Grants talk:PEG/WM ZA/Kiwix and mobile wifi hotspot

Evaluation by the GAC

GAC members who support this request

1. I love it. Support strongly with no further comments. Alleycat80 (talk) 21:22, 30 September 2014 (UTC)
2. Despite having some questions about the budget (the questioned parts are not that big (neither the overall budget is) to not tolerate in comparison to the project goal), I support this project.
   — Danny B. 12:16, 5 October 2014 (UTC)
3. Very interesting and useful project. Good luck!--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 08:49, 7 October 2014 (UTC)

GAC members who abstain from voting/comment

1. --Ilario (talk) 23:28, 1 October 2014 (UTC)

GAC comments

Hi,

1. Regarding kiwix hot-spots - have local communities for which it is about to be provided been contacted? I mean if you are sure that this investment is really what they want and is there any evidence for it? Can you provide a list of places where is it about to be installed? (In application you mention two of them only).

Hi Polimerek, yes both role-players have been contacted with regards to installing the devices. There are only two locations where the units will be installed (the locations mentioned) as the purpose of this request/program is to determine the level of interest and use of the Kiwix system in South Africa. It is a pilot project of sorts. In Sinenjongo High School the feedback we have gotten so far is very positive whilst Nyanga it is more of an unknown but we have recently installed the smaller 2 GB version of Kiwix for schools on a device there and received positive feedback. The teachers at Sinenjongo High School have been kept informed of this process of acquiring and setting up Kiwix and have expressed an interest in getting the units setup and running. Currently we are committed to setting up units in Sinenjongo High School but we are currently more open with regards to deploying the units for Nyanga in alternative locations. For Nyanga we are going through the Safety Lab (who I work for in my day job) and their program in Nyanga. I however do not work on the Nyanga projects (in my day job) but I am in contact with the people who do. The Safety Lab believes that the creation of safe spaces in the community, such as the centre where we plan to install the devices in, is imperative to reducing violent deaths in the community by creating alternative pro-social recreational and educational actives for young people to do. Currently the community lacks such activities except for those very few that organisations like the Safety Lab offer. --Discott (talk) 11:36, 25 September 2014 (UTC)

1. Regarding mobile internet hotspots: do you have any detailed plans where is it going to be used? List of proposes workshops or other Wikipedia related activities?

Of sorts yes, they will be used for:

• Wiki Loves Monuments upload marathons
• Joburgpedia edit-a-thons
• Capetownpedia edit-a-thons (same as Joburgpedia but in Cape Town, we are planning to conduct our first event next year)
• Libraries edit-a-thons (we will be continuing this project next month in October)
• Edit-a-thons similar to the Open Book Festival edit-a-thon we recently concluded earlier this month. --Discott (talk) 11:36, 25 September 2014 (UTC)

Polimerek (talk) 10:20, 20 September 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the submission. I'm ready to support the project as it aims at increasing the accessibility to our projects and other educational resources, but I have some concerns regarding the risks. You mention that the devices might get lost during transit and that they may be held up at the customs. How do you plan to mitigate these risks? If the risk for losing the devices is relatively high, have you considered the possibility to insure the freight+ during its transit? As for the customs, please make sure that you know the whole procedure that the freight will have to pass through in order to enter the country. We have a bad experience with it when the promotional merchandise for the 10-year anniversary of Wikipedia was held up at the Macedonian customs, mostly because we were not informed well about the procedure regarding its carriage. Best regards.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 07:42, 30 September 2014 (UTC)

Hi Kiril Simeonovski, those are some really good concerns to raise. I have talked to DHL about insurance and they have assured me that insurance is only 1% of the stated value of the goods being shipped which is $2500*0.01= $25. I have adjusted the budget to account for this. It is a good thing that I have because it has allowed me to identify a miscalculation in my figures and correct it. Thanks! (this reminds me that I really need to ask Wiki Labs to build a basic spreadsheet system for editing). We have had some experience in receiving items shipped to us from the Swiss Chapter in Switzerland so we already have a basic idea of the process and how long it might take (which is to say, a long time likely over a month)--Discott (talk) 14:25, 1 October 2014 (UTC)

