August 2008 Archives

Mobil ASL, the software that the University of Washington has just developed for deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans may be the first software that enables an American to use sign language over mobile phones. But thanks to its unique features, this software may also be ideal for the developing world as well.

Discussing the significance of this development Eve Riskin, the principal investigator, who is a professor at the Washington University and a part of the team that developed this software explained, "The software is tailored for American Sign Language. But since it is based on cutting edge technology, it could be modified for use for any sign language because all sign languages basically have similar gestures."

According to Prof. Riskin, the biggest challenge of transmitting sign language -- which the deaf use to communicate with each other -- over cell phones is not to compress the video of the gestures of sign language compact enough to be transmitted and received over cell phones, but rather to use an algorithm simple enough for a cell phone to do the real time encoding and decoding fast enough.

"Cell phones posses far lower hardware resources in terms of processor speed and memory, and that is a big hurdle for video communication over cell phones," she said.

Riskin added that the advantage of Mobile ASL lies in a sign language encoder designed by the team that not only adheres to the ITU compression standard -- new H.264/AVC -- but also nearly doubles the compression ratio. Consequently, the software can compress the gestures tight enough to make it comprehensible on low-resolution video.

"This is why we feel that the new software would a big help for people in the developing world because all developing countries suffer from poor bandwidth problems" says Riskin. "And even if some of them do have access to faster networks, they are usually very highly priced for most."

Which isn't to suggest that Mobile ASL is not a significant development for Americans as well. "A lot of people are excited about this," said Riskin. That's because, even as faster networks are becoming more common in the United States, such networks are still not fast enough for high rates of data transmission, and that means that there is still a need for software that can operate on slower systems.

Moreover, faster networks are not available everywhere and they also cost more. "We don't think it's fair for someone who's deaf to have to pay more for his or her cell phone than someone who has hearing," feels the team.

Of course, cell phones often have become indispensable for the deaf, just as they are for others - even if text messaging was the communication underpinning for the deaf. That, according to many deaf users, was very limiting, to say the least. For one, text messaging doesn't allow one to communicate rapidly one's native language. And  more importantly, it is slow and does not convey emotions at all.

"Video is much better than text-messaging," says Jessica DeWitt, a UW undergraduate in psychology who is deaf and is a collaborator on the Mobile ASL project. However, low data transmission rates on U.S. cellular networks, combined with limited processing power on mobile devices, have so far prevented real-time video transmission with enough frames per second that it could be used to transmit sign language.

So, that brings us to the next question; is the software ready to hit the market? Not just yet. 

 "It is still in its research stage and not ready for prime time. Work is still on to make it user friendly. But after that we would like a cell phone company to pick it up and release it over the cell phone system," says Riskin.

"The team is already in discussion with a major cellular network provider that has expressed interest in the project," she said, adding that it may hit the market in about 18 months.

And what if the talk fails? "No worries," says Riskin. "We will throw it on the web and turn it open source for anyone to modify it for prime time use."

For that matter, the team is also working to a future version that will incorporate custom tools to get better quality and a feature that will identify when people are moving their hands, to reduce battery consumption and processing power when the user is not signing.
 

The Indian authorities, may claim that the Pan-African e-Network is an extension of the "south-south cooperation" idea, but undoubtedly a major objective of this ambitious ICT project -- to be set up totally by India --, is to woo the resource-rich African nations to ensure a steady supply of resources for its voracious economy.

In fact, a big reason why India is implementing this project with gusto is to remain in step with China. As a resource-hungry nation, India too is wooing Africa in a big way for the same reason. This includes showering the continent with gifts by way of brick and mortar socio-economic infrastructure.

Although mooted in 2004 by the former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Pan-African e-Network faced the usual red tape and delays -- which is so symptomatic of India- for close to four years until the final green signal came from India's Ministry of External Affairs  in March 2008. However, within three months of receiving the "mobilization advance," Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL), the government -owned telecommunication engineering company that is executing this project, has kicked off the first phase.

According to TCIL, the first Hub Earth Station started operation in Dakar (capital city of Senegal) on 31st July, which is a "major step because it marks the commencement of the project." This station is now connected to India data centre of TCIL which in turn is now in the process of hooking up 12 specialty hospitals and 7 universities in India with 5 universities and "at least" 5 hospitals in Africa.

While mooting this idea Kalam said that the objective is to bridge the digital divide in Africa and develop the continent's information and communication technologies by eventually connecting all the 53 countries. He also added that for India, which is funding this $135 million project completely, it is nothing but a part of   "south-south cooperation.

The idea of "south-south cooperation" that started evolving around late 1990s is based on a simple realization that developing nations need not seek the help of developed nations in the rich north to find appropriate, low-cost and sustainable solutions to their problems. Instead, it makes sense to seek solutions in other developing countries, which may possess far more cost effective solutions. For instance, if Africa doesn't have the resource and knowledge to dig out its vast reserves coal or oil, it could go to India or China for help instead of going to say USA,  from where the cost of importing the required expertise could be much higher.

