Research Article
Networked Micro-services: Empowering Local Micro-enterprises in a South African Township Through Community Wireless Networks
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-031-51849-2_23, author={Ndinelao Iitumba and Hafeni Mthoko and Keegan White and Mapule Madzena and Tristan Drummond and David Johnson and Melissa Densmore}, title={Networked Micro-services: Empowering Local Micro-enterprises in a South African Township Through Community Wireless Networks}, proceedings={Innovations and Interdisciplinary Solutions for Underserved Areas. 6th EAI International Conference, InterSol 2023, Flic en Flac, Mauritius, September 16-17, 2023, Proceedings}, proceedings_a={INTERSOL}, year={2024}, month={2}, keywords={Human Computer Interaction(HCI) Community Wireless Networks User-Centered Design}, doi={10.1007/978-3-031-51849-2_23} }- Ndinelao Iitumba
Hafeni Mthoko
Keegan White
Mapule Madzena
Tristan Drummond
David Johnson
Melissa Densmore
Year: 2024
Networked Micro-services: Empowering Local Micro-enterprises in a South African Township Through Community Wireless Networks
INTERSOL
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-51849-2_23
Abstract
Internet and cloud resources are a growing resource for micro-enterprises. However, small businesses in low-income communities struggle to use these resources due to the cost of access and the perceived cost of producing digital applications. In this paper, we draw on interviews with residents and small business owners from a South African township, towards the design of services to support micro-services through locally-hosted infrastructure. We present design implications for the architecture of these services, discussing the merits of internet-based versus community-based architectures, and present four prototypes to demonstrate possible designs of local centered e-commerce applications. This paper extends insights about local micro-enterprises’ feature requirements and no-code local content creation services in remote communities. It also illustrates some factors that hinder the success of e-commerce in remote areas and how CWNs mitigate that. This work aims to contribute to both Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) goal 8, which focuses on promoting economic growth, and goal 11, which aims to build sustainable communities.
