Q 23/5

1
Q 23/5 Using ICTs to enable countries to adapt
to climate change Q 22/5 "Setting up a low
cost sustainable telecommunication infrastructure
for rural communications in developing countries"

• Ahmed Zeddam (Chair)
• Dave Faulkner (Climate Associates Ltd, UK)
• Franz Zichy (US Department of State)

2
Note to Japanese Colleagues

• We would like to add our sympathy to you and your
  families as you experience various hardships
  arising from the recent earthquake

3
Agenda

• Introduction to the meeting-Ahmed Zeddam
• Introduction to the new Question 23/5 "Using ICTs
  to enable countries to adapt to climate change"
  -Dave Faulkner
• Introduction to the new Question 22/5 "Setting up
  a low cost sustainable telecommunication
  infrastructure for rural communications in
  developing countries" -Franz Zichy
• Coordination and contributions-Ahmed Zeddam
• Future meetings (SG5 and this JCA)-Ahmed Zeddam
• AOB

4
Introduction to this online meeting,

• SG5 (and this JCA) Chairman
• Ahmed Zeddam (France Telecom-Orange)

5
What are the aims of this meeting?

• Introduce new Questions 22 and 23
• Provide stimulation for contributions on the new
  topics
• Especially where gaps in standards are identified

6
Motivation for the new Questions

• The Conference of the Parties of the United
  Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
  (UNFCCC) in December 2007 (COP-13) developed the
  Bali Action Plan.
• Among its actions it calls for-
• enhanced action on adaptation, taking into
  account the needs of developing countries that
  are particularly vulnerable to the adverse
  effects of climate change
• The ITU is well placed to help countries to
  implement the United Nations Framework
  Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the
  Kyoto Protocol through the use of ICTs
• It is proposed to work with UNFCCC to ensure that
  the right policy and technical frameworks are in
  place to move towards a low carbon economy and so
  that ICTs potential to adapt to climate change
  is maximised.

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What is in the new Question 23/5?Using ICTs to
enable countries to adapt to climate change

• Acting Rapporteur-
• Dave Faulkner (Climate Associates Ltd)

8
Aims
The aim of the new Question is to address this
area of the Bali Action Plan enhanced action on
adaptation This will provide handbooks on best
practices and recommendations, if necessary, to
help developing countries to deal with the issues
concerned with adaptation to climate change.
It will work closely with Q18/5 activity on
methodology and standardise the technologies
themselves in the appropriate SGs and with new
question ITU-D Q24/2.
http//www.itu.int/ITU-T/studygroups/com05/sg5-q23
.html
9
Study Items include but are not limited to 1

• What are the standardisation requirements for
  ICTs to enable adaptation to climate change?
• How can ICTs, in particular fibre submarine cable
  networks, be used more effectively to monitor the
  global environment/ecosystem and what new
  standards are required?
• How can ICT standards be used and adapted to more
  effectively disseminate information on both
  natural and man-made disasters (early warning) to
  communities (e.g. supporting GDACS under the UN
  framework?

http//www.itu.int/ITU-T/studygroups/com05/sg5-q23
.html
10
Study Items include but are not limited to 2

• Identifying if new ICT standards are needed to
  address food security, water transportation and
  supply, in close collaboration with D sector.
• How can ICT standards better enable water
  management under accelerating climate change
  conditions to improve the overall efficiency of
  water use, leading to a more sustainable use of
  water resources?
• What ICT standards need to be used or developed
  to disseminate information to enable farmers to
  better forecast crop yields and production?

http//www.itu.int/ITU-T/studygroups/com05/sg5-q23
.html
11
Study Items include but are not limited to 3

• How can ICTs be used to monitor deforestation and
  forest degradation and what standards are
  available or need development?
• How can ICTs be used to reduce CO2e emissions by
  better waste management through a cradle to
  cradle, i.e. closed loop, approach whereby
  more efficient recycling means fewer raw
  materials need to be mined?
• What standards are needed for ICTs to be used to
  increase energy supply efficiency and maximize
  the use of renewable sources?
• How can ICTs be used in education and to raise
  awareness on climate change and what standards
  development is required?
• What e-health standards are needed for more
  effective healthcare, as diseases spread due to
  changing climatic conditions, and to ensure
  interoperability?