Thanks. Now it seems that the main risk is mitigated.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 08:47, 7 October 2014 (UTC)

Project goal

I like the idea and I would love to see its growth. If it will prove itself after the test period, then I would strongly encourage to try to continue in that in joint project between WMZA, the local or national government and relevant commercial subjects so the wider range can be covered. Good luck, guys!
— Danny B. 12:14, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

Budget

Shipping

Hello, did you also try to ask any shipping company for sponsorship via free delivery?
— Danny B. 12:14, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

Yes and they said 'no', we could ask again if you like? Unfortunately there not much of a legacy of such micro-level corporate sponsorship here in South Africa.--Discott (talk) 16:57, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

VAT/customs

Just checking, not sure how it works in your country - can't you be exempt from those fees as non-profit?
— Danny B. 12:14, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

I think we can be exempt from VAT but only if, after being registered as a non-profit, we also get VAT registered. Currently we are going through the process of getting VAT registered. This is a long way of saying that for the foreseeable future we will not be able to get VAT excused. --Discott (talk) 16:57, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Installation and maintenance

What does that cover, please?
— Danny B. 12:14, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

Basically me driving backward and forward and all over the province installing, maintain, and doing follow-up checks on the devices. That will likely be quite a lot of driving and time spent on the road and at locations.--Discott (talk) 16:57, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Pre-paid data

Did you try to ask any provider for sponsorship (free or discounted charge)?
— Danny B. 12:14, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

Not yet but I can give it a go. Having said that I HIGHLY doubt they will say yet for the same reason that the delivery folks said 'no'. Namely that a) there is not much in the way of a culture of corporate sponsorship for this sort of thing; b) this is a very small amount by their standards and so not typically viewed as worth their while; c) this is a pilot project and corporate tend not of fund pilots. Having said all that there is only one way to find out and that is to try and ask. --Discott (talk) 16:57, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

The project will continue for 12 months but you are going to purchase data package for only two months, what is the reason for this?--Nasir Khan Saikat (talk) 05:42, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

In South Africa when ever you purchase pre-paid airtime or data it is only valid for 1-2 months before the data expires and you have to 'top-up' or buy more data. The money we have budgeted there is for us to continuously, over a 12 month period, by data on an 'as-needed' basis so as to avoid buying a whole lot of data only to see it terminated because we did not use it all up within 60 days of purchase. That would be a most inefficient outcome. --Discott (talk) 16:57, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

WMF comments

Hi Discott, thanks for this grant proposal and your engagement in the discussion. We're excited about the potential of these projects and have the following questions/comments:

1. Regarding the need for the mobile wifi hotspots and more detailed plans, how was internet access for the edit-a-thons organized before (e.g. Joburgpedia, libraries, WLM, etc.)?
2. What are the "many activities that Wikimedia ZA would like to do in more rural areas"?
3. We need more specific and ambitious measures of success, especialy around the wifi units. How many more events to you anticipate being able to conduct with the wifi units? Estimates on the number of people or content created during those events?
4. It's great that Sinenjongo High School and Safety Labs are excited about using the Kiwix devices. What is the plan for using them? How will students access the devices/information? Do they have a plan to use them as part of the curriculum? How will the impact of the use of devices be measured?
5. Who will be responsible for the Kiwix devices at each location? I assume they will be owned by WMZA and on loan to each location. Please confirm.

Looking forward to your responses, Alex Wang (WMF) (talk) 00:02, 2 October 2014 (UTC)

Hi Alex, thanks for the questions and sorry for the long delay. I am going to give the responses that Pam Robinson of Sinenjongo High School ( in green ) has given me when I passed on your questions to her as well as expanded upon them in the context of Nyanga. I might also have the opportunity to roll it out in a rural school as well but that is still very eary stages right now. My answers (in blue ) might also change depending on the feedback we get from the survey and follow-up results discusion we have on 15th October. --Discott (talk) 18:29, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

1. Currently edit-a-thons have been limited in scope and location to places that have internet access. For some edit-a-thons such as the Western Cape Libraries edit-a-thon (WCLE) or the South African Literature edit-a-thon this has not been a problem as the nature of the edit-a-thon lends its self to places with access to internt. Either university libraries as with the case in WCLE which 'just has internt'. However we have experienced considerable trouble in securing access to internet with many locations considered for Jobergpedia and Wiki Loves Monuments. These events lend them selves to being held in historical building which most times do not have access to the internet and so limits the rang of possible locations we can host these events at. At times we have been forced to rely on one computer using a dongle or setup a local area network using an iPad (which can only cater for 3-4 people and often at the iPad owners expense).

