Most of COW project management is virtual. Data is upladed and downloaded using GPRS and CDMA wireless network connections. Some of the software are used on local host in the Information Providers laptop. COW uses various software solutions for the delivery of services. Some of the tools are designed inhouse and some are taken off the shelf. Server space has been kindly provided by CGnet.
e.COW tools
COW project uses certain technical tools, some of them designed in-house and some of them taken off the shelf to deliver the services.
e.cow.data
“e.COW data”: is a data collection tool and deals with important data sets that are required in volumes and are useful for decision makers. e.COW data enables data collection from the villages. The data sets can be numeric, text, image and audio files. The data saves in text and excel formats and is compatible with other spreadsheet applications. This application gives user id and password to all those who use the application and data is transmitted via secure website www.vidal.org.in. There are provisions to create citizens reports along with data tables for special requirements. This application is an integrated application and also integrates “e.cow.ip” into the fold.
Design team: Edward Crompton (tech), Venkateswarlu (tech), Sushma (tech), Divya (tech), Ramya Deepika (tech), Nagamalleshwar Rao (tech), Hari Krishna and Pingali Rajeswari.
e.cow.book
“e.COW book”: For the purpose of enrooting opportunities to women in Self Help Groups, “e.COW book” had been designed. The software covers the details of the group like savings; those of group and members and interest and loan details and makes it available via www.vidal.org.in website, by eliminating existing lacunae in the information flow between Self Help Group’s and credit and financial agencies. The software is designed to capture details in text, image and numeric. The software, collects and disseminates information in a cost effective way not affected by female illiteracy in the rural areas, enables better opportunities by providing book keeping services through the project ‘Computers on Wheels”, and provides opportunity to all the members on group information for decreasing manipulation by one or few of the group members.
Design Team: Subramanyam (Retd, SBI), Ramachandra Reddy (SBI), Padma (NABARD), Nagamalleshwar Rao (tech), Nagaranjan (tech), Hari Krishna, and Pingali Rajeswari.
e.cow.ip
“e. COW ip”: this is a tool for assisting selection of information providers (IP) for “Computers on Wheels (COW) project. “e.COW ip” is developed for identifying a set of attributes in prospective candidates who might be recruited as IP’s to run COW project. These attributes are in the areas of beliefs and values, management capabilities and verbal and non-verbal skills. “e.COW ip” relies on story telling technique with simulation as choice for walking the candidates through the process of selection.
Design Team: Pingali Rajeswari, Dr.Bharathi, Dr.Meera Sadasivam, Managementor (www.managementor.com), A.Chandramouli, Srinivas Goud (www.prism.com), and A.Hari Krishna
e.cow.map
e.COW map: this will be a mapping solution that will integrate e.COW data application into different village maps and that can be controlled by the COW riders with their own technical capabilities. This tool can greatly help focus on identity mapping of the target beneficiaries in the villages by visualizing data dynamically. Work is in progress on one sample interface.
Design team: Mr.Jayachandra (GIS expert), Nagamalleshwar Rao (tech), P.Bhoopal Reddy (COW IP), A. Hari Krishna and Pingali Rajeswari.
Off the Shelf
COW uses, following tools that are downloaded off the shelf
Inkscape vector graphics design is being used by young girls in the village to capture existing embroidery designs they had created and to update on their design skills.
Greenstone digital library is used by COW for storing metafiles on project design, documentation and reports concerning ViDAL and COW.
Barn Raiser is used by ViDAL for ongoing communication between the trustees who are spread across the world.
GNU OS is used by the information providers and others in the project as an operating platform. Most of the applications used by the project are in open source technologies.
Drupal CMS is used for the knowledge management purposes.
Other utilities used by COW are Free Download Manager, PIXresizer, XNviewer, Freemind and IHMCmaptools for mind mapping, GIMP, Texture processor, Picasa for image manipulation, Secure Notes and password agent for personal information management.
COW has plans to use GUESS, context free, Savvion and Webcollab software’s in the near future.
