Department of Informatics and Information Technology

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Accessibility and use of nutrition information in addressing under five child malnutrition in Morogoro urban, Tanzania
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2002) Chilimo,Wanyenda Leonard
This study was undertaken to examine the access to and use of nutrition information in addressing the problem of malnutrition in Morogoro urban district Tanzania. The study investigated the Maternal and Child Health clinics (MCH) nutrition information delivery systems; variables that determine accessibility and use of information; extent of the use of nutrition information in addressing malnutrition and the relationship between the information that mothers have and the nutritional status of their children. Survey research method was used for data collection whereby questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were used for collecting data. The study found that although the MCH health and nutrition education sessions arc an important aspect in disseminating nutrition information to mothers, these sessions are seldom conducted and the attendance of mothers to these sessions is poor; awareness of mothers concerning different nutritional aspects is still low due to lack of information; and education is the most important variable that determines use and access to nutrition information.
Using free and open source software for e-Learning system (FOSES) in Tanzania
(2006-02) Lwoga, Tandi Edda; Sanga, Camillius; Kazwala, R.R; Mganilwa, Z.M
The implementation of e-Learning software in Tanzania’s universities as well as other developing countries is still very low even though there are plenty Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) that can cater for this purpose. Among ten universities, only the University of Dar Es Salaam (UDSM) has managed to implement the e-Learning software in Tanzania by using WEBCT and Blackboard are e-Learning proprietary software. This study therefore discusses how the Tanzania Universities can establish and implement the e-learning technology with a case study of the Sokoine University of Agriculture. Specifically, this study describes the early evaluation steps that were observed during the adoption of the e-learning platform at SUA. The extensive literature review, experience gained from other universities, and the analysis of the available open source e-learning software were used for the selection and further improvement of the e-learning platform at SUA. Challenges that are delaying the implementation of e-learning platform at SUA are also discussed, and recommendations are given upon them. It is anticipated that the findings of the study will be used by all stakeholders in planning cost-effective and efficient ICTs implementations for general improvement of education sector from national level up to district level.
A survey on detection of Sinkhole attack in wireless sensor network
(2008) Kibirige, George W.; Sanga, Camilius
Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) consists of large number of low-cost, resource-constrained sensor nodes. The constraints of the wireless sensor node is their characteristics which include low memory, low computation power, they are deployed in hostile area and left unattended, small range of communication capability and low energy capabilities. Base on those characteristics makes this network vulnerable to several attacks, such as sinkhole attack. Sinkhole attack is a type of attack were compromised node tries to attract network traffic by advertise its fake routing update. One of the impacts of sinkhole attack is that, it can be used to launch other attacks like selective forwarding attack, acknowledge spoofing attack and drops or altered routing information. It can also used to send bogus information to base station. This paper is focus on exploring and analyzing the existing solutions which used to detect and identify sinkhole attack in wireless sensor network. The analysis is based on advantages and limitation of the proposed solutions.
Availability and usage of ICTs and e-resources by livestock researchers in Tanzania: Challenges and ways forward
(International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 2010) Angello, Consolata; Wema, Evans
A study was conducted to investigate the accessibility and use of e-resources in Tanzania. The methodology adopted for the study was survey in which questionnaires, interviews and observations were used in collection of the data. A total of 50 respondents participated in the study. The study revealed that livestock research institutes in Tanzania had very few e-resources for their researchers. It was concluded that most livestock researchers were not aware of most of the e-resources available hence they could not access and use them effectively in their research work. The researchers recommended for improvement of internet connectivity to enable efficient information searching from the internet.
Knowledge management approaches in managing agricultural indigenous and exogenous knowledge in Tanzania.
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2010-08-02) Lwoga, E. T
The purpose of this study is to assess the application of knowledge management (KM) models in managing and integrating indigenous and exogenous knowledge for improved farming activities in Tanzania, by examining the management of indigenous knowledge (IK), access and use of exogenous knowledge, the relevance of policies, legal framework, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and culture in KM practices in the communities. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 181 farmers in six districts of Tanzania. Four IK policy makers were also interviewed. Findings – The study demonstrated that western-based KM models should be applied cautiously in a developing world context. Both indigenous and exogenous knowledge was acquired and shared in different contexts. IK was shared within a local, small and spontaneous network, while exogenous knowledge was shared in a wide context, where formal sources of knowledge focused on disseminating exogenous knowledge more than IK. Policies, legal framework, ICTs and culture determined access to knowledge in the communities. The study thus developed a KM model that would be applicable in the social context of developing countries. Research limitations/implications – The study necessitates testing the developed model against existing KM models, in a specific context such as local communities of the developing world, to determine whether it is better at explaining the link between KM principles and KM processes. Originality/value – The proposed KM model provides a deep understanding of the management and integration of agricultural indigenous and exogenous knowledge in the rural areas of developing countries. Previous KM models were developed in the context of an organizational environment, and thus failed to address the needs of rural communities. The proposed model thus advances the theory of KM in developing countries, and provides linkages between KM processes and KM principles.
