INFOPLAZAS ' Bringing technology and knowledge to everyone

Author : Galileo Solis
Date added : 2002-04-03

Brief Project Background

After a French government failed effort, the Panama Canal was build by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it was finished in 1914 and is an important pathway linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. As of December 1999 the Republic of Panama gained control of The Panama Canal, with a workforce integrated mainly by well trained Panamanians, at all its levels. At the same time, Panama received all the facilities formerly used as U.S. Military Bases alongside the Canal, thus providing land and buildings that are now being used in educational and technological activities. A Science and Technology Park has been established within one of the forts that now houses The City of Knowledge (http://www.ciudaddelsaber.org.pa), with the purpose of developing, adapting and transferring technology, helping to reduce the “digital divide”, building a critical mass of professionals and taking full advantage of this opportunity.
The Infoplazas started in 1998 as one component of an Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) loan to the Republic of Panamá and managed by the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT).
The SENACYT (http://www.senacyt.gob.pa) is a government agency under the Presidency of the Republic, that is responsible to coordinate and execute the actions that the Executive Branch determinates, referring to the ordering and national development of science, technology and innovation. The SENACYT is also responsible to prepare the National Plan of Science, Technology and Innovation, stimulate, coordinate and supervise the execution of actions directed to the scientific and technological development and to spread and popularise the profits of the scientific investigation and the technological development.
The Infoplazas are the result of the Tele-centre model established by the IDB in other countries like El Salvador, Perú, Venezuela and Brazil. At first the model was aimed at helping small businesses to establish Internet Cafes in different locations in the country, but this would of taken the project to a model in which it would only be benefiting a business and would not offer accessible prices to the ones that needed the technology to obtain knowledge and have no other way of accessing it. The Republic of Panama successfully proposed to the IDB a change in the model in which the project would be implemented with a local partner.
The SENACYT created the Infoplazas Foundation in order to be the executor of the Infoplazas Project, this is a non-profit foundation that offers the know-how to install, maintain and to offer technical support to all the established centres. The Infoplazas Foundation has a Director, an Administrative Coordinator and a Technical Coordinator, under this structure a total of 11 people offer in-site and remote support and training to all the centers.
The first Infoplaza was inaugurated on February 11, 2000 in a rural town called Pedasí, and since then we have established 33 centres and the goal for 2002 is 70 centres.

The INFOPLAZAS are knowledge transference centres by the use of technology. Each centre consists of 10 personal computers, 1 file server, 1 color printer, adequate furniture, chairs, Local Area Network, connection to the Internet and one Administrator. This administrator is responsible for managing the INFOPLAZA and he is trained to guide new users on their first steps of computer and Internet usage.

The INFOPLAZAS are covering Panama’s geography, aiming at rural and suburban communities, where the population generally lacks economic and financial resources to buy computers, software, pay for Internet access fees, attend technological schools, technological seminars and training. INFOPLAZAS is the starting point that has found a way to fill the technology gap in these communities, creating opportunities for everyone by installing technology transfer centres. These centres open the way to community members to get acquainted with the outer world by providing access to the Internet, productivity tools, distance learning and local training.

Our commitment to this project is of high importance because of its social impact, giving an opportunity to communities in marginal status with respect to technology access, where many of its members are literally “wasting their minds” by not letting knowledge find its way to them.

The connection to the Internet is the most important ingredient of each Infoplaza, we are forced to use whatever technology is available in the community where we are installing the Infoplaza. We have an agreement with Cable & Wireless Panama, the only company with nationwide coverage, in which they donate 52% of the connection monthly fees. The available connections that we are using as of now are:
· ADSL 256Kbps
· Frame Relay 128Kbps
· Frame Relay 64Kbps
· Two 56Kbps dial up connections

Results

SENACYT, through the Foundation has already opened 33 centres throughout Panama, with scheduled openings during 2002 for 37 additional ones. In rural areas about 9% of the population are registered as users, suburban area statistics show a 4% rate.

We have signed several agreements for content information, among others with the National Authority for Small and Medium Business, the National Institute of Tourism, with the Agriculture Department and the National Cultural Institute.
The National Government and the International Development Bank have gave us support demonstrating its commitment to science and technology development.

Lessons

The usage statistics reports that it has reach, until March 2001, 56,000 users in 210,000 hours of internet access to people who would not even dream of sitting in front of a computer accessing the world of information that is now at their fingertips.
We have trained more than 60 Administrators in the use of Microsoft software and the Internet, these are the knowledge spreaders in each of their communities. Each one have spend a total of 3 weeks in our training facilities getting the right tools by our instructors so they are the main actors of the change we are trying to make in their communities.

Development Impacts

This project has the potential of bringing access to the citizens of the Republic of Panama to the e-goverment effort in development by de panamanian goverment.
In this project, the Infoplazas are the place where common citizens would be asking for birth certificates, email their tax return and making their personal comments to the goverment.

Project Information

Organisation : SENACYT/INFOPLAZAS
URL : http://www.senacyt.gob.pa/infoplazas
Total budget in US$ : US $ 1.2 million per year
Country of activity: Panama [PA]

Are there any partners involved : yes
What is partners role?: As established by our new proposed model, each centre is installed with a partner. The partner commits to the project by signing an agreement to comply with needed ingredients that the Foundation does not cover, such as: adequate space with electricity, air conditioning and security; 4 personal computers and salaries for the administrative personnel necessary to manage the facility. The rest of the infrastructure: file server, 6 personal computers, communications equipment for the Internet connection, color printer, furniture, technical support, MICROSOFT operating systems and applications as well as continued training, is provided by the Foundation. The agreement has a two year term, at the end of the period the partner’s performance and ability to carry forward the INFOPLAZA will be evaluated in order to determine if the partner may continue with the project.

Each INFOPLAZA is constantly monitored for the partner’s compliance of administrative duties and financial status through reports submitted by their staff. The Associate is responsible for presenting a business plan to market the services of the INFOPLAZA in the community it serves, guided by our team of professionals.

The INFOPLAZAS can offer what we call Other Services, that are the services that are no related with the renting of time to use the computers. These services include training courses in software application programs and the Internet, document printing, text typing, pencil, diskettes, copiers and any other service that the partner can come up with.

Contact Information

Galileo Solis
gsolis@senacyt.gob.pa

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