Zaipuna Yonah
NM-AIST, Arusha, Tanzania, ICSE, Faculty Member
- E-Government, Cyber Security, Tanzania, Network Security, EInfrastructures, Enhanced Learning Through ICTs, and 24 moreICTs for Inclusive Development, Internet Governance, ICT policy and Regulation Research, High Capacity ICT Broadband Backbones, Telecommunication Services, Real-Time Intelligent Instrumentation, Real-Time Measurement and Control Systems, ICT4D, ICT4DEV, Open Access, Cybersecurity, Mobile Applications and Web Applications development, E Government Adoption, Cyber crime, Africa, Information Technology, Cyberlaw, Cybercrimes, Institutional Repositories, E Readiness, Cyberspace, Cyber Laws and Cyber Crime, Energy Systems, Open Source Software, and Information Securityedit
Due to changes in the livestock sector and the rise of consumer demand for comprehensive and integrated food security and safety, there has been a concern on the use of farm data in enhancing animal traceability and decision-making by... more
Due to changes in the livestock sector and the rise of consumer demand for comprehensive and integrated food security and safety, there has been a concern on the use of farm data in enhancing animal traceability and decision-making by farmers and other decision-makers in the livestock sector. To ensure high production through effective decision-making and auditable standards, producers are required to have better traceability and record systems. Therefore, this study aimed at (1) reviewing the current recording/data management and animal traceability systems used by small-scale farmers in developing countries and (2) analyzing how data management systems should be designed to enhance efficient decision-making and animal traceability from farm to fork. This study found that, still, a majority of small-scale farmers do not keep records leading to poor decision-making on the farm and policymaking. We also found that those who keep records do not store their data in electronic format, w...
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This research article published by TRANSACTIONS ON MACHINE LEARNING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, Vol 8, No. 5Research on agricultural and rural development (ARD) systems in general, and farming as a business (FAAB) in particular, face the... more
This research article published by TRANSACTIONS ON MACHINE LEARNING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, Vol 8, No. 5Research on agricultural and rural development (ARD) systems in general, and farming as a business (FAAB) in particular, face the limitation of availability of credible and reliable benchmarking data, both for on-farm support for farm management decision making and off-farm support for research, investment and policy decision making. One of the main part of this limitation is to obtain reliable benchmarking data for decision making, both for current conditions and under scenarios of changed bio-physical and socioeconomic conditions. This paper presents a framework for mobile application development to support farming as a business via benchmarking (FAABB). This is done with a model that distinguishes between internal and external sources of data and between codified and computed information. Also, the paper demonstrates and emphasizes how integration should be considered as a requirement when developing a typical mobile application for ARD. The paper ends with a description of an ongoing research project at Nelson Mandela African Institution of Technology (NM-AIST) in Tanzania that aims to develop a new framework to facilitate development of mobile applications for FAABB
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Livestock sector has been constrained by various factors including extension services and lack of access to on-farm and off-farm information for decision making by policy makers and other stakeholders. This paper reports how application... more
Livestock sector has been constrained by various factors including extension services and lack of access to on-farm and off-farm information for decision making by policy makers and other stakeholders. This paper reports how application of ICT was used to solve problems by using the web and mobile technologies which are fast-growing within the livestock value chain in Sub-Saharan Africa. The developed platform provides records keeping features that allow farmers to use their mobile phones to store data into online databases. Posted data are analyzed and easily be used for decision making and project long term benefits to farmers and other decision makers. Moreover, keeping this information for a long time can help identifying risks and predicting the future. Furthermore, this technology is going to assist farmers to access extension services online through mobile phones. By linking farmers with extension workers, the platform has the potential to increase effectiveness in extension ...
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E-Government Maturity Models (eGMMs) are widely used in the implementation and development of e-Government services. These models outline various stages for e-Government development. Information security and privacy are considered as the... more
E-Government Maturity Models (eGMMs) are widely used in the implementation and development of e-Government services. These models outline various stages for e-Government development. Information security and privacy are considered as the most significant challenges in implementing e-Government services, but unfortunately very few designs of eGMMs have considered security as a specific issue. However, even these few security responsive models consider security mostly at the transaction stage, and as such it is insecure to depend on security mechanisms provided at transaction stage only. This paper develops a four-stage holistic secured eGMM for protecting e-Government services with Tanzania used as a case study. The proposed secured e-Government maturity model has been designed by including the security layers which consist of technical and non-technical security related aspects in each of its four maturity stages. The model design process is based on the ISO/ IEC 27002 security stan...
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Globally, of all cancer diseases, breast cancer is the number one killer in women. The diseases commonly occur in high income countries, but recently there is rapid increase of breast cancer in middle and low income countries in Asia,... more
Globally, of all cancer diseases, breast cancer is the number one killer in women. The diseases commonly occur in high income countries, but recently there is rapid increase of breast cancer in middle and low income countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. This is due to increase in life expectancy, increased urbanization and adoption of western cultures. Although, some strategies to reduce the risks of occurrence of breast cancer are being implemented in developed countries, the case in middle and low income countries is that majority of breast cancer patients are affected by the disease due to diagnosis at late stages of the disease. Therefore, early detection of breast cancer is needed to overcome this problem. In this paper, a holistic diagnosis tool for early detection of breast cancer is proposed. The tool is software based utilizing a novel prediction model for breast cancer survivability developed by using available data mining (DM) technologies. Specifically, five popul...
