To CD or not to CD: MekongInfo, the Internet without the Internet

From an Interview with Marlynne Hopper (09/27/00), reported by
Duane Taylor
November 2000

About MekongInfo

Organization: MekongInfo http://www.mekonginfo.org

Established: June 1999

Background: Developed by the Sustainable Management of Resources in the Lower Mekong Basin Project (SMRP), a technical cooperation project between the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and Germany. MEKONGINFO will be integrated with the new Web site of the MRC Secretariat from the end of 2000.

Objectives:

• provide a portal to participatory natural resource management in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam;
• empower and support actors working in the region to share their experiences and learn from each other's lessons;
• enable sector actors in the region to disseminate experiences and tap existing knowledge;
• facilitate the emergence of sectoral knowledge networks and communities of practice.

The situation

In the Lower Mekong Basin, many actors have long been working to promote the sustainable management of natural resources. However, their experiences and lessons are mostly scattered and not systematically shared. In response, SMRP decided to develop a Web-based system for information exchange that would be accessible to people throughout the region. MEKONGINFO was the outcome.

Despite the potential of the Web to reach a vast audience, however, a basic problem remained. Many of the institutions and organizations targeted by MEKONGINFO still have limited or no Internet access. In most of the region, the Internet's reach remains restricted. Prices are high and connection quality is poor. While for many professionals working in the natural resource management sector, the Web is a new and unfamiliar media.

For instance, in Vietnam, which has a population of some 80 million people, there are an estimated 500,000 Internet users and 75,000 Internet subscribers (Vietnam News 28/10/2000). The state-owned Vietnam Post and Telecommunications (VNPT) has a monopoly on Internet access and sets the price. Although charges are coming down, use of the Web remains expensive for the majority of local people. At 250 Vietnamese Dong a minute during working hours (14,000 VND is equivalent to US$1), one hour online costs about US$1.08. The telephone call costs an additional US$0.51. Slow connection speeds (just 100,000-300,000 bytes/second) increase the cost of time spent online. Internet access in Cambodia and Laos is even more expensive. In Cambodia, the fee for one hour of Internet use is roughly equivalent to 25% of an average government worker's monthly salary. Not surprisingly, most national organizations cannot afford to give their staff Internet access.

A survey carried out by SMRP earlier this year confirmed that the Internet plays a minor role in information access and exchange among its partner organizations. It also revealed a widespread unfamiliarity with use of the Internet for research. When users lack the skills to navigate the Web, it takes them a lot longer to find what they need. For local people in the Lower Mekong countries, this means that the costs quickly begin to "skyrocket".

The solution

One solution was to use a simple and relatively cheap media to bring http://www.mekonginfo.org to potential users. Given that most computers now have CD-ROM drives, capturing and disseminating the contents of MEKONGINFO on CD-ROM seemed a logical choice.

SMRP decided to keep the same format used on MEKONGINFO, which is based on Lotus Notes, in order to enable CD-ROM users to really experience http://www.mekonginfo.org. Using the Web-based format was also less expensive than converting the contents into another format such as ISIS or Access. Most importantly, it enables CD-ROM users to feel what it is like to navigate a Web site and use a search engine. The CD-ROM is therefore helping to prepare users for when they are able to go online.

The numbers

A local company in Hanoi was contracted to produce the CD-ROMs. They were given direct access to MEKONGINFO's server so that contents could be transferred quickly and easily. Since September 1999, 2,500 CD-ROMs have been produced. The contents and features of the CD-ROM have been improved since the first version. A new search engine was added to the second version. This was a one-time fee, which means that the cost of producing additional copies of this version falls significantly (see below).

Most CD-ROMs are distributed in the region to government organizations and departments, research institutes, universities and NGOs, as well as projects and programs, bilateral/multilateral organizations, and networks. They are provided free-of-charge to national organizations. A decision was made recently to request international projects/organizations to contribute US$3.50 towards production/distribution costs.

SMRP plans to continue to produce CD-ROMs, approximately twice a year, to provide users with access to new contents of http://www.mekonginfo.org. As MEKONGINFO's document library is growing continuously, and new hosted-Web sites, contacts, announcements, etc., are added all the time, CD-ROM distribution is likely to remain important.

Evaluation

Short feedback forms were distributed with the second CD-ROM to provide users with an opportunity to comment. Respondents to a recent MEKONGINFO evaluation survey also expressed their appreciation of the CD-ROM; 14% said the CD-ROM was part of what they liked best about MEKONGINFO. Users' feedback and demand is an important indicator of how well the project has succeeded, and continued attention will be paid to observe users' views in future.

Staff: System Operator and Data Entry Clerk in Hanoi (both full-time)
System Operator in Chiang Mai (in partner organization, part-time)
SMRP Technical Advisor and Communication Expert (both part-time)

Partners/Users: Mekong River Committee Secretariat (MRC-S) and National Mekong Committees
Government line organizations, and national and provincial organizations in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam
Sector organizations (e.g., research institutes, universities, NGOs, development organizations, etc.) and individuals working in the sector
Sector projects and programs in the region

Contact:

MEKONGINFO
I.P.O. Box 304
Tung Shing Square
2 Ngo Quyen Street
Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: (84-4) 934 6002
Fax: (84-4) 934 6002
E-mail: hopperm@mekonginfo.org