadeyr Slate (a unique communication/instruction / pedagogical tool), Amadeyr Market – to enable direct sales of local produce to urban households, Amadeyr Apps Market – contents selection and updating, etc.

Okkhor Application on the Android Market (free version)

2012-01-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a lite version of the Okkhor Application which is free!

You will need to do the following:

Using your Android device, go to the link below
You will have to login to your Android Market account (or sign up)
Then click install
Enjoy!

Okkhor Android Application (free)

Or you can scan the QR picture below with your device to go directly to the applicaiton:

Okkhor Application on the Android Market

2012-01-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

You may have seen on our YouTube videos a demonstration of our Okkhor application or Assia Khatoon using it. The Okkhor application was designed to help the illiterate participants and small children in our pilot project (Digits to All), learn how to write the Bengali Alphabet.

If you have a Android device and would like to learn how to write in Bengali please see the following link:

https://market.android.com/details?id=org.amadeyr.okkhor.legatures&feature=search_result&pli=1

Amadeyr Cloud at eAsia 2011 Seminar in Dhaka, Bangladesh

2011-12-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

The eAsia 2011 Seminar held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was a roaring success. The eAsia seminar is an annual international Information and Communications Technologies ("ICT") for Development event (it was held last year in India). The eAsia 2011 event provided the visitors and participants an opportunity to listen to internationally and locally recognized speakers speak on various subjects germane to ICT and the use of ICT in development and alleviation of poverty (see list of speakers at http://e-asia.org/2011/KeySpeakers.aspx). Furthermore, the event gave the ever increasing number of hardware and software providers of Bangladesh the ability to showcase their work at the numerous stalls on the event grounds. Throughout the 3 day event (from December 1-3), thousands of people flocked to view the products and hear about the services at the stalls and listen to the expert speakers at the various roundtables/workshops.

Amadeyr Cloud Ltd ("ACL") proudly presented its android software applications and locally implemented cloud capabilities to all the visitors who came to our stalls (out of which over 250 visitors became registered members of the Amadeyr Cloud). I was incredibly happy to hear/view the positive feedback of the large number of visitors who crowded our stalls throughout the 3 days. Furthermore, ACL's own Imran Ali, along with various private sector and government experts on the panel, presented on "Beyond Connectivity: Sustainable Business Model for Application and Content" by highlighting the success of ACL's "Digits to All" demonstration phase 1 start up in Gazipur and proposed model (advertising on the Tablets, Cloud membership fees, Cloud hosting fees, Application Market fees and Content fees) for sustaining the ACL initiatives and projects. In addition to Imran's presentation, ACL's technical advisor Professor Mumit Khan of BRAC University presented, along with a handful of other individuals, at a 3 hour workshop on "Build Your Own Cloud." Participants at both workshops appreciated the discourse and asked questions that were focused on the issues at hand.

Please see our photos from eAsia below.

Extreme Poverty Day Fair

2011-10-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

On October 25^th, Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. (ACL) participated in the Extreme Poverty Day fair held at the Bashundhara Convention Centre. At the fair we hosted a stall showcasing our pilot project “Digits to All”, our delivery system, and demonstrated our survey system. The fair was organized by Shiree, BRAC and the British Council to highlight over 50 organizations and leaders from various sectors whom are actively working on reducing poverty. The main theme of the event was:

“Let’s unite in our effort to eradicate extreme poverty.”

We would like to thank Shiree for including us in this prestigious event. The eradication of extreme poverty is everyone’s responsibility!

"Digits to All" pilot wrap up

2011-10-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

On Friday October 21st, the Amadeyr Cloud Ltd. team traveled to the four para sites in Nijmawna to wrap up the "Digits to All" pilot. The team and two family members handed out certificates of appreciation to the households that participated in the pilot. During the certificate handover, many households told the Board Members that they thought the tablets were very useful and felt that the entire family had benefited from it. When asked if they would be willing to participate in another pilot, they overwhelmingly said "YES!".

Thank you Mondalia, Kona, Mekar and Purbo Para for letting us into your homes for the past four months!