E-Government Maturity Models (eGMMs) are widely used as a tool for guiding the development and implementation of e-Government services. The government of Tanzania recognizes that e-Government services can accelerate the achievement of a... more
E-Government Maturity Models (eGMMs) are widely used as a tool for guiding the development and implementation of e-Government services. The government of Tanzania recognizes that e-Government services can accelerate the achievement of a sustainable social and economic development in the country. However, despite the good benefits provided by e-Government services, information security and privacy are the most significant obstacles for e-Government services adoption. Unfortunately, very few designs of e-GMMs have considered security as a specific issue. However, even these few security responsive models consider security mostly at the transaction stage. Responding to this security weakness of eGMMs, in our earlier work a holistic secure e-Government maturity model that includes security layers consisting of technical and non-technical security related aspects in each of its four maturity stages was developed, but the model was not yet tested and evaluated. This paper reports on the t...
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Background: A number of health facilities in the United Republic of Tanzania use different Hospital Management Information Systems (HoMISs) for capturing and managing clinical and administrative information for report generation. Despite... more
Background: A number of health facilities in the United Republic of Tanzania use different Hospital Management Information Systems (HoMISs) for capturing and managing clinical and administrative information for report generation. Despite the potentials of the data in the systems for use in epidemic diseases surveillance, timely extraction of the data for integrated data mining and analysis to produce more informative reports is still a challenge. This paper identifies the candidate data attributes for epidemic diseases surveillance to be extracted and analyzed from the Government of Tanzania Hospital Management Information System (GoT-HoMIS). It also examines the current reporting setup for epidemic diseases surveillance in Tanzania from the health facilities to the district, regional, and national levels. Methods: The study was conducted at the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children (MoHCDGEC), Tumbi Designated Regional Referral Hospital (TDRRH), M...
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Characterization of smallholder farmers has been conducted in various researches by using machine learning algorithms, participatory and expert-based methods. All approaches used end up with the development of some subgroups known as farm... more
Characterization of smallholder farmers has been conducted in various researches by using machine learning algorithms, participatory and expert-based methods. All approaches used end up with the development of some subgroups known as farm typologies. The main purpose of this paper is to highlight the main approaches used to characterize smallholder farmers, presenting the pros and cons of the approaches. By understanding the nature and key advantages of the reviewed approaches, the paper recommends a hybrid approach towards having predictive farm typologies. Search of relevant research articles published between 2007 and 2018 was done on ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. By using a generated search query, 20 research articles related to characterization of smallholder farmers were retained. Cluster-based algorithms appeared to be the mostly used in characterizing smallholder farmers. However, being highly unpredictable and inconsistent, use of clustering methods calls in for a discu...
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Building a useful and responsive Decision Support System (DSS) requires a deep understanding of the pertinent application domain before starting the system design. In this paper we report about an attempt to develop a mobile-based DSS for... more
Building a useful and responsive Decision Support System (DSS) requires a deep understanding of the pertinent application domain before starting the system design. In this paper we report about an attempt to develop a mobile-based DSS for smallholder livestock keepers with Arusha region as a case study. The objective of the reported study is to provide an information tool for decision making to the smallholder livestock keepers. The development process involved: 1) employing information gathering techniques to understand smallholder livestock keepers’ information needs 2) studying the current methods that are used for information flow among livestock stakeholders. (i.e. smallholder livestock keepers, extension officers and livestock researchers) 3) analysis of the current situation within Arusha: located in the northern parts of Tanzania in terms of mobile phones penetration, with prospects of leveraging the high mobile phone penetration rate for enhanced information sharing among t...
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Design of data marts is a fundamental task when preparing data destined for implementation of a Decision Support System (DSS). To answer questions on the underlying users information needs, a data-mart designer is challenged to distill... more
Design of data marts is a fundamental task when preparing data destined for implementation of a Decision Support System (DSS). To answer questions on the underlying users information needs, a data-mart designer is challenged to distill the relevant information from various data sources, enable in-depth data analysis and provide ease of access of information to targeted DSS users. This paper presents the design of data marts for analysis of livestock datasets using dimensional modelling techniques. The designed data marts are then implemented for supporting information and knowledge extraction, leveraging large quantities of livestock data from livestock data source that was identified in the case study environment. Appropriate data mart dimensions and facts were modeled in order to ease data analysis and queries in a rolebased information decision support model that was adopted in studied context. Data models based on dimensional modelling (star schema model) are provided and discus...
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This paper presents a situation analysis and implementation of Distance Training Programme (DTP) Semester Examination Results Access (SERA) through Short Message Service (SMS) available anytime and anywhere. 'Texting' or SMS... more
This paper presents a situation analysis and implementation of Distance Training Programme (DTP) Semester Examination Results Access (SERA) through Short Message Service (SMS) available anytime and anywhere. 'Texting' or SMS mobile phone messaging is rapidly increasing communication in business and community service. The prompting scenario addressed in this paper is the release of semester examination results (marks) at one and only one place: The UR-CE main campus notice board, regardless of the geographical dispersion of intended audience: The DTP students. To study the DTP students' access to semester examination results via mobile SMS implementation possibilities, analysis of available telecommunication infrastructures, and services coverage in the country (Rwanda) was done. Then a survey was conducted on the information system implementation status at UR-CE, and the DTP management staff and students perceptions toward mobile SMS to support DTP administration communi...