http//www.itu.int/ITU-T/studygroups/com05/sg5-q23
.html
12
Tasks

• Establish handbooks on practical examples and
  best practices of ICT standards, and if necessary
  Recommendations, to support adaptation to climate
  change.
• Produce a roadmap to identify the types of ICT
  technologies and standards available, propose
  improvements and facilitate more effective use of
  these
• Coordinate with other SGs, ITU-R, ITU-D and other
  bodies on a regular basis to collaborate
  effectively

http//www.itu.int/ITU-T/studygroups/com05/sg5-q23
.html
13
Next

• The following slides illustrate aspects of
  adaptation which could lead to contributions
• Monitoring and climate forecasts
• Adaptation
• Service Types
• Fixed v mobile benefits
• Which Wireless Systems are we interested in?
• Which Devices are we interested in?
• GDACS-Global Disaster Alert and Coordination
  System
• Identification of gaps in standards is a key
  consideration

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Climate change adaptation Definition

• Climate change adaptation is acting to tolerate
  the effects of global warming1
• It consists of initiatives and measures to reduce
  the vulnerability of natural and human systems
  against actual or expected climate change effects
• However the capacity and potential for human
  systems to adapt (called adaptive capacity) is
  unevenly distributed across different regions and
  populations 2
• Adaptation will be more difficult for larger
  extremes and higher rates of climate change

1 http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_mi
tigation 2 http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptati
on_to_global_warming
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Climate Monitoring

• Provides climate data to enable scientific
  theories to be verified and allows predictions to
  be made by climate modellers
• Often linked with data gathering for weather
  forecasting and air traffic control

http//www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/meeting_CMS20
10.php
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What is the predicted temperature
change?-varies with region and location

• One example cited here-West Africa
• The bars at the end of the orange envelope
  represent the range of projected changes for 2091
  to 2100
• Circa 2007 (always check for latest results from
  climate modellers)

• http//www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/a
  r4-wg1-chapter11.pdf

16
17
Sea Level Rise This Century

• IPCC 4th assessment report prediction 1
• 0.18-0.59m
• Models of glacier mass balance (the difference
  between melting and accumulation of snow and ice
  on a glacier) give a theoretical maximum value
  for sea level rise in the current century of 2
  metres (and a "more plausible" one of 0.8
  metres), based on limitations on how quickly
  glaciers can melt 2,3.

4
1 http//www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/w
g2/ar4-wg2-chapter6.pdf2 http//www.sciencemag.
org/cgi/content/abstract/321/5894/13403
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_sea_level_ris
e 4 http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileNOAA_sea_l
evel_trend_1993_2010.png
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Sea Level Fluctuations

• Combinations of factors can lead
• to flood disaster
• Land mass sink
• Low atmospheric pressure
• Storm surge
• Wave and tidal peak
• Earthquake and tsunami
• Storm run off
• increased risk with global warming

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level
19
Climate Monitoring Examples

• Satellite observations 1,2,3
• Visible and in infrared
• Ground based
• Remote Automated Weather Stations 4,5
• May be added to cellphone base stations
• Submarine systems
• How can we adapt telecommunications systems for
  this?
• See ITU-T Technology Watch Report 6

commons.wikimedia.org/.../FileGOES-12_satellite_i
mage_of_Hurricane_Katrina.jpg
1 http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_satellite
2 http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_sea_leve
l_rise 3 http//www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/me
eting_CMS2010.php 4 http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki
/Remote_Automated_Weather_Station 5
http//raws.fam.nwcg.gov/raws101.html 6
http//www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/oth/23/01/T230100
00110001PDFE.pdf
20
Climate Monitoring Where are improvements
needed? Example - Africa

• Africa has a network eight times below the WMO
  minimum recommended standard, and less than 200
  automatic weather stations that meet WMO
  observation requirements
• Mobile networks provide the necessary
  connectivity, power and security to sustain the
  weather equipment.
• Up to 5,000 automatic weather stations are to be
  deployed at cellular sites across Africa, where
  less than 300 are reporting today.
• This will increase dissemination of weather
  information via mobile phones to users and
  communities, including remote farmers and
  fishermen
• The initial deployment, already begun in Zain
  networks, focuses on the area around Lake
  Victoria in Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania
  and Uganda. The first 19 automatic weather
  stations installed will double the weather
  monitoring capacity of the Lake region

www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_85
5_en.html
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Priorities for Adaptation 1Will climate change
put these more at risk?