However, even as India says that this project "continues the tradition of
India's close partnership with the countries of Africa in their developmental efforts aimed at the well being of their people," there is also a hope that the effort will bear fruit in the long run.

"We expect that in the long run this project will not only improve the cultural relationship between India and all African countries, but it will also help the growth of trade and commerce, and industry  between India and Africa," said an official from the Ministry of External Affairs, requesting anonymity.

For India, it is indeed very important to cultivate better relationships with the resource-rich African nations. Like China, India's scorching economy (which is growing at about 8% a year and is considered as one of the fastest) too is hungry for everything starting from food to oil, and Africa could play a crucial role there.

But while China with its ambitious Africa strategy has been showering Africa with almost everything ( starting from building roads, to providing free food, clothes, medicine and the likes) in return for lucrative partnerships with its oil and mineral companies, India has been lagging far behind.
            
With the Pan-African e-Network project though, India may score a brownie point after all. Not only will this be Africa's biggest ICT project ever, but it will be funded totally by India, which will include setting it up on the African side as well.

The e-Network project entails linking 53 African nations (although about 30 countries have signed up so far and about 6 have been linked yet) by a Satellite and Fiber Optic Network that would provide communication and connectivity among the African nations and India.

The network is meant primarily for Tele-education, Tele-medicine, Internet, video-conferencing and VOIP services, but TCIL sources say if a country wants, the network could also be used for e-government and administrative functions.

While science may take too long to come up with an answer, what is increasingly getting clear is that even as cell phones are proliferating around the world, perhaps growing faster that any other cutting edge technology, the health-fears surrounding its use are growing at an equal pace.

The most recent sensational risk warning emerged on July 24 when the director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff urging them to limit the use of mobile phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

This latest warning is significant because no other major scientific-oriented or for that matter even a major academic institute has issued such a warning without adequate scientific data or a definitive study to prove that use of technology can indeed carry a deadly health risks. Besides, numerous studies until now have failed as well to identify a direct link between cancer and mobile phone use.

But what could be more significant is that the US Food and Drug Administration doesn't seems to be worried about the risks mobile phone use may carry even as quite a few of governments around the world have already started issuing similar warnings.

The UK government for instance published a report last year which said that  the Government is clearly worried about the risks mobile phone radiation could have on brain function and warned that 20,000-odd  radio masts in the UK subjects everyone near those masts to constant low level electromagnetic radiation.

In fact so serious is the UK Government that it even commissioned a noted academician and a researcher for a £3- million mass study on more than 200,000 volunteers, to identify if long term use (more than ten years) use of mobile phone poses greater risk of brain cancer.

Although the results of the study are yet to be known- since the study plans to monitor the volunteers for at least five years to plot any serious disease including cancer and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases- the UK Government is not the only one to be worried. Earlier this year, the French government had warned against the dangers associated with the use of mobile phones, especially by kids, while others like Germany and even the European Environment Agency have issues similar warnings to their citizens and urged them to reduce exposure to mobile handsets.

But of all these, perhaps the efforts of the government of a developing country or (undiplomatically speaking) a third-world country, India, is most notable.  Concerned about the increasing noise on the health risks associated with prolonged cell phone usage India has also started working on a policy which will specify safety guidelines to limit public exposure to radio waves from base stations and mobile handsets. To be called "Guidelines for Complying With Limits for Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields," this policy is likely to ban telcos from putting up cellular towers near schools, hospitals and the rooftops of large residential buildings, among other measures.

For a country like India where mobile telephony is not only a money-spinner for its economy, but also brings immense benefits to its societies and diverse communities, this is indeed a bold move. Restricting the growth of mobile usage and its proliferation could attract howls of protests from not only the industry players-for whom billions are at stake-, but also from users for whom a mobile phone is an integral part of life.

Yet the authorities feel guidelines must be in place to provide protection against alleged side effects on health from radiation. India has to be conscious to make its citizens aware of the probable health risks of technology, says TV Ramachandran director general, Cellular Operators Association of India. The growth rate of mobile phone is scorching and expected to cross 500 million by 2010-end, a large chunk of which would be children.

This industry lobby is working with the Government and other industry lobbies like the Association of Unified Service Providers of India, Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association, and Indian Cellular Association, to formulate an appropriate policy, which is expected to be finalized in two months.

Interestingly, Indians elsewhere too have started coming out with interesting findings. For instance, in March this year UK-based Dr. Vini Khurana, described as a "top neurosurgeon" by the UK's news paper The Independent , came up what the paper said , "the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks." He said that his independent study has revealed that Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, and urges that people should avoid using them wherever possible while governments and the mobile phone industry must take "immediate steps" to reduce exposure to their radiation.

However, even as the debate -on cell phones as ticking time bombs-rages amidst the dismissive smirks of the industry players, while the 3 billion -and growing-mobile phone users around the world hope that all the warnings remain just that, warnings, the advice of Ronald B. Herberman,  of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is worth paying heed to. "We shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," he says.