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As internet access is becoming pervasive there is an increasing number of mobile applications users, Enterprises are now reaching a diversified number of customers through the use of web and mobile applications. However, this improvement... more
As internet access is becoming pervasive there is an increasing number of mobile applications users, Enterprises are now reaching a diversified number of customers through the use of web and mobile applications. However, this improvement in the accessibility means to computing resources does not move in same pace with the improvement of security controls to protect data and services offered through web and mobile applications. This review paper is focused on identification of both practical and theoretical security frameworks for web and mobile applications in use, with an intent of assessing the capability of the frameworks to assist developers build secure mobile web applications. A discussion follows the review by highlighting main characteristics of the frameworks with their merits and demerits. The analysis establishes that, available security frameworks are not adequate for the growing convergence of web and mobile applications, in that there are some security gaps and therefore suggest a need of developing a new security framework for the converged web and mobile applications.
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This paper discusses real-time performance of a computer-controlled variable-speed constant-frequency (VSCF) power generating system that employs a dual-excited synchronous generator (DESG). Results from a proposed model of an unloaded... more
This paper discusses real-time performance of a computer-controlled variable-speed constant-frequency (VSCF) power generating system that employs a dual-excited synchronous generator (DESG). Results from a proposed model of an unloaded DESG are qualitatively compared with real-time test results. Emphasis is given to the attributes of the control of the excitation of the DESG in the regulation of both the frequency and
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Research Interests: Engineering, Control, Renewable Energy Systems, Numerical Method, Feasibility Study, and 15 morePower Generation, Frequency, Oscillations, Real Time, Voltage, Harmonic distortion, Synchronous Generator, Harmonics, Power and Industrial Electronics, Control Signal Generation, DT Signal+generators, Amplitude, Automatic Frequency Control, Computer Controlled Systems, and Waveform
This paper reports on a study carried out to establish the basis of designing an Offline Distance Training Programme Mobile Short Message Service Communication System (ODTPmSMSCS) intended to improve administrative communication within... more
This paper reports on a study carried out to establish the basis of designing an Offline Distance Training Programme Mobile Short Message Service Communication System (ODTPmSMSCS) intended to improve administrative communication within the Distance Training Programme (DTP) at University of Rwanda-College of Education (UR-CE). The paper outlines the ODTPmSMSCS structure, potential users and the associated implementation challenges such as lack of a policy for SMS to be among the official communication channels of the DTP. In addition to the implemented prototype, the paper presents some recommendations to be considered for implementation by the UR-CE managers to assure that users are committed to use and allow for sustainability of ODTPmSMSCS to take advantage of the technologies the DTP students already have. 1. Introduction Mobile phone short text message communication is a modern telecommunication aspect of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) that is systematically revolu...
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Peer-to-peer learning paradigm is seldom used in studying how farmers can increase yield. In this article, agent-based modelling has been applied to study the chances of dairy farmers increasing annual milk yield by learning better... more
Peer-to-peer learning paradigm is seldom used in studying how farmers can increase yield. In this article, agent-based modelling has been applied to study the chances of dairy farmers increasing annual milk yield by learning better farming strategies from each other. Two sets of strategies were considered; in one set ( S), each farmer agent would possess a number of farming strategies based on their knowledge, and in a second set [Formula: see text], farmer agents would possess farming strategies that they have adopted from their peers. Regression models were used to determine litres of milk that could be produced whenever new strategies were applied. By using data from Ethiopia and Tanzania, 28 and 25 determinants for increase in milk yield were fitted for the two countries, respectively. There was a significant increase in average milk yield as the farmer agents interacted and updated their [Formula: see text]– from baseline data, average milk yield of 12.7 ± 4.89 and 13.62 ± 4.47...
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This paper presents a review of the current state of agricultural and rural development (ARD) system frameworks, focusing on their capabilities and limitations to support farming-as-a-business via benchmarking (FAABB). Presented and... more
This paper presents a review of the current state of agricultural and rural development (ARD) system frameworks, focusing on their capabilities and limitations to support farming-as-a-business via benchmarking (FAABB). Presented and discussed include the state of system models in relation to five modelling views of the ARD systems, namely: (i) defining factors for agricultural echo systems, (ii) farm characterization and management practices, (iii) simulation systems for predictable farm data, (iv) limiting factors for agricultural optimization, and (v) performance estimation through benchmarking. Also, the paper proposes a new framework to support FAABB in Tanzania that is being tested through various use-cases in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) with a FAABB Cyber Studio hosted at the Nelson Mandela-African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) also in Tanzania. The FAABB setup at NM-AIST promises to address not only the agricultural knowled...
