Work package overview: WP1 defines the use case, which guides the three research activities WP2 – WP4. the outcomes of WP2 and WP3 will be integrated in WP5, and WP6 executes the experiments. Results feed into WP7, and WP8 serves all activities.
WP 1 – Use case and architecture
The goal of this work package is the definition, of the use case including the ecosystem and the architecture. Roles are defined, and requirements for the subsequent research-oriented work packages, and the trial, are specified. Focus is the distribution scenario of video entertainment content in remote areas of developing countries through a network of local micro-entrepreneurs, with a specially designed “cinema-in-a-backpack”.
WP 2 – DTN-enabled content distribution
The goal of this work package is the definition, implementation, and evaluation of the content distribution system for the mobile cinema use case defined in the previous WP. The content distribution system will provide mechanisms to 1) deliver multimedia content to the micro-entrepreneur and 2) identify the ownership of the copyright for that content. In its simplest form, our multimedia content delivery mechanism for mobile cinema assumes two-hop communication between the multimedia server, which is located somewhere in the Internet cloud, and the cinema-in-backpack device carried by the micro-entrepreneur. First, the content is downloaded from the server to a dropbox. Dropbox is a battery-powered Wi-Fi-enabled device placed on board of a bus, car, or other vehicle that regularly commutes between the city area, where high-speed Internet access is available, and the rural area where the micro-entrepreneur resides. Second, the content is downloaded from the dropbox to the Wi-Fi-enabled cinema-in-backpack device once the vehicle arrives to the rural area. Hence, the dropbox serves as an intermediate relay that carries the content between the server and the cinema-in-backpack device. It is owned by one or multiple micro-entrepreneurs that reside on the same bus route. It is up to the micro-entrepreneurs to come up with the incentives for the bus driver / transportation company to place dropbox devices on board of their vehicles. The work package will also develop mechanisms to protect the copyright of the multimedia content used in mobile cinemas. In traditional cinemas, watermarks embedded into audio or video part of the content are used to trace copyright infringements. Typically, a watermark is unique to the cinema where the content is reproduced. In mobile cinemas, the watermark must include the information about the location where the projection it taking place, which is decided ad hoc. One solution would be to include the current GPS location of cinema-in-backpack device into the watermark, which is then embedded into the audio signal. We call this approach location-based audio watermarking. For this purpose, cinema-in-backpack devices need to be equipped with GPS receivers. The GPS information will enable the content providers to trace copyright infringements to the exact location where the infringements were made.
WP 3 – Mobile Business Services
Expected outcome: This work package utilizes and extends a cloud based Mobile Business Services Platform for Very Small Enterprises (VSEs) tailored to the needs of developing economies. It provides easy to consume mobile business services that support daily trans-actions of the micro-entrepreneurs such as edutainment catalogs, basic financial management, mobile payments, supplier & customer contacts, scheduling, basic marketing campaigns etc. The transactional business data captured will be used for analytical queries that help optimizing and sustaining edutainment consumption and offering following the paradigm of a B2B2C scenario (Edutainment Supplier – Micro Entrepreneur-Consumer). The mobile apps will be adapted to reflect local computer literacy levels (User Interfacing). At the same time the cloud based platform allows for easy integration and composition amongst different apps that need to exchange data.
WP 4 – Socio-economics
This work package draws upon the notion that empowering local micro-entrepreneurs can function as an effective strategy for agile product development and deployment in the devel-oping world, as well as a successful way to serve BoP consumers. The goal is to explore the micro-entrepreneurial model and to assess what makes some entrepreneurs more successful than others. The knowledge of such drivers would help to adjust the business model of the cinema in the backpack best possible and further to develop strategies of new business opportunities for micro-entrepreneurships. Therefore, we explore crucial parameters, which might have an impact on the success of a micro-entrepreneurship, that is, the identification of socio-economic factors such as personal but also environmental characteristics affecting the business significantly.
WP 5 – Integration and visualization of analytical data
This WP will mainly address the integration and visualization of data collected by the appli-cations proposed in WP2 and WP3. Such data will be processed and visualized in one ap-plication that will generate socio-economic analytical data. The geo-referenced visualization is something that must be considered and made available. Other kind of information possible of registration, and making sense for analysis, like for example equipment utilization, number of downloads, etc., can also be considered. The most important part of the work package outcomes will be decision making tools which will enable adjustments on the micro-entrepreneurs business models, geographical areas of implementation, further to the extraction of other important data, like for example hardware and applications utilization estimation. The exploration of GIS-based functionalities for in-formation visualization and interaction is expected for the application(s) to be specified and implemented. These functionalities, concentrated in the form of (mobile) application, represent the integration of different parts of MOSAIC 2B, as they access and process into intelligible analytical data information from different applications used to implement both the micro-entrepreneur service and the requests by the customers inhabiting in the rural areas where the service is provided. Using the application(s) developed in this WP, the micro-entrepreneurs have the possibility to adjust their services. Regarding the foreseen application scenarios, the content providers will have concrete analytical information for flexible adjustment of their content offer.
WP 6 – Experimental testbed
Partnering with local organizations in South Africa, this WP equips a number of micro-entrepreneurs with the training, a projector system, mobile business services and content necessary to run their own mobile cinemas. It evaluates the progress of the entrepreneurs’ cinemas over an experiment-period, collecting field data on the emergence of marketing and product strategies. The experiments gain rapid knowledge of the market as the entrepreneurs are expected to approach their businesses in different ways, attracting a sustainable customer base. This WP leverages methodologies and experiences from the Sekhukhune Living Lab, South Africa. Direct contact to the micro-entrepreneurs along the different phases of the experiment will be managed in this work package by Infusion in Pretoria and by the University of Pretoria.
WP 7 – Dissemination & exploitation
The objective of WP7 is to deliver communication and dissemination activities related to the project. Communication is important not only because all projects need to inform people about how EU funds are spent but also because it raises awareness by explaining what the project does and how it helps social, political and economic actors. Additionally, disseminating the project outputs will help to guarantee the durability of the project’s results. The project will set up the standard dissemination channels on overall project level (website, newsletter, thematic conference events, and print information material).
The work package will be led by GraphicsMedia.net. All partners will be involved in dissemination by taking part in planned activities, by taking opportunities which may arise to write articles or speak at conferences and/or by participating in events organised by other projects and networks, and through use of social networking technologies. The overall objectives are to:
- Develop a dissemination strategy in order to raise awareness on MOSAIC 2B and its results towards the target audiences.
- Promote understanding of the use of MOSAIC 2B Framework.
- Deploy the MOSAIC 2B project website and raise awareness trough social networks.
- Publish awareness and promotional material (e.g. brochure, newsletter, flyers).
- Organize openness activities through user partners (workshop, seminar, etc.).
Link to other similar EU/SA projects through consortium partners.
WP 8 – Management of the consortium
The main objective of WP8 is to ensure that the project goals and objectives are met in compliance with the project work plan. It will ensure high standards in terms of organization and technical development. The WP8 will include routines and ad-hoc daily activities required to manage and supervise the project and to provide guidance and advice to all partners. The responsibility for undertaking this WP will be the lead partner’s (GraphicsMedia.net), who will appoint an overall Project Coordinator (PC), as well as a project coordinating structure.