• Drinking water supply
• Food supply
• Shelter
• Health (diseases)
• Transport infrastructure (boat, rail, road, air)
• Robust communications services are vital to
  maintain these services

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Priorities for Adaptation 2Ubiquitous ICT can
reduce the risk to local populations

• Food and water preparedness for possible disaster
  1
• Availability of advice online
• Drinking water supply
• Control of water levels (close/open sluice gates
  etc)
• Blocked drains (alert and action to unblock)
• Food supply
• Monitoring and control of agricultural land and
  processes
• Flood/drought request to send to food from
  nearest store to remote locations
• Shelter
• Disaster request to provide tents and other
  necessities
• Health (diseases)
• Request advice/medications by phone, text or
  email
• Transport infrastructure (boat, rail, road, air)
• Updates on state of roads, bridges, railways
  during flood run off

1 http//www.state.nj.us/njoem/preparedness_food
water.html
23
ICT and Food SecurityExample of a wireless
network scheme to monitor agricultural parameters
1 ITU-T Technology Watch Report ICTs and Food
Security http//www.itu.int/oth/T230100000B/en2
http//commonsense.epfl.ch/
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Next

• Establishing the ICT service requirements for
  Adaptation to Climate Change..

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Adaptation with Broadcast Services
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Radio and TV services
• Early warning and Emergency advice
• Severe weather
• Flood risk
• Evacuation procedure
• Education
• Advantage
• Cheap country-wide coverage
• Big limitation
• No signalling or alerts
• Limited use at night
• One way communication
• (except with private mobile radio, citizens
  band, etc)
• Revert to sirens or loud hailers etc
• Broadcast text messages would be better

26
Adaptation with Voice Services
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Interactive voice services (network may be fixed
  or mobile)
• Passing on local conditions (to broadcaster)
• Request for help
• Planning movement of water, food, people
• Advantage
• Specific actions can be coordinated
• Big limitation
• Coverage and powering
• Infrastructure build required

27
Adaptation with Text Services
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Mobile networks (mostly)
• Passing on local conditions (to broadcaster)
• Request for help
• Planning movement of water, food, people
• Advantages
• Cheaper services (than voice and broadband)
• Message can be re-read
• Non intrusive (does not disrupt recipient)
• Alert signal is sent
• Limitations
• Coverage
• Powering
• Infrastructure build required

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Adaptation with Broadband Services
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Fixed or Mobile Networks can be broadband enabled
• Access to very detailed information from internet
• Access to email etc
• Video services via Skype etc
• Applications include
• Passing on local conditions (to broadcaster)
• Request for help
• Planning movement of water, food, people
• New applications can be quickly devised
• Advantages
• Can be always on
• Messages can be stored, re-read and forwarded
• Non intrusive (does not disrupt recipient)
• Alert signal possible
• Laptops or PDAs may be used for access
• Limitations
• Cost of service
• Coverage (may require broadband enabling)
• Powering

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Are special requirements needed for adaptation
to CC?
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Adaptation builds on intended use of
  telecommunications networks which is to enable
  business and social communications
• Adaptation is an extra consideration to the
  basic services
• Text, voice and broadband
• Some services may need to be designed and built
  to operate in different modes when disaster
  strikes
• Saving power
• Preventing overload
• Increasing security
• Increased resilience to outage
• Broadcasting text or voice services

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Fixed versus mobile
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Fixed

• Mobile

• Exchange power for telephony provided
• ADSL may be added to existing lines
• Unlimited bandwidth with fibre
• Costly infrastructure needed to each user
• Cannot be everywhere
• Flood and wind risk

• Local power (batteries) needed to make calls
• 2/3G compatible systems available
• Bandwidth limited by cell size /spectrum
  availability
• Infrastructure requires less trenching (cheaper)
• Can be anywhere (subject to radio coverage)
• Less Flood and wind risk

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What needs to be done at project level-(Pre
Standards)?
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Run feasibility projects to serve your local or
  national community to help minimise the risks due
  to climate change
• This should (preferably) include an ICT aspect
  and a business case
• A small project with scaling-up potential is
  preferred
• Multiply up the benefits
• Communicate your results worldwide
• Input to international standards where possible

32
Adaptation to Climate Change Which wireless
systems are we interested in?
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Satellite
• Monitoring weather/climate on national or
  international scale and early warning of extent
  of disasters
• Interactive providing ubiquitous coverage for
  news media
• Land based interactive
• Private Mobile Radio (PMR) to mobilise emergency
  services
• Land based broadcast
• News updates
• Land based monitoring
• Weather stations
• Cellular providing detailed information
  (internet/websites)
• Person to person (text and voice calls)
• Implementing community action plans
• This is the topic identified in Question 22/5.

