Use of Mobile Technologies to support Disease Surveillance, Education and Knowledge Sharing in the Veterinary Sector
Workshop
Date: 23-24 May 2011
Venue: Upper Kabete Campus, University of Nairobi Veterinary School, Kenya (please note change of venue)
Context
Mobile technologies are now increasingly being used across Africa for everything from phone to SMS texting. This is associated with widespread access to affordable mobile networks and handsets. In many cases, this technology has overtaken the use of landline phones, radio and internet for communication in rural communities. Innovative examples of the potential of these mobile devices include the potential to make small SMS payments, receiving text alerts of market prices or receiving medication reminders for TB treatment. The recent development and access to second generation mobile devices offers significant new opportunities for veterinary disease surveillance and prevention in Africa. It also provides new ways for dissemination advice and guidance to farmers and paravets in the field. Finally the two way communication available through tools such as SMS and Twitter provides great opportunities for sharing knowledge.
This workshop will provide the opportunity to review some of the recent developments in the use of mobile devices in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The intention is to bring together technologists, practitioners and policy makers in order to develop new approaches to the use of mobiles particularly in East Africa. The event will also embrace the wider perspectives of one health including the use of mobiles in wildlife, human and animal health.
Delegates
The workshop will be aimed at a maximum of 60 delegates to provide opportunities for hands-on practice as well as seminar sessions. It will be of relevance to :
- Government veterinarians and related health and wild life workers
- Vets and others working in the NGO sector
- Veterinary educators and academics
- Government and international policy makers
- International donors including FAO, EU etc
- Mobile network operators and handset providers
- Mobile developers especially in the open source domain
- Researchers working on m-learning and m-surveillance
Programme
Day 1 - New Learning Technologies
| 9.30 | Arrival and Registration |
| 10.00 | Welcome (Nick Short, Royal Veterinary College) |
| 10.10 | Opening address (Professor Prof Njenga Munene, Dean of Faculty) |
| 10.20 | Current application of ICT in Kenya (Dr Omwenga, University of Nairobi) |
| 10.40 | Veterinary use of e-learning in the UK (Dr Raymond Macharia, Royal Veterinary College) |
| 11.00 | Mobile learning and social networks (Dr Niall Winters, London Knowledge Lab) |
| 11.20 | Coffee |
| 12.00 | WikiVet in Africa (Nick Short, Royal Veterinary College) |
| 12.20 | New opportunities for e-learning at the Nairobi Veterinary School (Dr Mosiany Kisipan) |
| 12.40 | Future use of new technologies to enhance Kenyan education (Kenya Institute of Education) |
| 13.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00 | Hands on workshop to review a range of mobile learning packages and technologies... technologies... (Nick Short and Dr Niall Winters) |
| 18.00 | Evening reception |
Day 2 - Mobile Surveillance
| 9.30 | Arrival and Registration |
| 10.00 | Using EpiCollect for mobile surveillance (Dr David Aanensen, Imperial College) |
| 10.20 | Field based experience of the mobile surveillance in Kenya (Dr Gabriel Turhasha, Vetaid Kenya) |
| 10.40 | Mobile phones for One Health data collection (SACIDS) |
| 11.00 | Integrating mobile systems for surveillance, reporting and information management by Veterinary Services in Kenya (Dr David Ojigo, Department of Veterinary Services) |
| 11.20 | Coffee |
| 12.00 | Working with mobiles in remote communities (CAHNET and Farm Africa) |
| 12.20 | International examples of mobile data collection (FAO Rome) |
| 12.40 | Closing remarks and review of workshop outputs (Professor Prof Njenga Munene) |
| 13.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00 | Hands on workshop to review a range of mobile surveillance technologies (Dr David Aanensen and Dr Gabriel Turhasha) |
Day 3 - Field use of EpiCollect
(Dr David Aanensen, Imperial College)
This additional event will be run for those with a particular interest in developing mobile data collections forms and testing them in a field simulation. Places are limited so those who wish to attend need to express an interest as soon as possible.
Registration
Please contact Nick Short (nshort@rvc.ac.uk) for information on registration.
Venue
The event will take place at the University of Nairobi's Upper Kabete campus. Delegates are encouraged to bring their own laptops and mobile phones.
Organisers
- Royal Veterinary College
- Imperial College
- Institute of Education UK
- University of Nairobi
Sponsors
We acknowledge the generous support of the FAO in helping fund this event. Additional sponsors in the mobile sector are being approached for support
Further Information
Please contact Nick Short (nshort@rvc.ac.uk)
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Mobile Technology Workshop
Use of Mobile Technologies to support Disease Surveillance, Education and Knowledge Sharing in the Veterinary Sector
23-24 May 2011, University of Nairobi Veterinary School, Kenya.
This workshop is sponsored by:
And organised by:
