[kictanet] What are the core system and hosting requirements of the Open Data Inititative?

[robert yawe]

Hi Aki,

Thank you a million for supporting this discussion, it is encouraging to note 
that there are technical people out there who appreciate the need for data to 
come local and are also willing to put their reputations on the line.

Many have taken my raising of this issue as a personal attach on some people, I 
am not attaching Mr. Kukubo or Dr. Ndemo but the offices they represent as was 
said by one american president "the buck stops here".

Please treat my use of strong words as the effects of my frustration with what 
is going on in the industry.  I have been in the IT field for over 22 years now 
and however we think that we are making progress in reality we are actually 
back peddling.  I hope more of the wazee out there can give there 2 cents on the 
issues raised on this and other fora.

Lets hope that the 2 GBps that KIXP is bragging about can be increased to equal 
or surpasses the total international bandwidth at which point we shall have 
moved beyond 1995 when  Dr. Shem Ochuodho offered us internet services at 50/- 
per minute. (US 1/- was equivalent to Kes. 57/- today its 92/-)

Keep listing.


Regards

 Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya


Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696




________________________________
From: aki <aki275 at gmail.com>
To: robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Sent: Fri, 15 July, 2011 15:45:44
Subject: Re: [kictanet] What are the core system and hosting requirements of the 
Open Data Inititative?


While we await the requirements from KICTB as being "Open Data" too ... :-)
 
This is very basic a translation of what happens at the moment, many will know 
this but for those catching up on why having the data locally is too important 
in the long term.
 
- The OpenData Server is in the US.
 
a) When a Kenyan clicks on the maps or visualized data on the site, the request 
on the internet browser is sent out via the device.
 
b) The request leaves the Telco or ISP network, lands at the fiber gateway in 
Mombasa. It no longer becomes our responsibility to guarantee that the request 
will continue on its destination. The request will arrive in e.g. Fujairah ( 
Dubai ). From here, it it sent across global communication highways, across the 
Atlantic Ocean until it finds the server on another continent. 
 
c) The server responds back to the request = The request is for a a graphic 
display or a map. Here you go! I'm sending the Page and Image that Matches your 
request. 

 
d) The response  travels all the way back, now it is a much bigger file than the 
request. So back onto the Atlantic Ocean, Dubai, Mombasa and finally in Kenya 
and onto your internet browser
 
e) As an end user, the information has been served in a timely manner. Sometimes 
there will be errors, keeping in mind that many other users may also be 
requesting the same information.
 
In the communications world, the above data travel is torture and unacceptable, 
unless it cannot be avoided in extreme circumstances. With every click for 
request for information, the eventual buildup of many requests and large 
responses in amounts of data. Within the first 12 months of the site being in 
operation, the traffic will keep building up. And each time the data displays 
such as graphs grow with various data sets, the more intensive the whole 
process. Given the advances in technilogy, not many will notice what is 
happening. However, for Mobile and iTab developers, in the long term this will 
become critical as the display application will hang up or show signs of 
"freezing" until a response is gotten.
 
So why do we care? I'll just mention the basic communication aspects as an 
overview. 

 
If we had the Server Data locally, e.g. I'm sure Telcos like Safaricom would 
look at the cost of local traffic versus international traffic as the data 
demands grew because the data is graphic intensive and not just small text 
files.  Infact, any traffic within Kenyan networks would be treated at cheaper 
costs. To put this across to Telcos, a simple hypothetical cost analysis. Local 
Networks 10Mbit cost = Ksh 30,000/- while International Networks 10Mbit = Ksh 
400,000/-
 
It costs the ISPs, Network Operators almost 10 times more to handle 
international traffic and these costs are passed onto Kenyans. The other 
advantage of keeping traffic local is the real broadband response times that 
will drastically improve thus the grahical data which will open with a click of 
a button. 

 
I'll ask the Network Operators or specialists to comment on costs or 
corrections. 

 
Thank you.
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