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Providing Internet connectivity to schools has been identified as paramount for development, for instance in the Giga project, cosponsored by ITU and UNICEF, with the goal of connecting every school to the Internet by 2030. For a country wide deployment, it is imperative to perform a thorough planning of the whole installation, using radio frequency (RF) propagation models. While statistical models based on empirical RF propagation data gathered in different scenarios can be employed, for point to point links at microwave frequencies the existence of a clear line of sight (LOS) is normally a prerequisite. The Irregular terrain model which makes use of digital elevation maps (DEM) has proved quite effective for simulating point to point links, but its application to a great number of links becomes time consuming, so we have developed an automated framework to perform this task. As a case study we have applied this framework in the planning of a project mired at providing connectivity to primary and secondary schools all over the country of Malawi.

Coastal observing systems are typically nationally funded and built around national priorities. As a result, there are presently significant differences between countries in terms of sustainability, observing capacity and technologies, as well as methods and research priorities. Ocean observing systems in coastal areas must now move toward an integrated, multidisciplinary and multiscale system of systems, where heterogeneity should be exploited to deliver fit-for-purpose products that answer the diversity and complexity of the requirements from stakeholders and end-users. Essential elements of such distributed observation systems are the use of machine-to-machine communication, data fusion and processing applying recent technological developments for the Internet of Things (IoT) toward a common cyberinfrastructure. This perspective paper illustrates some of the challenges for sustained coastal observations and provides details on how to address present gaps. We discuss the role of collaborative robotics between unmanned platforms in coastal areas and the methods to benefit from IoT technologies. Given present trends in cost-effective solutions in ocean sensors and electronics, and methods for marine automation and communication, we consider that a distributed observation system can effectively provide timely information in coastal regions around the world, including those areas that are today poorly observed (e.g., developing countries). Adaptation in space and time of the sensing nodes, and the flexibility in handling different sensing platforms can provide to the system the ability to quickly respond to the rapid changes in oceanic and climatic processes, as well as to promptly respond to evolving stakeholder and end-user requirements.

[EN] In this paper we describe a low-cost and low-power consumption messaging system based on LoRa technology. More that one billion people worldwide cannot access even the most basic connectivity services. For them even simple messaging services would be of great help, for example to farmers wishing to know the price of goods they want to sell or buy before deciding whether a possibly long, expensive and exhausting trip is undertaken. LoRa networks allow for very long wireless links that can connect villages and towns. This system falls in the category of community networks, where users build their own network where no commercial infrastructure is available. In addition to the simple messaging application, LoRa can be used to distribute sensor information to communities or to provide disaster alerts or meteorological data.

[EN] In this paper we describe a low-cost and low-power consumption messaging system based on LoRa technology. More that one billion people worldwide cannot access even the most basic connectivity services. For them even simple messaging services would be of great help, for example to farmers wishing to know the price of goods they want to sell or buy before deciding whether a possibly long, expensive and exhausting trip is undertaken. LoRa networks allow for very long wireless links that can connect villages and towns. This system falls in the category of community networks, where users build their own network where no commercial infrastructure is available. In addition to the simple messaging application, LoRa can be used to distribute sensor information to communities or to provide disaster alerts or meteorological data.

With the growth of LoRa deployments there are plenty of anecdotal reports of very long wireless links, well beyond the line of sight. Most reports suggest that these links are related to anomalous tropospheric propagation. We developed a platform to study tropospheric links based on TheThingsNetwork, a popular LoRaWAN-based infrastructure. We present some preliminary results and call for the IoT community to participate in this radio propagation experiment.

Over the last few years we have witnessed an exponential growth in the adoption of LoRaWAN as LPWAN technology for IoT. While LoRaWAN offers many advantages, one of its limitations is the paltry data rate. Most IoT applications don't require a high throughput but there are some that would benefit from a higher data rate. In this paper, we present TurboLoRa, a system that combines the strengths of LoRaWAN while providing a higher data rate by synchronizing the transmission of multiple LoRaWAN devices. Our proposal allows to combine cheap devices making it a frugal solution to this kind of problems. We present some preliminary results obtained using a real prototype of TurboLoRa.

Consumer grade weather stations typically involve transmitting sensor information to a digital console that provides readouts of the data being collected. The wireless range of such system is confined to about 100 m, making their use limited to urban environments. We present a device that decodes the data being sent by the weather station and forwards them using the emerging LoRaWAN technology. We designed the device keeping in mind the peculiar conditions of Developing Countries, in particular the low cost and low power requirements. This allows interesting applications in the realm of disaster prevention and mitigation using a network of numerous weather stations.