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The heterogeneity of smallholder dairy production systems complicates service provision, information sharing, and dissemination of new technologies, especially those needed to maximize productivity and profitability. In order to obtain... more
The heterogeneity of smallholder dairy production systems complicates service provision, information sharing, and dissemination of new technologies, especially those needed to maximize productivity and profitability. In order to obtain homogenous groups within which interventions can be made, it is necessary to define clusters of farmers who undertake similar management activities. This paper explores robustness of production cluster definition using various unsupervised learning algorithms to assess the best approach to define clusters. Data were collected from 8179 smallholder dairy farms in Ethiopia and Tanzania. From a total of 500 variables, selection of the 35 variables used in defining production clusters and household membership to these clusters was determined by Principal Component Analysis and domain expert knowledge. Three clustering algorithms, K-means, fuzzy, and Self-Organizing Maps (SOM), were compared in terms of their grouping consistency and prediction accuracy. T...
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Given that, today, the healthcare ecosystem is an information rich industry, there is an increasing demand for data mining (DM) tools to improve the quantity and quality of delivered healthcare; especially in handling patients suffering... more
Given that, today, the healthcare ecosystem is an information rich industry, there is an increasing demand for data mining (DM) tools to improve the quantity and quality of delivered healthcare; especially in handling patients suffering from deadly diseases such as HIV, Breast Cancer, Diabetes, Tuberculosis (TB), Heart diseases and Liver disorder. Given the fatality nature of these diseases when they remain undetected until at advanced stages, there remains a demand for best classifier tools to assist in diagnosing, detecting and treatment of these life-threatening diseases at their early stages. Complementary to this demand is the fact that the healthcare industry today generates large amounts of complex data about patients, hospital resources and disease diagnosis. Consequently, the healthcare ecosystem is warehousing large amount of medical data, which is an asset for healthcare organizations if properly utilized. The large amount of patient and disease related data could be proc...
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Saskatchewan, 1994. Includes bibliographical references.
A computer-based two-phase excitation system for a variable-speed dual-excited synchronous generator (DESG) has been implemented. The excitation system has an automatic frequency regulation (AFR) scheme and an automatic voltage regulation... more
A computer-based two-phase excitation system for a variable-speed dual-excited synchronous generator (DESG) has been implemented. The excitation system has an automatic frequency regulation (AFR) scheme and an automatic voltage regulation (AVR) scheme. The two regulation schemes act on the excitation currents independently to enable the DESG to supply power at constant frequency and constant terminal voltage while its rotor is
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... Zaipuna 0. Yonah Ahmed M. El-Serafi Arnold E. Krause Department of Electrical Engineering University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan CANADA. S7N OW0 ... IC.) Response toSmed Variation When the AFR Scheme is OFF and the AVR... more
... Zaipuna 0. Yonah Ahmed M. El-Serafi Arnold E. Krause Department of Electrical Engineering University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan CANADA. S7N OW0 ... IC.) Response toSmed Variation When the AFR Scheme is OFF and the AVR Scheme is ON. ...
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Contemporary development of information systems for service delivery is at present a matter of bringing together use of web and mobile applications. However, this advancement in the field of computing is happening at the expense of... more
Contemporary development of information systems for service delivery is at present a matter of bringing together use of web and mobile applications. However, this advancement in the field of computing is happening at the expense of increased security risks to system users and owners. This is due to the fact that the advancement in systems security controls is not taking place at the same pace. In the converged web and mobile applications, developers lack formal development standards for security design and verification. As a result, applications are built with ad hoc implementations of security controls depending on context of usage.
In view of the above, this paper attempts to put forward a possible set of security controls considered to be suitable for addressing the security demands in converged web and mobile applications environments. To achieve this objective, use is made of a Livestock Data Center (LDC) system as a case study for analysis and reasoning. By design, the system can be accessed through web and mobile applications. The overall process involved here had the following phases: the first phase involved reviewing existing security controls and assessment of their usage in the converged web and mobile applications. The output from this stage was a review of security controls assessment report. The second phase involved devising and proposing a possible, security assessment model for the converged web and mobile applications. The last phase of this process, involved employing the proposed security controls assessment model and the case study to identify the possible security controls suitable for the converged web and mobile applications.
The approach used for security controls assessment involved a combination of white box and black box techniques. Whereas the platforms used for Web and mobile applications development were PHP and Java, respectively. This last item has been done to practically assess the security controls at an application level, and consequently to come up with suitable controls for the same.
In view of the above, this paper attempts to put forward a possible set of security controls considered to be suitable for addressing the security demands in converged web and mobile applications environments. To achieve this objective, use is made of a Livestock Data Center (LDC) system as a case study for analysis and reasoning. By design, the system can be accessed through web and mobile applications. The overall process involved here had the following phases: the first phase involved reviewing existing security controls and assessment of their usage in the converged web and mobile applications. The output from this stage was a review of security controls assessment report. The second phase involved devising and proposing a possible, security assessment model for the converged web and mobile applications. The last phase of this process, involved employing the proposed security controls assessment model and the case study to identify the possible security controls suitable for the converged web and mobile applications.
The approach used for security controls assessment involved a combination of white box and black box techniques. Whereas the platforms used for Web and mobile applications development were PHP and Java, respectively. This last item has been done to practically assess the security controls at an application level, and consequently to come up with suitable controls for the same.