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Adaptation to Climate change Which ICT devices
are we interested in?
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Mainframes
• Providing ever more sophisticated climate models
• Computing power has doubled every 18 months
• Data centres
• Acting as host servers to allow information to be
  exchanged
• Personal Computers
• Accessing internet to gain information about
  climate change and forecasts
• Collecting, managing and uploading local
  environmental data
• Handheld devices (e.g. based on mobile phones)
• Primary voice communications and text messages
• Global positioning system is included in latest
  generation
• Photographs and video streaming/upload possible
• Allow a multiplicity of new software applications
  to be downloaded

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Adaptation to Climate Change Software platforms
Establishing the ICT requirements for Adaptation
to Climate Change

• Ideally a single platform for mobile broadband
  would be standardised so that all mobiles could
  receive and transmit equally via the internet
• E.g. Android may be an example of this 1
• a Linux-based platform from the Open Handset
  Alliance
• Application programming is primarily done in
  Java.
• Performance critical code can be written in C,
  C or other native code languages

1 http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_applicatio
n_development
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The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System
(GDACS)

• A cooperation framework under the United Nations
  umbrella to
• consolidate and strengthen the network of
  providers and users of disaster information
  worldwide
• provide reliable and accurate alerts and impact
  estimations after sudden-onset disasters and to
• improve the cooperation of international
  responders in the immediate aftermath..
• To date, GDACS has more than 9000 and has become
  an integral part of international disaster
  response to sudden-onset disasters.
• Provides near real-time alerts about natural
  disasters around the world and tools to
  facilitate response coordination, including media
  monitoring, map catalogues..
• Flood, earthquake, cyclone, tsunami, volcano
• Receive instant email, SMS or fax alerts in case
  an earthquake or tsunami occurs with a potential
  for humanitarian disaster.
• Has already standardised the communications
  protocols RSS and GLIDE

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Next

• Franz Zichy will introduce the new Question 22/5

37
New Question 22/5Setting up a low cost
sustainable telecommunication infrastructure for
rural communications in developing countries

• Acting Rapporteur
• Franz Zichy (US Department of State)

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Motivation

• Current mobile network systems do not meet the
  requirements for rural/remote deployment in
  developing countries
• Current mobile network systems designed for urban
  area deployment
• Infrastructure
• Power
• Shelter
• Accessibility
• Manpower skills to operate
• Logistics

http//www.itu.int/ITU-T/studygroups/com05/sg5-q22
.html
39
Challenges

• Challenges to deploying Telecommunication
  infrastructure in rural/remote areas in
  developing nations are
• Access to electricity.
• Expense of power backup.
• Terrain.
• Accessibility and transportation.
• Lack of skilled manpower.
• Installation and maintenance of networks.
• Operating costs high.
• Average revenue per user low.
• Population sparse and scattered.

http//www.itu.int/ITU-T/studygroups/com05/sg5-q22
.html
40
Study Items Include

• Collect, assess, and combine the challenges faced
  by developing countries in setting up a low cost
  sustainable telecommunication infrastructure in
  rural areas.
• Develop requirements for rural mobile network
  system specifically addressing such identified
  challenges of rural deployment, to include
• Planning, Analysis, Design, implement,
  maintenance (SDLC)
• Study the generic system requirements
  (independent of chosen Radio transmission
  technology) for rural mobile networks systems
• An outlook towards deployment architecture, power
  consumption, power source, packaging, operation
  maintenance etc.

http//www.itu.int/ITU-T/studygroups/com05/sg5-q22
.html
41
Tasks

• Develop guidance
• To set up sustainable telecommunication
  infrastructure in rural/remote areas of
  developing countries.
• With the objective to finding energy efficient
  means to power mobile network systems for
  deployment of telecommunication infrastructure in
  areas without access to electricity.
• To improve resilience of mobile networks during a
  disaster (e.g. hurricane, tropical storm, etc).
• Guidance in the form of a Handbook would contain
  best practices and recommendations.

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Understand Needs

• Establishing the requirements for Rural
  Communications
• Understand the needs of rural areas in developing
  countries
• Taking into consideration
• National, regional and global standards and
  policies
• Available financial and manpower resources
• Prevailing material and labor costs
• The purchasing power of the targeted consumer
• The capability of potential users, the
  'information culture' of the society, and
  topography and weather of these countries
• Action plans needed with partnerships at
  community level to support roll-out and
  educational aspects

43
Technical Requirements

• Understanding technical requirements
• Base stations may be remotely located
• May require wind, solar, or other alternative
  green energy source.
• Equipment built to sustain extreme weather
  (weatherproofing)
• Ease of service by non-technical personnel
• Ubiquitous coverage
• Add-ons such as climate monitoring
• Wide range of mobile, portable and fixed devices
  supported
• Resilient and robust network design
• Low cost