The awareness and use of electronic information sources among livestock researchers in Tanzania
(2010-12) Angello, C.
This paper is the result of a study that was conducted to investigate the accessibility and use of electronic information resources by the livestock researchers in Tanzania. One of the main objectives of the study was to assess the information literacy skills of livestock researchers. The study was conducted in three livestock research institutes in Tanzania with an overall sample size of fifty respondents consisting of livestock researchers and information professionals. Detailed questionnaires, interviews and observations were the methods used for data collection while data was analysed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and content analysis. One of the findings of the study was the lack of information literacy skills among most of the researchers and this was found to be limiting their access and use of e-resources. This paper discusses the level of information literacy that livestock researchers possess and its impact on these researchers’ awareness and use of e-resources.
Using mobile phones for teaching and learning purposes in higher learning institutions: the case of Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2012) Mtega, Wulystan P.; Bernard, Ronald; Msungu, Andrew C.; Sanare, Rachel
The study investigated how mobile phones have been used for teaching and learning purposes in higher learning institutions in Tanzania. Specifically the study assessed how mobile phones facilitated the teaching and learning process, identified the mobile phone applications used for teaching and learning, determined the types of learning activities facilitated through mobile phones and assessed the common limitations of m-learning in at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). The study employed a survey where teaching staff and students from faculties and institutes hosting academic programmes were involved. A total of 30 teaching staff and 40 students were randomly selected and included in the study. In-depth interviews, observations and questionnaire were used for data collection. It was found that majority of the respondents used their mobile phones for teaching and learning process. It was found that most respondents reported to use traditional mobile learning applications including text messages and calls. Few respondents had smart phones with a number of m-learning applications most of them being teaching staff. These were able to create upload, download and share academic resources through their smart phones while others recorded and stored files in their phones. It was also found that among teaching staff many were not aware of the capacity of their mobile phones such that they underutilized them. Costs associated with downloading multimedia content was another constraint which limited some respondents especially students from using phones for learning purposes. More than that, users were forced to use SMART/VISA cards for buying online mobile applications of which most respondents were not aware of.
Enhanced security model for mobile banking systems in Tanzania
(International journal of technology enhancements and emerging engineering research, 2013) Nyamtiga, Baraka W; Sam, Anael; Laizer, Loserian S
In mobile banking schemes; financial services are availed and banking services are provided using mobile devices. GSM services are greatly utilized for data transmission by the technologies used in conducting mobile transactions. In their operations; these technologies send data in plaintext. Financial service providers tend to rely on the security services provided by the GSM which has been proved to be susceptible to cryptanalytic attacks. The used algorithms for crypto mechanisms are flawed leaving data carried through the network vulnerable upon interception. Operators need to take precaution by enforcing some protective measures on the information to be transmitted. This paper describes an SMS based model designed with security features to enhance data protection across mobile networks. Features for data encryption, integrity, secure entry of security details on the phone, and improved security policies in the application server are incorporated. We address issues of data confidentiality, user authentication and message integrity in order to provide end-to-end security of data carried on GSM networks.
Can e-learning promote participation of female students in STEM disciplines in higher learning institutions of Tanzania?
(International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 2013) Sanga, C; Magesa, M.M; Chingonikaya, E; Kayunze, K.A
The recent development of ICTs has brought many changes in different sectors. In Higher Learning Institutions, there are a number of positive changes. ICTs have brought efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy in the provision of the core functions namely: teaching, outreach, research and consultancy. Previous studies showed that even though there is improvement in teaching and learning through e-learning but few studies researched e-learning as tool for promoting female students to participate in science, technology and mathematics disciplines. This study was done to evaluate if the e-learning can promote the participation of female students in science, technology and mathematics subjects in different Higher Learning Institutions of Tanzania. The mixed research methodology was used in this study. The results showed that the potential benefits of e-learning as tool for promoting students uptake for science, technology and mathematics subjects was not fully exploited in Tanzania. Thus, this calls different stakeholders to fully implement and mainstream e-learning in Higher Learning value chain to make it a reality and not myth in promoting female students participation is science, technology and engineering.