Traditional radio planning tools present a steep learning curve. We present BotRf, a Telegram Bot that facilitates the process by guiding non-experts in assessing the feasibility of radio links. Built on open source tools, BotRf can run on any smartphone or PC running Telegram. Using it on a smartphone has the added value that the Bot can leverage the internal GPS to enter coordinates. BotRf can be used in environments with low bandwidth as the generated data traffic is quite limited. We present examples of its use in Venezuela., Comment: The final publication will be published in the GOODTECHS (2nd EAI International Conference on Smart Objects and Technologies for Social Good) Conference Proceedings and by Springer-Verlag in the Lecture Notes of ICST (LNICST)

TV White Spaces have recently been proposed as an alternative to alleviate the spectrum crunch, characterised by the need to reallocate frequency bands to accommodate the ever-growing demand for wireless communications. In this paper, we discuss the motivations and challenges for collecting spectrum measurements in developing regions and discuss a scalable system for communities to gather and provide access to White Spaces information through open and regionalised repositories. We further discuss two relevant aspects. First, we propose a cooperative mechanism for sensing spectrum availability using a detector approach. Second, we propose a strategy (and an architecture) on the database side to implement spectrum governance. Other aspects of the work include discussion of an extensive measurement campaign showing a number of white spaces in developing regions, an overview of our experience on low-cost spectrum analysers, and the architecture of zebra-rfo, an application for processing crowd-sourced spectrum data.

This demo paper presents Cloudy, a Debian-based distribution to build and deploy clouds incommunity networks. The demonstration covers the following aspects: Installation of Cloudy, theCloudy GUI for usage and administration by end users, demonstration of Cloudy nodes and services deployed in the Guifi community network., QC 20160119, CLOMMUNITY

This paper describes an operational geographically distributed and heterogeneous cloudinfrastructure with services and applications deployed in the Guifi community network. The presentedcloud is a particular case of a community cloud, developed according to the specific needs and conditions of community networks. We describe the concept of this community cloud, explain our technical choices for building it, and our experience with the deployment of this cloud. We review our solutions and experience on offering the different service models of cloud computing (IaaS, PaaS and SaaS) in community networks. The deployed cloud infrastructure aims to provide stable and attractive cloud services in order to encourage community network user to use, keep and extend it with new services and applications., QC 20160119, CLOMMUNITY

This paper describes an operational geographically distributed and heterogeneous cloud infrastructure with services and applications deployed in the Guifi community network. The presented cloud is a particular case of a community cloud, developed according to the specific needs and conditions of community networks. We describe the concept of this community cloud, explain our technical choices for building it, and our experience with the deployment of this cloud. We review our solutions and experience on offering the different service models of cloud computing (IaaS, PaaS and SaaS) in community networks. The deployed cloud infrastructure aims to provide stable and attractive cloud services in order to encourage community network user to use, keep and extend it with new services and applications., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

The Internet of Things (IoT) allows users to gather data from the physical environment. While sensors in public spaces are already widely used, users are reluctant to deploy sensors for shared data at their homes. The deployment of IoT nodes at the users premises presents privacy issues regarding who can access to their data once it is sent to the Cloud which the users cannot control. In this paper we present an energy-efficient and low cost solution for environmental monitoring at the users home. Our system is built completely with open source components and is easy to reproduce. We leverage the infrastructure and trust of a community network to store and control the access to the monitored data. We tested our solution during several months on different low-capacity single board computers (SBC) and it showed to be stable. Our results suggest that this solution could become a permanently running service in SBCs at the users homes., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

The identification of TVWS is fundamental to raise awareness about the existence of spectrum that is currently underutilized and that could be used to alleviate the current spectrum crunch. Recent standards that employ Cognitive Radio such as WRAN or White-Fi can then be employed for the exploitation of these frequencies. The traditional tools used to detect TVWS are expensive and difficult to master. The utilization of open hardware, software and an energy based detection method that helps detect these TVWS is developed and presented to assess the radio electric spectrum in the UHF band from 500 MHz to 686 MHz in the Pichincha province of Ecuador, South America.

Community networking is an emerging model of a shared communication infrastructure in which communities of citizens build and own open networks. Community networks offer successfully IP-based networking to the user. Cloud computing infrastructures however, while common in today's Internet, hardy exist in community networks. We explain our approach to bring clouds into the Guifi.net community network. For this we have started integrating part of our cloud prototype into the Guifi.net community network management tools. A proof-of-concept cloud infrastructure is currently under deployment in the Guifi.net community network. Our long term vision is that the users of community networks will not need to consume cloud applications from the Internet, but find them within the community network., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

802.11 Wi-Fi technology is commonly used for creating wireless networks with a range of about one hundred meters. With careful planning and proper antennas, this same equipment can be used to make point-to-point links of hundreds of kilometers. This paper presents a successful 279 km link made by wireless experts in Venezuela, and a permanent 133 km test network in northern Italy for ongoing research., QC 20101207

In this paper we describe the process that brought us to setup a 162 km wireless link in Malawi: the first experiments in Venezuela and Italy, the equipment selection and the link deployment in August 2008. The network connects the University of Malawi College of Medicine in Blantyre with with the Mangochi Hospital as well as hospitals and research institutions in the cities of Blantyre, Zomba and Mangochi. We show that long-distance Wi-Fi links can be a practical, inexpensive alternative for providing network connectivity and access to the Internet in Developing Countries., QC 20101207

Community networking is an emerging model of a shared communication infrastructure in which communities of citizens build and own open networks. Community networks offer successfully IP-based networking to the user. Cloud computing infrastructures however, while common in today's Internet, hardy exist in community networks. We explain our approach to bring clouds into the Guifi.net community network. For this we have started integrating part of our cloud prototype into the Guifi.net community network management tools. A proof-of-concept cloud infrastructure is currently under deployment in the Guifi.net community network. Our long term vision is that the users of community networks will not need to consume cloud applications from the Internet, but find them within the community network., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)