2. One example of a rural event that we held in the past that had to be cancelled due to a lack of internet access are from Wiki Loves Monuments 2013. We were planning to host an upload marathon in Stellenbosch but were unable to find a location with access to the internet. As such we had to cancel that component of our 'Wiki Takes Stellenbosch' event. Also in this year's WLM event in Franchhoek we had to pay a librarian R600 at the local library overtime pay to stay on so we could use their internet to do an upload marathon after the Wiki Takes Franchhoek event. Thankfully we could use funding from Western Cape Heritage to cover that cost but we feel it was not the most efficient use of their event grant even though we had no choice. Additionally both these towns are, by South African standards, exceedingly wealthy and so have much better relative access to the internet than any other town or rural place in South Africa. If we had that much trouble there then running similar events in more 'normal' towns in South Africa would be a great deal more difficult and unreliable.

3. We plan to continue with a number of events for Jobergpedia in 2015 (I will have to ask Dumi how many edit-a-thons he wants to host then) and about 4 edit-a-thons for a possible Capetownpedia also in 2015 at historic locations across their respective cities. There are also the 3-4 edit-a-thons we have for Wiki Loves Monuments which are, by the mobile nature of our scavenger hunts always held in a different location often without access to the internet as was the case with our event in Simon's Town. Ultimately the wifi unites are 'nice to have' items in this grant proposal and not considered 'vital', the real 'need to have' item remains the Kiwix devices; however we do feel they will be of great utility in hosting and organising events at alternating venues and give us greater operational flexibility. Content created would range from photographs uploaded as part of WLM to edits on historic buildings as part of Capetownpedia and Jobergpedia. We estimate that between 3 to a maximum of 15 people will attend these events. This has been consistent with our experiance in hosting such events in the past where normally numbers are quite low but can, at times go over 10 people.

4. I have broken up the question on Sinenjongo High School and Safety Labs into multiple parts:

• What is the plan for using them?

Me: Currently we plan just to install them and notify the students and people in the area of their presence and monitor their usage. We are currently looking at conducting surveys as mentioned previously for the 15th October.

Pam: Students could use them [the Kiwix devices] to access information for their projects which they will be doing during the fourth term.

• How will students access the devices/information?

Me: Students with access to smart phones (there are a lot of cheaply priced smart phones on the market these days that cost less than R900) could access the devices. This is also the case in areas such as Nyange which the Safety Lab is based in.

Pam: Teachers could access information directly in class if the device can cover a fair area. Or at least they could access information during break if the device is centrally placed - perhaps in one of the computer laboratories.

• Do they have a plan to use them as part of the curriculum [at Sinenjongo High School]?

Pam: Not sure what you mean built into broader curriculum? I think they will give students another option for accessing information. They have limited access at present and this could open things up for them.

• How will the impact of the use of devices be measured?

Me: Data gathered directly from the devices and surveys. It must be noted that whilst conducting surveys in the schools might be relatively easy conducting them in a place like Nyanga, the Safety Lab has found, can be both dangerous at times and/or unreliable.

Pam: You could draw up a questionnaire to give after a trial period to gauge usage.

5. As for the responsibility of the Kiwix devices, Wikimedia ZA will be responsible for them and they will be on loan to the locations where they are deployed.

• Contacts for rolling out Kiwix

Comments upon approval

Thank you for providing more context for the Kiwix project. We are happy to support the purchase of two devices -- one for WMZA's demonstration purposes and one to install in a school as a pilot project. Purchasing additional units by WMZA is not scalable. We hope these two devices will serve as demonstrations to interested educational partners who would be motivated to develop a larger deployment strategy. We realize these types of relationships are developed over a longer time period than this grant, so encourage WMZA to keep us updated on progress regarding this relationship building.