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This paper reports on a study carried out to establish the basis of designing an Offline Distance Training Programme Mobile Short Message Service Communication System (ODTPmSMSCS) intended to improve administrative communication within... more
This paper reports on a study carried out to establish the basis of designing an Offline Distance Training Programme Mobile Short Message Service Communication System (ODTPmSMSCS) intended to improve administrative communication within the Distance Training Programme (DTP) at University of Rwanda-College of Education (UR-CE). The paper outlines the ODTPmSMSCS structure, potential users and the associated
implementation challenges such as lack of a policy for SMS to be among the official communication channels of the DTP. In addition to the implemented prototype, the paper presents some recommendations to be considered for implementation by the UR-CE managers to assure that users are committed to use and allow for sustainability of ODTPmSMSCS to take advantage of the technologies the DTP students already have.
implementation challenges such as lack of a policy for SMS to be among the official communication channels of the DTP. In addition to the implemented prototype, the paper presents some recommendations to be considered for implementation by the UR-CE managers to assure that users are committed to use and allow for sustainability of ODTPmSMSCS to take advantage of the technologies the DTP students already have.
Research Interests:
This paper presents a situation analysis and implementation of Distance Training Programme (DTP) Semester Examination Results Access (SERA) through Short Message Service (SMS) available anytime and anywhere. ‘Texting’ or SMS mobile phone... more
This paper presents a situation analysis and implementation of Distance Training Programme (DTP) Semester Examination Results Access (SERA) through Short Message Service (SMS) available anytime and anywhere. ‘Texting’ or SMS mobile phone messaging is rapidly increasing communication in business and community service. The prompting scenario addressed in this paper is the release of semester examination results (marks) at
one and only one place: The UR-CE main campus notice board, regardless of the geographical dispersion of intended audience: The DTP students. To study the DTP students’ access to semester examination results via mobile SMS implementation possibilities, analysis of available telecommunication infrastructures, and services coverage in the country (Rwanda) was done. Then a survey was conducted on the information system implementation status at UR-CE, and the DTP management staff and students perceptions toward mobile SMS to support DTP administration communications. In the paper we discuss the inclusion of SMS technology among
the DTP administration communication channels to permit DTP students at UR-CE access the semester examination results through mobile SMS technology. The SMS pull method is proposed for implementation in regards to the SERA communication. The implementation success of DTP semester examination results access via SMS is likely to improve the communication to both DTP administration and students sides.
one and only one place: The UR-CE main campus notice board, regardless of the geographical dispersion of intended audience: The DTP students. To study the DTP students’ access to semester examination results via mobile SMS implementation possibilities, analysis of available telecommunication infrastructures, and services coverage in the country (Rwanda) was done. Then a survey was conducted on the information system implementation status at UR-CE, and the DTP management staff and students perceptions toward mobile SMS to support DTP administration communications. In the paper we discuss the inclusion of SMS technology among
the DTP administration communication channels to permit DTP students at UR-CE access the semester examination results through mobile SMS technology. The SMS pull method is proposed for implementation in regards to the SERA communication. The implementation success of DTP semester examination results access via SMS is likely to improve the communication to both DTP administration and students sides.
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Institutional repositories are essential research infrastructures for research ‐based universities. A properly dimensioned institutional repository has the potential to increase research impact and enhance the visibility of an institution... more
Institutional repositories are essential research infrastructures for research ‐based universities. A properly dimensioned institutional repository has the potential to increase research impact and enhance the visibility of an institution through its scholarly outputs. The aim of the study reported in this paper was to design and develop a web‐based digital repository
for scholarly communications using NM‐AIST as a case study. The system was developed using open source software. Findings obtained from system validation tests show that the system is a viable solution to the major challenges encountered in the management and sharing of scholarly information at the institution.
for scholarly communications using NM‐AIST as a case study. The system was developed using open source software. Findings obtained from system validation tests show that the system is a viable solution to the major challenges encountered in the management and sharing of scholarly information at the institution.
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Design of data marts is a fundamental task when preparing data destined for implementation of a Decision Support System (DSS). To answer questions on the underlying users information needs, a data-mart designer is challenged to distill... more
Design of data marts is a fundamental task when preparing data destined for implementation of a Decision Support System (DSS). To answer questions on the underlying users information needs, a data-mart designer is challenged to distill the relevant information from various data sources, enable in-depth data analysis and provide ease of access of information to targeted DSS users. This paper presents the design of data marts for analysis of livestock datasets using dimensional modelling techniques. The designed data marts are then implemented for supporting information and knowledge extraction, leveraging large quantities of livestock data from livestock data source that was identified in the case study environment. Appropriate data mart dimensions and facts were modeled in order to ease data analysis and queries in a role-based information decision support model that was adopted in studied context. Data models based on dimensional modelling (star schema model) are provided and discussed. A comprehensive example showing how a piece of data is loaded from livestock data repository to ‘fact’ and ‘dimension’ tables using an open source CloverETL Designer tool is also given. The paper concludes with an overview of the overall detailed schema for the livestock data mart that will serve as a backend engine for On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) analysis, reporting, data visualization and information querying via mobile and web access. It is anticipated that the overall DSS once implemented, can be used for improving information delivery, sharing and decision making process to smallholder livestock keepers and livestock experts in Tanzania.