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Options for Resilience

• Alternative routing to base stations
• E.g. point to point radio (2 links) and/or fibre
• Alternative power sources at base station
• Grid, diesel, wind, solar, battery, wood gas
• Alternative access
• Fixed (copper and/or fibre) and wireless
• IP routing at nodes
• Seeks alternative paths automatically

45
Next Coordination Activities and Summary of
what contributions are needed

• SG5 (and this JCA) Chairman
• Ahmed Zeddam (France Telecom-Orange)

46
Q22 Coordination RequirementsSetting up a low
cost sustainable telecommunication infrastructure
for rural communications in developing
countries

• ITU-T SGs 3, 5, 6, 15, 19 and 23/5
• ITU-D SG 2 and ITU-R SGs
• Standardization bodies, forums and consortia
• ISO, IEC, ETSI , GSMA,
• Others
• Need to consider best practice from other entities

47
Work underway in ITU-D
Need for coordination in Q22

• ITU-T SG 5 encouraged to take advantage of
  resources produced in ITU-D
• Case study libraries
• http//www.itu.int/ITU-D/study_groups/SGP_2006-201
  0/events/Case_Library/index.asp
• ITU-D Questions
• Question 10-3/2, Telecommunications/ICT for rural
  and remote areas
• Question 22-1/2, Utilization of
  telecommunications/ICTs for disaster
  preparedness, mitigation and response
• Question 25/2, Access technology for broadband
  telecommunications including IMT, for developing
  countries

48
Q23 Coordination RequirementsUsing ICTs to
enable Countries to Adapt to Climate Change

• ITU-T SGs 9, 13, 15 and 16
• ITU-D and ITU-R SGs
• Standardization bodies, forums and consortia
• ISO, ETSI ,UNFCCC, UNEP, FAO, UN-REDD Programme
  (avoiding forest degradation), UN-Water and
  UN-Habitat on sustainable water supplies,
• Cooperation with UNFCCC
• is particularly important for the assessment of
  the environmental impacts including ICT projects
  and the assessment of the environmental impacts
  of ICT in countries or groups of countries
• Any Others?
• Need to consider best practice from elsewhere

49
Work underway in ITU-D
Need for coordination in Q23 (Adaptation)

• ITU-T SG 5 encouraged to take advantage of
  resources produced in ITU-D
• ITU-D Questions- as for Q22 plus
• Question 7-3/1, Implementation of universal
  access to broadband services
• Question 19-2/1, Implementation of IP
  telecommunication services in developing
  countries
• Question 9-3/2, Identification of study topics in
  the ITU T and ITU-R study groups which are of
  particular interest to developing countries
• Question 24/2, Question on ICT and climate change
• International standards may be required in some
  of these topic areas
• These could be produced in Q23/5

50
Summary of issues to consider in Contributions to
Q22Rural Communications

• Examples of potential new standards (handbooks)
• Power supply (affordability and reliability)
• Providing power and power backup
• Avoiding environmental hazards
• How to cope with
• Difficult terrain
• Access and transportation challenges
• Wireless signal transmissions
• Lack of skilled manpower to install and maintain
  networks
• Sparsely populated and scattered population
  clusters
• Measures designed to
• Reduce cost
• Improve availability and reliability
• Enable weather monitoring at low additional cost

51
Summary of issues to consider in contributions on
Q23 (Adaptation)

• What new standards (handbooks) are needed in the
  areas of
• ICTs to enable adaptation to climate change
• Submarine cable networks to monitor the global
  environment/ecosystem
• ICTs to disseminate information on natural and
  man-made disasters
• Food security, water transportation, water
  management and supply
• Dissemination of information to enable farmers to
  better forecast crop yields and production
• Monitoring deforestation and forest degradation
• Waste management reducing raw materials and CO2
• Energy supply and use of renewable sources
• Education and raising awareness on climate change
• E-health as diseases spread due climate change

52
Final Comments

• Next meeting of ITU-SG5 is
• 27 April-05 May 2011 Geneva
• For ITU-T members and invited guests/observers
• Will appoint Rapporteurs and Associate
  Rapporteurs for Q22 and Q23 at this meeting
• Next meeting of this JCA is
• 1000-1300, 6 May, Geneva and online
• Open to all
• Please contribute to the new (and existing)
  questions
• Consider the gaps in standards as top priority
• Deadline 14 April (for 27th April meeting)