IEEE SOP (Solve Our Problem). Accessibility Challenge. Problem Statement. From time immemorial, man has been struggling
IEEE SOP (Solve Our Problem) Accessibility Challenge Problem Statement From time immemorial, man has been struggling against the ravages wrought by disease, accident or feud. The problems faced by children, senior citizens, disabled people and pregnant women is, therefore, as old as human life itself. From climbing stairs to reading billboards, many hurdles are faced by these vulnerable sessions of the society everyday to make their living. ‘Equal access for all’ demands removal of exclusions and struggles confronted by men and women alike in public places, transport facilities, infrastructural amenities, digital technology, quality educational services, drinking water, healthcare and employment opportunities. WIE Congress calls for projects that can get rid off limitations and tap opportunities to secure an obstacle-free and safe environment for all human beings. 1. Accessibility to Transportation It is a sad fact that even in the 21st century, a pregnant women or a person with a disability has to rely on others to travel from one place to other. Travelling has often become a nightmare for the vulnerable sessions of the society. Transport related problems mainly comprise the problems related to design of vehicles, some of which includes high and incompatible steps of vehicles from the platform level, parking of buses far away from bus bays etc. This makes it difficult for Children, Pregnant women, Aged and Disabled passengers to utilise these facilities. Come up with an idea that can add ease to their life and will curb the feeling of insecurity of these people while using a public transport. 2. Accessibility to Infrastructure The performance of physical infrastructure of Indian economy in the last one and a half decades has been mixed and uneven. Being short in supply and poor in quality by world standards, it often fails to satisfy the needs of vulnerable sections. In fact, India's high rate of economic growth will sustain only if some revolutionary changes are being introduced for infrastructure development. Bring forward your ideas that could modify the current infrastructure of our country which can in turn make their life convenient.
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3. Accessibility to Digital World Unlike print, which can only be accessed visually, or sound, which can only be accessed aurally, digital information is simply electronic code that can be rendered audibly, visually, or tactilely. For those who can neither hear nor see, digital textual information can even be presented as braille on a device called a refreshable braille display. So it is very proof that efforts put in enhancing accessibility to Digital World can be a major step towards bringing the weaker sections to the main stream. Put forward some innovative ideas that can be a gateway towards digital world for rehabilitation of the vulnerable. 4.Accessibility to Quality Education. Education molds and builds a new and better society, a society that can face challenges of life with courage and conscience. It is a link between medical and vocational rehabilitation which plays a vital role in the social rehabilitation of the the vulnerable sections. It is a valuable tool with which one can conquer any physical or mental disabilities. In it lies the greatest hope of overcoming social stigmas. Literacy remains among the most neglected of all education goals, and millions of children are leaving school before acquiring basic skills. In some countries, young adults with five years of education have a 40% probability of being illiterate. About 759 million adults lack literacy and two-thirds of it are Women. Come up with a project that can guide them to a path surrounded with the radiance of literacy. 5.Accessibility to Healthcare. People who live in poor rural societies experience unique problems in accessing health services. Technology has the power to transform how health care facilities is delivered, giving more people in remote areas around the world access to better care. Innovators are invited to submit their projects that can better the health care accessibility in rural areas. Another important role that technology can play in healthcare sector is by designing an efficient method to access your health information on demand which can be lifesaving in an emergency situation, and can help prevent medication errors, improve care coordination so everyone who is caring for you is on the same page. There is also an opportunity for talented designers to reshape the way health records are presented to create a better patient experience. 6. Accessibility to Clean and Safe Environment The formation of slums need not be inevitable with rapid urbanization. Such an argument appears to be contradicted by evidence of large slum populations in a large number of developing countries and particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions like Asia. Most of the Cities of developing nations are no more considered to be clean and safe, instead they have become centers where vast numbers of people compete for the most basic elements of life
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Come up with solutions for multifaceted issues which including furnishing clean water to dense slum areas, treating solid wastes and wastewater, effective methods to reduce carbon emission and mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events etc. Eligibility Criteria The contest is open for all Indian engineering students pursuing undergraduate degrees. A group can have a maximum of 5 members which includes at least 1 girl and 2 IEEE members. Contest Structure •
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Qualifying Round: All the participating teams are expected to submit their project abstracts to
[email protected] in the given template on or before September 1 to enter into the Phase I of the Qualifying Round. The submissions will be reviewed by a panel of domain experts. The shortlisted teams will be announced by September 5, 2017. Phase II: Qualified teams from Phase I will advance to Phase II and are expected to submit a detailed proposal document in IEEE format by September 10. These teams will also be mentored by experts from the maker village to prepare their proposal. The proposals will be reviewed by a panel of experts and the shortlisted teams will enter the finals of the contest. The shortlisted teams will be announced by September 15, 2017 Finals: The final round of SOP will be held at the venue of WIE Congress-'17 SHE. The selected team has to present their projects along with a Power Point Presentation(PPT) in 15 minutes followed by a Q&A session by the Judges and participants. A project model is compulsory. The PPT should be easy to understand for the participants and judges.
Evaluation Criteria 1.Practicality of the Project: Level of practicality and ease of implementation will be two of the key factors of evaluation. 2.Consider Scale: Despite population growth slowing in recent years, the global population is projected to reach 8 billion in 2025 and about 11 billion by the year 2100. Consequently, solutions that are able to reach scale will be the most impactful. 3.Cost Effectiveness: With so many people to reach, cost effectiveness is the key 4.Focus on Poor and Vulnerable Sections: Even though most of the above mentioned problems can be applied to the entire population, special focus must be given to Women, Children, Disabled and Aged people, Calamity hit regions etc.
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Rewards SOP is your best chance to make your ideas into reality. So, what's in stock for the winners? The best teams will be given Pre-Incubation facilities along with Quality Mentorship and Guidance from Maker Village- The Electronics Incubator in Kerala.
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