Security perspectives for ussd versus sms in conducting mobile transactions: a case study of Tanzania
(International journal of technology enhancements and emerging engineering research, 2013) Nyamtiga, Baraka W; Sam, Anael; Laizer, Loserian S
Performing transactions using mobile devices is increasing rapidly in developing countries, Tanzania inclusive. USSD and SMS are among the technologies widely used in conducting mobile transactions. These two technologies have their strengths and weaknesses from perspectives of security of systems. They both utilize GSM Services and GSM Security is known to have inherent flaws in its encryption and au thentication algorithms. A description for these platforms is given in this paper of what they are, their modes of operations, and an evaluation of thei r security as related to mobile banking systems. From the evaluations made; this paper suggests a method that is more secure for use in mobile banking systems. As a solution we propose some security features being added to the existing systems in order to improve data confidentiality, message integrit y and user authenticity. The suggestions are based on the capabilities for the technology to accommodate these additional features to protect data that will supplement the protection offered by the GSM.
Factors influencing the adoption and use of ICT by small and medium sized enterprises in Tanzania: a case study of Kilosa district
(ResearchGate, 2013) Sanga, C
The major developments in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have transformed the world more than any other technological invention. ICTs and fisherfolk cannot be seemingly related, but not anymore these days. Fisheries have been playing significant roles in the social and economic development of the country. On the other hand, ICTs can help fisherfolk a lot. The broad objective of the study is to assess the extent of use of ICTs by fisherfolk in the Kutubdia Island. In this study, researchers have used descriptive survey methods to collect primary information. Besides, data from secondary sources have also been used. To carry out this research, 60 respondents have been selected from Kutubdia Island of Bangladesh. The socioeconomic condition of these fisherfolk is not so good. However, all of the fisherfolk use mobile phone, radio and radar while they are out in the sea. They also use other ICT tools like computer, television, Internet, newspaper, sonar, wireless and GPS. They use these tools to know, search, distribute and share information and weather updates; track fish swarm, increase income, save time and assist shipping. A minor section of the fisherfolk do not use ICTs because they still depend on the traditional ways of catching fish. The study has found out that these fisherfolk face many problems in gaining access to ICTs which include lack of uninterrupted power supply, insufficient finance, lack of enabling government policies and lack of training on ICTs.
In ovo antiviral activity of Synadenium glaucescens (pax) crude extracts on Newcastle disease virus
(2013-04-10) Mabiki, F.P; Mdegela, R. H.; Mosha, R.D; Magadula, J.J
Investigation on the effect of root bark and wood, stem bark and wood, leaves and sap of Synadenium glaucescens extracts against Newcastle disease (ND) virus was done using an in ovo assay. Viable 9 days embryonated chicken eggs were arranged into 25 treatment groups (n = 5). Groups 1 to 21 were challenged with a 13C/SUA virulent strain of ND virus treated with extract at concentration of 0.2 mg/ml. Un-inoculated group saved as negative control and groups inoculated with virus and diluent saved as positive controls. Haemagglutination test was used to quantify the amount for ND virus units. Embryo survival and embryo weight were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) in groups treated with S. glaucescens extracts than the positive control. The root bark demonstrated significantly higher antiviral activities (P ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, treatments with ethanolic extract SE1 resulted into 100% embryo survival, 91.2% mean embryo weight and reduced viral load by 99.2%. The minimum dose of SE1 with the highest efficacy was 0.2 mg/ml. The percent mean embryo weight and haemagglutination test demonstrated negative correlation (R2 = 0.94). These findings validate the ethnoveterinary potential of S. glaucescens and the feasibility of its use for treatment and control of ND.
Web-based examination results release information system for cost effective strategies in academic institutions
(2014) Fue, Kadeghe G.; Mahenge, Michael P.J.; Busagala, Lazaro S.P.