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E-Government Maturity Models (eGMMs) are widely used as a tool for guiding the development and implementation of e-Government services. The government of Tanzania recognizes that e-Government services can accelerate the achievement of a... more
E-Government Maturity Models (eGMMs) are widely
used as a tool for guiding the development and
implementation of e-Government services. The
government of Tanzania recognizes that e-Government
services can accelerate the achievement of a sustainable
social and economic development in the country.
However, despite the good benefits provided by e-
Government services, information security and privacy
are the most significant obstacles for e-Government
services adoption. Unfortunately, very few designs of e-
GMMs have considered security as a specific issue.
However, even these few security responsive models
consider security mostly at the transaction stage.
Responding to this security weakness of eGMMs, in our
earlier work a holistic secure e-Government maturity
model that includes security layers consisting of technical
and non-technical security related aspects in each of its
four maturity stages was developed, but the model was
not yet tested and evaluated. This paper reports on the
tests and the validation of the proposed secure model. The
applied evaluation criteria were: simplicity, reliability,
accessibility and usability, dynamics and flexibility,
applicability, coverage and completeness, and compliance
with legal aspects. Primary data were collected from five
Tanzanian public organization using questionnaires. The
collected data were processed and analyzed using the
SPSS. The overall results show that the model designs
meet all required specifications to successfully secure e-
Government services, and the model was accepted by
majority of the respondents at different organizational
levels (strategic, tactical, and operational).
used as a tool for guiding the development and
implementation of e-Government services. The
government of Tanzania recognizes that e-Government
services can accelerate the achievement of a sustainable
social and economic development in the country.
However, despite the good benefits provided by e-
Government services, information security and privacy
are the most significant obstacles for e-Government
services adoption. Unfortunately, very few designs of e-
GMMs have considered security as a specific issue.
However, even these few security responsive models
consider security mostly at the transaction stage.
Responding to this security weakness of eGMMs, in our
earlier work a holistic secure e-Government maturity
model that includes security layers consisting of technical
and non-technical security related aspects in each of its
four maturity stages was developed, but the model was
not yet tested and evaluated. This paper reports on the
tests and the validation of the proposed secure model. The
applied evaluation criteria were: simplicity, reliability,
accessibility and usability, dynamics and flexibility,
applicability, coverage and completeness, and compliance
with legal aspects. Primary data were collected from five
Tanzanian public organization using questionnaires. The
collected data were processed and analyzed using the
SPSS. The overall results show that the model designs
meet all required specifications to successfully secure e-
Government services, and the model was accepted by
majority of the respondents at different organizational
levels (strategic, tactical, and operational).
Web usage behavior of users have an impact on the development of a web-based application. Web usage analysis is therefore necessary so as to better serve the needs of a web-based application. The process involves analyzing interaction of... more
Web usage behavior of users have an impact on the development of a web-based application. Web usage analysis is therefore necessary so as to better serve the needs of a web-based application. The process involves analyzing interaction of a user with a web application. Web usage analysis provides useful information that can help improve the service delivery and functioning of a web-based system. The aim of the study reported in this paper is to elicit and study users’ needs and requirements towards establishment of an institutional web-based repository for scholarly communication. Questionnaires were used to collect data that reflected web usage behavior and the underlying technical, legal and financial requirements. Analysis results show that there is high usage of the internet as a source of scholarly information and users access their institution websites regularly. Although there is no proper resource management system, the legal requirement for publishing guarantees high research throughput. Results also show that majority of researchers consulted support repository establishment as alternative publishing platform to remove subscription and distribution barriers imposed by journals. In addition, most web usage studies have been system focused. Statistics extracted from web log files and web usage behavior from the users’ perspective revealed useful information from which a requirements specification model is developed for the proposed repository system.
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E-Government Maturity Models (eGMMs) are widely used in the implementation and development of e-Government services. These models outline various stages for e-Government development. Information security and privacy are considered as the... more
E-Government Maturity Models (eGMMs) are widely used in the implementation and development of e-Government services. These models outline various stages for e-Government development. Information security and privacy are considered as the most significant challenges in implementing e-Government services, but unfortunately very few designs of eGMMs have considered security as a specific issue. However, even these few security responsive models consider
security mostly at the transaction stage, and as such it is insecure to depend on security mechanisms provided at transaction stage only. This paper develops a four-stage holistic secured eGMM for protecting e-Government services with Tanzania used as a case study. The proposed secured e-Government maturity model has been designed by including the security layers which consist of technical and non-technical security related aspects in each of its four maturity stages. The model design process is based on the ISO/ IEC 27002 security standard and is guided by a design science research methodology.
The paper main contribution is the proposed secured eGMM that addresses both technical and non-technical security related aspects at its maturity stages.
security mostly at the transaction stage, and as such it is insecure to depend on security mechanisms provided at transaction stage only. This paper develops a four-stage holistic secured eGMM for protecting e-Government services with Tanzania used as a case study. The proposed secured e-Government maturity model has been designed by including the security layers which consist of technical and non-technical security related aspects in each of its four maturity stages. The model design process is based on the ISO/ IEC 27002 security standard and is guided by a design science research methodology.
