Cutting edge technology set up to beat avian flu
(KPL) The Information Technology Research Institute (ITRI) hosted a seminar on “Information and Communication Technology System for the Control of Avian Influenza in the Lao PDR,” in the premises of the National Authority for Science and Technology (NAST) in Vientiane last Friday.
Dr Jose Edgardo L Aban, Communication and Information Systems for the Control of Avian Influenza Project or CISCAI’S Project Coordinator, gave a presentation on CISCAI and this was followed by a detailed presentation on the CISCAI-Laos System by Mr Phonpasit Phissamay, Director General of ITRI.
The purpose of the one-day seminar was to show how this technical programme functions, CISCAI and also to assess the effectiveness of the input put into training the locals to operate such a system over a two-year period.
To test the effectiveness of this system a simulation exercise was carried out recently.
The Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Access system (WIMAX) was synchronized with cell phones and field officers reported cases of avian flu to a centralised location.
The referees of the exercise took a special interest in the speed of the flow of information that was electronically transmitted through the CISCAI-Laos Network System from mobile phones and laptops to a central point and the length of time that the key decision makers took to act decisively and then relay it to the screens of CISCAI GIS.
How long would the old fashion system of using pen and paper reporting system take? How long would this high-tech method take? Such a comparison provided a reliable gauge on the superiority of this cutting edge technology method, CISCAI.
The CISCAI project would operate for three years (2008-2011) in four countries - Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. The Japan-ASEAN Solidarity Fund (JASF) funded this project with an allocation of US$ 1 million.
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