In past eras, a variety of results release approaches and systems have been proposed. And as technology keeps improving every day and night, numerous of them have been transformed from traditional paper to computerized and web-based format in recent years. Higher learning institutions with large number of students like Sokoine university of Agriculture face challenges in handling and releasing examination results leading to high cost and delay accessibility by students. Sokoine University of Agriculture and many other universities in East Africa particularly Tanzania have been using the computerized format of processing exams using Microsoft Excel which in turn leads to many complications and mostly notably excel formulas which are unknown to most of them. This paper proposes the web-based examination results release information system for cost effective strategies in East African academic institutions. It is urgent to come up with a solution that will cater short term demands of institutions like SUA and many others. Though, the proposed system involves only results releasing module but it’s urgent for the institutions that have a significant financial constraints. The proposed system is able to display results for each student and is able to accept the results from the examination officers. The system is intended to make sure that each student gets his/her results on-line without any hassle. Since, the system is proposed for financial constraints institution; hence it is not suitable for long term solution. Instead, this is recommended to be used for temporary services only.
Blockchain-based secure storage management with edge computing for IoT
(MDPI, 2014) Nyamtiga, Baraka William; Sicato, Jose Costa Sapalo; Rathore, Shailendra; Sung, Yunsick; Park, Jong Hyuk
As a core technology to manage decentralized systems, blockchain is gaining much popularity to deploy such applications as smart grid and healthcare systems. However, its utilization in resource-constrained mobile devices is limited due to high demands of resources and poor scalability with frequent-intensive transactions. Edge computing can be integrated to facilitate mobile devices in offloading their mining tasks to cloud resources. This integration ensures reliable access, distributed computation and untampered storage for scalable and secure transactions. It is imperative therefore that crucial issues of security, scalability and resources management be addressed to achieve successful integration. Studies have been conducted to explore suitable architectural requirements, and some researchers have applied the integration to deploy some specific applications. Despite these efforts, however, issues of anonymity, adaptability and integrity still need to be investigated further to attain a practical, secure decentralized data storage. We based our study on peer-to-peer and blockchain to achieve an Internet of Things (IoT) design supported by edge computing to acquire security and scalability levels needed for the integration. We investigated existing blockchain and associated technologies to discover solutions that address anonymity, integrity and adaptability issues for successful integration of blockchain in IoT systems. The discovered solutions were then incorporated in our conceptual design of the decentralized application prototype presented for secure storage of IoT data and transactions.
The rapid growth of cybercrimes affecting information systems in the global: is this a myth or reality in Tanzania?
(2014) Nfuka, E. N.; Sanga, C.; Mshangi, M.
The main objective of this study was to determine whether the rapid growth of cybercrimes affecting information systems in the global: is a myth or reality in Tanzania. The study was undertaken using a mixed research methods. The research findings reveal that 12.8 % of users are victims of cybercrimes due to visiting unhealthy websites in cyberspace, more than 90.89% of users have been denied access to torrents/p2p applications (with malicious codes); and more than 63.29% of e-mails received by users are spam. It has been noted that Internet users has risen to 5.63 million users in 2012 out of 46.9 million of population in Tanzania; and is increasing at the rate of 416.98% per year thus expectation of 7.34 million users of Internet by December 2015. The increase in the number of Internet users has direct implication to the increase in cybercrimes affecting information systems. The Government of Tanzania has declared that “about 320 people were apprehended between July and December 2011of which over 1bn/- , Euro 8,897 and USD 551,777 reported to have been stolen through cyber”. The study concluded that there is a need for a holistic approach in addressing cybercrimes in a developing country like Tanzania.
The context of education initiatives, importance and inhibitors of ICTs towards improving teaching and learning in Tanzania: a critical literature review
(International Institute for Science, Technology and Education, 2014) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex
This paper provides a comprehensive review of articles related to initiatives towards integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Tanzanian education. The review summarizes the relevant research on the use of ICT in education, importance and inhibitors or challenges encountered towards improving teaching and learning from primary to higher education in the country. By having a deep understanding of the opportunities available and inhibitors of ICT towards improving learning and teaching, will be of great importance in improving the integration and utilization of ICT in the educational system in Tanzania. This review will be useful for educators, ICT policymakers and other decision makers who are directly involved in introducing ICT into education in Tanzania. In addition, the review also provides the directions for future research studies in addressing the gap between ICT and education in Tanzania.