The paper main contribution is the proposed secured eGMM that addresses both technical and non-technical security related aspects at its maturity stages.
The paper reports on surveys of Distance Training Programme (DTP) students’ and DTP administration managers’ perceptions on mobile SMS technology to support offline distance learning communications activity at the University of Rwanda,... more
The paper reports on surveys of Distance Training Programme (DTP) students’ and DTP administration managers’ perceptions on mobile SMS technology to support offline distance learning communications activity at the University of Rwanda, College of Education (UR-CE), and
the willingness of DTP students and managers to incorporate an SMS communication at the UR-CE into DTP Programme. Methods used were questionnaires and interviews with DTP students and DTP management staff. The paper concludes that majority of respondents surveyed indicated the need to associate a bulk-SMS to alert DTP students on the availability of printed notices, examination results, assignment submission due dates, etc. Mobile SMS could be used as alerts to
maintain and support a timely contact communication to students taking offline distance learning education at the UR-CE.
the willingness of DTP students and managers to incorporate an SMS communication at the UR-CE into DTP Programme. Methods used were questionnaires and interviews with DTP students and DTP management staff. The paper concludes that majority of respondents surveyed indicated the need to associate a bulk-SMS to alert DTP students on the availability of printed notices, examination results, assignment submission due dates, etc. Mobile SMS could be used as alerts to
maintain and support a timely contact communication to students taking offline distance learning education at the UR-CE.
Research Interests:
New forms of scholarship are emerging in the world. These aim at providing freely accessible research materials through scholarly communication. There are two common ways of providing open access to research outputs namely, through the... more
New forms of scholarship are emerging in the world. These aim at providing freely accessible research materials through scholarly communication. There are two common ways of providing open access to research outputs namely, through the open access journals and through discipline or institutional-based open access repositories, that is: Open Access Institutional Repositories (OAIR) driven by open access publishing. In principle, open access to research outputs maximizes research access and thereby also research impact, making research more productive and effective. Today, institutional repositories are becoming major components of the technical infrastructure of successful research–based institutions. It is a trend now observed in most universities and in particular research-based institutions in developing countries. Recently, there has been a high uptake of institutional repositories by higher learning institutions in Tanzania. Despite this fact however, the study on the status of open access publications in the country have not been undertaken.
This paper provides an overview of characteristics of open access repositories as a global publishing concept. It then applies the same, as a case study, to review open access publications in Tanzania, and summarizes the status of a growing body of evidence on adoption and usage of open access publications in the country. It also assesses the contribution of Tanzanian institutional repositories in the scholarly communication. In the assessment, performance of Tanzanian institutional repositories, as reflected through global visibility and impact of their repositories in the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR), is examined. In addition, the performance of Tanzanian universities in archiving and sharing research findings through institutional repositories, based on the Ranking Web of Repositories (RWR) is examined.
Findings from the examination of the identified open access repositories reveals that, out of the 5 Tanzanian institutional repositories in the study, only 2 are listed in the RWR. These two are ranked at 1060th and 1362nd positions (out of 1983) in the world ranks, as at July 2014. This implies that only 40% of the identified repositories in Tanzania are visible and incorporate good practices in their web publications. It is also revealed that much studies have focused not on open access institutional repositories, but on the factors contributing to adoption of open access scholarly communication in the country. Hence, the relevance of the research reported in this paper.
This paper provides an overview of characteristics of open access repositories as a global publishing concept. It then applies the same, as a case study, to review open access publications in Tanzania, and summarizes the status of a growing body of evidence on adoption and usage of open access publications in the country. It also assesses the contribution of Tanzanian institutional repositories in the scholarly communication. In the assessment, performance of Tanzanian institutional repositories, as reflected through global visibility and impact of their repositories in the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR), is examined. In addition, the performance of Tanzanian universities in archiving and sharing research findings through institutional repositories, based on the Ranking Web of Repositories (RWR) is examined.
Findings from the examination of the identified open access repositories reveals that, out of the 5 Tanzanian institutional repositories in the study, only 2 are listed in the RWR. These two are ranked at 1060th and 1362nd positions (out of 1983) in the world ranks, as at July 2014. This implies that only 40% of the identified repositories in Tanzania are visible and incorporate good practices in their web publications. It is also revealed that much studies have focused not on open access institutional repositories, but on the factors contributing to adoption of open access scholarly communication in the country. Hence, the relevance of the research reported in this paper.
Research Interests:
Traditionally, extension services are used as a means of conveying to rural areas knowledge derived from different studies and surveys. These extension services are an important way to help livestock farmers to improve their lives and... more
Traditionally, extension services are used as a means of conveying to rural areas knowledge derived from different studies and surveys. These extension services are an important way to help livestock farmers to improve their lives and production methods, which in turn leads to an increased and improved livestock and livestock products. Nowadays, extension services deliver far more beyond the traditional role. They involve helping farmers to form collaborative groups, solving marketing challenges, etc. This fact has been confirmed by the study reported in this paper. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the current recording system and information flow among livestock stakeholders, and how ICT it has been used as a tool to bridge the gap of information deficit.
