Notes
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Outline
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Background
  • KEMRI/Wellcome Trust
    • Collaborative Malaria Research Project between Kenyan scientists and counterparts from Oxford University etc since 1989.


    • Kilifi is 60km north of Mombasa, one of poorest districts in Kenya, high malaria prevalence and infant mortality rate.


    • Unit holds large clinical, laboratory, demographic databases


    • ICT has affected the way research is done at the Unit.



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Previously …
  • Data Management
    • Data recorded on paper q’naires and double entered
    • Standalone Databases for Clinical, Lab, Census data
    • Access only through Data Managers


  • Connectivity
    • Dial-up Access via terrestrial lines through an analogue exchange. Data rate ~ 9,600 bps (approx. 10% achieved).
    • Unreliable, costly, low quality

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Previously …
  • Information Access (Library)
    • Subscription to paper based journals
    • Medline searches on CD-ROM
    • Circulation of photocopies of papers
    • Physical visit to library
    • Physically meet to discuss papers
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ICT Infrastructure at the Unit
  • Massive Expansion of PC installations
    • 25 standalone in 1998 to 102 networked in 2002.
    • 3 servers – 2 configured as file, mail, print and web proxy servers and the other as a dedicated database server.
    • Expansion based on demand as a result of increased research activity and need for fast information exchange.

  • Connectivity
    • VSAT link courtesy of the NLM – July 1999
    • Data rate: 32Kbps outbound, 768Kbps shared (BE ~ 512K)
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Satellite Dish at Kilifi
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Adding Value to Infrastructure
  • Kilifi Virtual Library
  • Online Admission System
  • Centralised Data Access
  • Laboratory Data Capture System
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Kilifi Virtual Library
  • In-house centralised system, developed to give researchers easy access to online resources.
    • Librarian updates content
    • Abstracts stored as part of an indexed searchable database
    • Researchers use EndNote to search virtual library
    • Populated using entries from PubMed to standardise entry of references
    • e-TOC groups exchange TOCs from latest journals
    • Journal Web Database (JWD) gives journal info to users


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Kilifi Virtual Library
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Kilifi Virtual Library
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Kilifi Virtual Library
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Kilifi Virtual Library (JWD)
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Online Admission System
  • Data entered in real time at point of admission
    • Data entered by FW and MOs
    • Data almost readily available once committed to the DB
    • Single data entry


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Online Admission System
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Success Stories
  • Increase in amount of scientific data downloaded (weekly statistics – sawmill logs).
  • Faster, reliable exchange of data, incl. e-groups.
  • Fewer data entry clerks, info available almost immediately, near paper-less environment.
  • Data Dictionaries and Metadata can be shared electronically, making it easy to understand datasets.
  • Data can be accessed from nearly any computer at the unit.
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Problems
  • Resistance to change
  • Maintenance (down time, unavailable parts, power supply)
  • Weaknesses of single data entry (not yet evaluated)
  • Inappropriate use of systems (sawmill logs)


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Bandwidth Utilisation Data
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Bandwidth Utilisation
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Conclusions and Future Works
  • ICT has changed the way things are done
    • The way data is collected and processed
    • The way data is accessed
  • Access to more online resources
  • Comprehensive study to assess the true impact:
    • Papers published etc
    • Data quality using single entry
    • Reluctance by some scientists to adopt.