Mobile phone based payment authentication system: an intervention for customers’ bank account fraud in Tanzania
(International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Research, 2014) Kitindi, Edvin J.; Alex, Alcardo; Sanga, Camilius; Shabani, Ayubu; Kibirige, George; Phillip, Joseph; Oketchi, Julius
Through the rapid development of ICTs in Tanzania, banking industry has experienced rapid change in the ways of service delivery to their customers. The society has experienced a rapid development in communication sector particularly on the use of mobile phones for banking. The commercial banks in Tanzania have also revolved their ways of operating and serving their customers. The central bank of Tanzania (BoT) is responsible in defining all the payment systems in Tanzania and control all the transaction being done by the commercial banks operating in the land of Tanzania. Currently, Tanzania has many payment instruments as defined by the BoT which divided into two main group Cash and Non-Cash payments instruments. The latter includes: payment orders, bills of exchange, promissory notes, cheques and the electronic payment systems. In this paper, the security threats of these payment instruments have been discussed in detail. Some reported cases where organizations have been fleeced of their financial resources through dubious activities in Tanzania have been reviewed to verify the existing of the problem in discussion. In this paper, a Mobile phone based payment authentication system model to reduce the threats associated with non-cash payment implemented in Tanzania is proposed. Using this model, account holders are required to provide a final authentication of transaction through their registered mobile phone. This method if adopted will take care for any non-cash payment instruments. Also, some of the threats being discussed in this paper can be addressed by the proposed model.
A survey on naming, name resolution and data routing in Information Centric Networking (ICN)
(International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering, 2014-10) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Xiaoheng, Tan; Tan, Guo
Information-Centric Networking (ICN) is set to replace the current internet architecture which is based on end-to-end communication between hosts. The ICN approach to the network of the future has recently been and is being explored by a number of research projects from Asia, Europe and America. This paper provides a review on three Information Centric Networking (ICN) architectures based on objects/contents naming, name resolution and data routing. The review highlights and briefly describes the naming structures, operation of name resolution and data routing processes of DONA, NetInf and PURSUIT. A summary in tabular form and a comparative study of these three architectures is also given in the paper.
Caching and data routing in Information Centric Networking (ICN): the future internet perspective
(International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, 2014-11-11) Barakabitze, Alcardo Alex; Xiaoheng, Tan
Information Centric Networking (ICN) is becoming an important direction of the future internet architecture research. Different ICN architectures like PSIRP, NetInf, PURSUIT, CCN, DONA, and NDN have been proposed with the aim of moving from the current host-to-host communication model to a content-centric communication model. Caching and data routing are among the most significant properties of ICN features which improves network efficiency and content distribution performance by satisfying user requests with cached content. New characteristics of ICN caching include the Internet to be transparent to applications, ubiquitous in-network caching (caching contents in routers in a granularity based-level different from the current Internet architecture which cache contents in file-level. This paper describes in-depth, the concepts of caching and data routing in ICN by providing a comprehensive survey of a number of cache decision and data routing policies in ICN. The paper provides also the caching and data routing mechanisms in the Named Data Networking (NDN) which is the promising ICN design for the future Internet architecture. In general, by modelling the in-network caching and data routing which will be based on more efficient cache decision and routing schemes, it will have more practical significance in ICN designs for the future Internet architecture.
Mobile-based system for cost-effective e-learning contents delivery in resource and bandwidth constrained learning environments
(Knowledge Management & E-Learning an International Journal, 2014-12) Mahenge, Michael P. J.; Mwangoka, Joseph W.
The advancement in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has brought opportunities for the development of Smart Cities. The Smart City uses ICT to enhance performance and wellbeing, to reduce costs and resource consumption, and to engage more effectively and actively with its citizens. In particular, the education sector is adopting new ways of learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through e-learning systems. While these opportunities exist, e-learning content delivery and accessibility in third world countries like Tanzania is still a challenge due to resource and network constrained environments. The challenges include: high cost of bandwidth connection and usage; high dependency on the Internet; limited mobility and portability features; inaccessibility during the offline period and shortage of ICT facilities. In this paper, we investigate the use of mobile technology to sustainably support education and skills development particularly in developing countries. Specifically, we propose a Cost-effective Mobile Based Learning Content Delivery system for resource and network constrained environments. This system can be applied to cost-effectively broaden and support education in many cities around the world, which are approaching the 'Smart City' concept in their own way, even with less available technology infrastructure. Therefore, the proposed solution has the potential to reduce the cost of the bandwidth usage, and cut down the server workload and the Internet usage overhead by synchronizing learning contents from some remote server to a local database in the user’s device for offline use. It will also improve the quality of experience and participation of learners as well as facilitate mobility and portability in learning activities, which also supports the all-compassing learning experience in a Smart City.

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