Informing the Illiterate-Dhaka Courier Article, October 20th, 2011

2011-10-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.dhakacourier.com.bd/?p=2372

Shayan S Khan

After India got its cheap $35 (for students) tablet PCs, Bangladesh may be on the verge of using the handheld devices for its own giant leap across the technological divide- provided a unique pilot about to conclude in Gazipur can be replicated at a national level.

”Digits to All” is the flagship project of an ambitious undertaking by four individuals that has at its heart two concepts at the cutting edge of technology today- cloud based computing, and the tablet PC.

Its stated aim is to “bridge the illiteracy wall” that denies the masses in a poor country like Bangladesh direct access to information, simply due to their inability to read or write. A guiding principle of what motivated the four- three businessmen and a lawyer- is that being illiterate doesn’t mean one should be uninformed as well.

With that in mind, they set up Amadeyr Cloud Ltd (ACL), focusing on finding solutions to the problem of “bridging the digital and literacy divide” and “maximising information efficiency”.

Digits to All, for which the initial pilot has been entirely funded by ACL itself, is causing some excitement in development circles, with its delivery system that aims to demonstrate information can be directly delivered to even illiterate users, who can in turn comprehend it fully and most importantly- put it to good use.

The system was envisioned (and subsequently implemented during the pilot) as a “loop”, starting with content ranging from information on how to obtain a birth certificate to precautions against dengue fever uploaded on to the “Amadeyr Cloud” in the form of “apps”. The content is then accessed through “Amadeyr Tablets”- given free of charge to user groups, although ACL expects the purchase of the tablets to be financed by recipients’ usage of the devices.

To complete the loop, usage data is relayed back to the cloud, helping ACL to not only maintain the cloud, but also to keep expanding it through continuous customisation to suit users’ wants and needs.

Under the initial pilot, one Amadeyr Tablet each was distributed amongst 138 households in Nij Maona village of Gazipur, just outside the capital. Four WiFi networks were set up across the village to allow the villagers to go online with their tablets, and download content from the Amadeyr Cloud, which incidentally is the first cloud server developed in the country.

The tablets run on Google’s Android operating system, and have been specifically designed and customised by ACL for use by “illiterate and bottom-of-the-pyramid” users. They’re no iPad or Playbook, but they get the job done.

The “illiteracy-proof” content currently on the cloud has mostly been developed by the ACL team in conjunction with their strategic partners such as Infokosh/A2I. Brac University as well, has provided valuable technical support.

In order get past the illiteracy barrier, all content aims to be as audiovisual as possible- be it information on paddy cultivation, cattle farming, producing organic fertilisers, how to avoid or deal with different diseases, pregnancy advice, or primary and secondary level e-books.

The birth certificate application for example, contains audio instructions at each step of filling out the form, to nudge the user along towards submitting the completed application online.

The results of the pilot are still to be weighed up formally, through a survey that compares it with an initial baseline that was conducted at the start. That will reveal how truly scalable the project can be.

But already in just four months, it has thrown up some remarkable stories, as UNB discovered on a recent visit to the project site. One couple learned about fisheries, and used what they learned to grow a pond of fish, each weighing “1 to 1.5kg”, which they now expect now to sell at a profit. A tea-stall owner not only expanded his shop, he went on to start a poultry farm as well. One woman started a vegetable farm, while another finally realised a lifelong dream to write her own name.

Elizabeth Ali, chairperson of ACL and the lone non-Bangladeshi amongst the four founders, is very keen to point out that the results they have in so far show a greater propensity amongst women in the household to make use of the tablet and explore its possibilities.

One regret for Ms Ali is the inability of the ACL team to develop and upload more content onto the cloud, “to keep up with the users”, who are evidently lapping up all the information made available to them.

But that too serves to demonstrate the validity of the ACL team’s overriding objective- even in the absence of literacy, with a little bit of creativity, information delivery and consumption can be optimised to yield some audacious results.

Households talk about their experience with the Amadeyr Tablet:

2011-10-20T01:58:00.000-07:00

Amadeyr Tablet users talk about how they applied what they learned from the tablet.

Click here for more Digits to All videos