We and the GAC also have concerns about how to measure the success of piloting these devices. Installing one in a school, rather than a community center, provides a more secure location and contained population to measure. Currently we can measure the number of unique visitors and visits overall. In a school environment, we can also do a survey of the students/teachers before and after the devices are installed to get a sense of their. We expect WMZA to work with the Learning & Evaluation team to develop an appropriate measurement plan. Looking forward to seeing what the results are! Cheers, Alex Wang (WMF) (talk) 22:59, 29 October 2014 (UTC)

Request for Extension to Grant

We would like to request an extension of this grant to the end of January April 2016. There were delays in obtaining the mobile units from Wikimedia CH and as yet, we have not been able to install the units at the target schools. Our request to extend the grant will allow us sufficient time for installation as well as engaging with the community to accurately measure the impact of the project. Many thanks --Humetheresa (talk) 11:33, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

I would like to add that we are gaining traction with showcasing the technology and even have an appointment to demonstrate the device to the Premier of the province and former provincial education minister Helen Zille on the 1st December 2015. Extra time would allow us to get a better sense of the project's likely success based on feedback from potential rollout partners as well as data from installing the device at the test site.--Discott (talk) 11:38, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

Hi Humetheresa and Discott, it is very exciting that you have a meeting with an education minister - we look forward to hearing about that experience. Are there factors other than the delay in obtaining the Kiwix unit that have contributed to the delay in installing units in schools? Please post an updated timeline for when installations, demonstrations, trainings and other activities included in the original grant will take place. Thank you. --KHarold (WMF) (talk) 17:22, 11 November 2015 (UTC)

Hi KHarold (WMF), I will be installing the Kiwix device allocated to Sinenjongo High School today. I hope to conduct a benchmark survey there just before instillation today but I will need to discuss that with the school when we meet. I will discuss with the school about when we will do a follow-up survey but I would like to do it in March 2016. We still need to workout a media strategy to promote use of the device although I am interested to see how many people start using it with out us telling everyone about it before we do do a media rollout. If we do need to print out some posters I will have to request some funding from other projects to do so as the Kiwix project currently has zero extra money to spend on additional things. If this is deemed necessary would it be possible for us to reallocate a bit of funding (maybe $50 to $100) from Wiki Loves Monuments SA 2015 for this purpose or will we need to apply for a micro grant?--Discott (talk) 09:25, 12 November 2015 (UTC)

Hi Discott, I apologize for the delay in response. I did not see this message in my notifications. This request for extension is approved. I will update the request page to show the new end date of April 30, 2016, with a report due on June 29, 2016. If you decide to print posters, please let us know what the cost will be, and if you have considered other ways to advertise the project. If you decide to do the media rollout after people have started using the devices, it might be good to include quotes from early users. Again, I'm sorry for the delay in replying to this request. Best, --KHarold (WMF) (talk) 22:17, 15 December 2015 (UTC)

Hi KHarold (WMF), bit of an update. I have installed the device for Secunjalo High School and have run a baseline survey with the students there. Just need to code in the results from the survey. The main problem at the high school is that in order to keep the Kiwix unit safe they need to keep it in the head master's office which is essentally a metal box with two windows, this means that the only place people can pick up the Kiwix signal is from outside the window of the head master's office which looks out over a narrow ally so that is not ideal. This means I will need to get an outdoor signal booster for the unit which will require its own power supply but at least one of the units is up and running. Additionally and in unrealated news, I had a meeting with the head of education for the Western Cape Government and it turns out they are installing free and universal wifi for all schools in the province. This is awesome news as everyone benifits from free access to the internet and by extension Wikipedia however it does negate the need for a Kiwix device in the province. This means that we should focus on other provinces in South Africa as they, to the best of my knowledge, are not installing universal internet access in their schools. That was certainly the advice of the minister. I will keep you posted on how that goes. They did however show considerable interest in having Kiwix installed on their inter-school intranet. I will keep you posted on the posters.--Discott (talk) 18:18, 21 December 2015 (UTC)