This paper presents an analysis of data collected from 15 wards from Arumeru district, Arusha region – Northern Tanzania including data from; district council, livestock farmers, extension officers and researchers from three institutions, Livestock Training Agency (LITA), National Artificial Insemination Centre (NAIC) and Nelson Mandela African Institution of science and Technology (NM-AIST).
The results reveal that the current recording system is poor and there is a gap in the flow of information among the stakeholders of livestock farming. This gap has significantly contributed to the deterioration of access to extension services to livestock farmers. Along with other factors, this gap is also attributed to the researchers, who publish their research findings through various online journals. The gap signifies that it has been hard for extension officers to fulfil their roles due to a large number of farmers they serve and the challenge of traveling long distances to deliver such services to farmers. Based on the results of this analysis, the paper concludes with a set of identified approaches on how ICT can play a part in minimizing the gap that has been found for increasing the efficiency of the extension services in reaching livestock farmers.
This paper presents an analysis of data collected from 15 wards from Arumeru district, Arusha region – Northern Tanzania including data from; district council, livestock farmers, extension officers and researchers from three institutions, Livestock Training Agency (LITA), National Artificial Insemination Centre (NAIC) and Nelson Mandela African Institution of science and Technology (NM-AIST).
The results reveal that the current recording system is poor and there is a gap in the flow of information among the stakeholders of livestock farming. This gap has significantly contributed to the deterioration of access to extension services to livestock farmers. Along with other factors, this gap is also attributed to the researchers, who publish their research findings through various online journals. The gap signifies that it has been hard for extension officers to fulfil their roles due to a large number of farmers they serve and the challenge of traveling long distances to deliver such services to farmers. Based on the results of this analysis, the paper concludes with a set of identified approaches on how ICT can play a part in minimizing the gap that has been found for increasing the efficiency of the extension services in reaching livestock farmers.
Building a useful and responsive Decision Support System (DSS) requires a deep understanding of the pertinent application domain before starting the system design. In this paper we report about an attempt to develop a mobile-based DSS for... more
Building a useful and responsive Decision Support System (DSS) requires a deep understanding of the pertinent application domain before starting the system design. In this paper we report about an attempt to develop a mobile-based DSS for smallholder livestock keepers with Arusha region as a case study. The objective of the reported study is to provide an information tool for decision making to the smallholder livestock keepers. The development process involved: 1) employing information gathering techniques to understand smallholder livestock keepers’ information needs 2) studying the current methods that are used for information flow among livestock stakeholders. (i.e. smallholder livestock keepers, extension officers and livestock researchers) 3) analysis of the current situation within Arusha: located in the northern parts of Tanzania in terms of mobile phones penetration, with prospects of leveraging the high mobile phone penetration rate for enhanced information sharing among the smallholder livestock keepers and 4) exploration of options for the platform/model to be used for information access and delivery. The outputs of the above four activities were used to inform the requirements elicitation, and design phases of the mobile-based DSS system development. In addition, the mentioned four activities were supplemented by an extensive literature review of related works on requirements engineering in DSS development. It is anticipated that once the system has been developed, it will be of help to livestock keepers, improving farm-level productivity and decision making process. Findings from the study indicate that majority of smallholder livestock keepers in the selected area possess mobile phones and are in need of access to specific information to support their livestock related decision making. However, information access platforms/models that are currently in place do not cater for a satisfactory solution to their needs. Analysis of various options for designing a DSS platform has shown that a model that considers the administrative, organizational structure, as well as roles of relevant stakeholders in the livestock information flow will be useful for the studied context. The proposed Role-based Information Decision Support (RIDS) Model will facilitate data querying, analysis and information delivery based on users’ information requirements for the design of the DSS’s data marts. This will, in turn, be the basis for implementing a system of information sharing and delivery mechanism that will improve the decision making process and livestock management for smallholder livestock keepers in the studied geographical environment.
Research Interests:
As internet access is becoming pervasive so there is an increasing number of mobile applications users. Enterprises are now reaching a diversified number of customers through the use of web and mobile applications. However, this... more
As internet access is becoming pervasive so there is an increasing number of mobile applications users. Enterprises are now reaching a diversified number of customers through the use of web and mobile applications. However, this improvement in the accessibility means to computing resources does not move at the same pace with the improvement of security controls to protect data and services offered through web and mobile applications.
This review paper is focused on identification of both practical and theoretical security frameworks for web and mobile applications in use, with an intent of assessing the capability of the frameworks to assist developers build secure mobile web applications.
A discussion follows the review by highlighting main characteristics of the frameworks with their merits and demerits. The analysis establishes that, available security frameworks are not adequate for the growing convergence of web and mobile applications, in that there are some security gaps and therefore suggest a need of developing a new security framework for the converged web and mobile applications.
This review paper is focused on identification of both practical and theoretical security frameworks for web and mobile applications in use, with an intent of assessing the capability of the frameworks to assist developers build secure mobile web applications.
A discussion follows the review by highlighting main characteristics of the frameworks with their merits and demerits. The analysis establishes that, available security frameworks are not adequate for the growing convergence of web and mobile applications, in that there are some security gaps and therefore suggest a need of developing a new security framework for the converged web and mobile applications.