The primary purpose of this network is to minimize the amount of data that is required to be transferred over an available internet connection which thereby reduces cost of bandwidth on users and allows them to combine monetary resources to achieve better economies of scale when purchasing bandwidth.
The users will need devices that can run a web browser to connect to Lokole server and run locally hosted webmail and web apps which are actually offline so all server or database calls are free. Regularly the Lokole will call the cloud to sync mail files, database changes or web app source code updates using a compressed and encrypted SSH tunnel with appropriate authentication.
Lokole device will be shipped ready to use
When Lokole device is turned on either by its internal battery pack or external power, it creates a WIFI network which expands to 30 meters radian. Using any WIFI capable device, such as iPad, smart phone, laptop user connects to Lokole network. Once connected, user opens web browser and type lokole.ca on the address bar. When user presses enter, the Lokole home page displays on the screen with two tabs at the bottom of the screen; REGISTER and LEARN MORE tabs. Click REGISTER to create an account which gives access to start using Lokole and have access to network. To register is very simple, it takes only 3 items to fill up; name, password and password verify. Click LEARN MORE, to read about Lokole origin, operations and the team behind this project
With my experience, this technology on integrated registry systems applications exists and it is currently implemented across wealthy nations. Why it is not implemented in the poor nations? Because the people of these nations are poor and cannot afford the cost of operations such as big data transfers through internet, etc.
For these reasons Dapp solution should be developed with very basic technologies which can be accessible, affordable and sustainable to all the people and for those at the bottom of the pyramid. This is where Lokole/Cardano networks proposal fits in:
Lokole Netwok is an Offline Portable Web and Email Network server which runs on a single board computer to provide an Internet experience when offline in remote regions of developing countries around the world where data costs are prohibitive to the low income population. Locally host webmail and web-apps will connect regularly to the central cloud server and send/receive compressed and encrypted data package for relay or routing. Ease of use and minimal training is key to they success of deployment in areas without technical admin skills
Working within Africa creates many challenges:
◦ Poor infrastructure, both for electricity and telecommunications.
◦ Central Africa is subjected to extreme heat which could affect equipment.
◦ High poverty means additional security concerns. In the DRC the price of 1GB of data is about $1.00 (Vodacom), almost as much as the average daily income $1.10 (World Bank).
◦ The user base has very little computer experience, meaning that the solution must be
designed with good Human and Computer Interaction (HCI) heuristics
To address the challenges and ensure the high availability of the system, the OPWEN (Lokole)
system had the following properties:
• Good attention to HCI.
• A “lock down” approach to both hardware and software security.
• A triple redundant power system (battery, electricity, solar)
• A flexible communication system (wireless and wired)
• Affordability. (With Lokole, the cost can be only $0.01 per person, the same price of 50 grams of Cassava (FAO) in the DRC).
ASCODERU has guaranteed high availability by designing a system made of widely available and easily replaceable parts. Thus, most hardware faults will not require specialized repair and the system can be restored quickly.
It is our opinion that ASCODERU has created a sufficient system for its purpose. They provide a robust, low cost and low maintenance system which can be installed quickly and used by a non-tech-savvy user base.
Lokole/Cardano Networks targets Africa market, because its technology and operations is appropriate. robust and responds to the challenges mentioned here above.
There are very few risks from a technical perspective for this project:
(1) Theft or equipment damage from climate
Our hardware is very cheap and modular so that if any particular part fails, it can easily be replaced. The components will be placed in a special case and tropicalize to eliminate damage from the environment. Our hardware will work on solar panels with attached battery packs. The battery protects our hardware from damage if there is a power surge.
We address the issue of theft in two ways. First of all, the Lokole hardware will be community owned which naturally deters theft via social control and shared ownership. Secondly, we also have the option of stationing the Lokole hardware in supervised public places such as health centers, libraries or schools.
(2) Cellular network failures
In the rare case that the cellular network fails, we have the option of falling back to satellite for data transfer. Given that cellular networks are fairly reliable in much of sub-Saharan Africa, we will only develop this solution if network failures become a frequent issue in the areas where we deploy our project as the added satellite communication hardware will drastically increase deployment costs.
(3) Security and data privacy
The Lokole project handles sensitive user data like emails. As such, security and privacy are a concern for us. We address this risk by refusing to reinvent the wheel and instead leveraging battle-tested cloud technologies for data storage (e.g. Azure Blob Storage), email integration (e.g. Send Grid) and local data storage (e.g. Flask-Security). All integrations are protected via a standard pre-shared secret approach. Our software is developed by an experienced engineer (ex-Amazon, now Microsoft) following industry best practices.