My Research Plan

Research Title

Policy on Standards, Software and Content

Using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in developing Country, Cambodia.

Objective

To find the right software for rapid human resource developments, socio-economic development,
and poverty alleviation in Cambodia.

Background

During the last decade, Cambodia has been gradually developed in almost every field including governance,tourism, education, and economy. Meanwhile, ICT is a need in government, private sector, and educational institutions. Without ICT, work cannot be effective and efficient. By seeing its advantages, people have tried to include ICT in their study fields or work. Most pre-installed software and programs used in academic curricula are proprietary software. It is unbelievable that those software with license costs are freely used through out a less developed country like Cambodia, except some large corporations and organizations.

This negative impact is caused by widespread software piracy in this country. The price is approximately $2 per CD, and at the moment, those CDs can be illegally copied and shared among others. Therefore, we should thoroughly consider the future consequences when the situation becomes worser while proprietary software companies start to threaten by forcing their users to pay for software license fee (The day will come soon because Cambodia has been a member of WTO since 2004). By then, these purchases consume currency which could be better spent on other development goals. Still, it calls into question that can Cambodian people afford such a high price?

Actually, not only does the problem with license fee heavily affect Cambodia's economy, but close source and language also retard the progress of rapid human resource development. Hence, the e-government project which is going to become a digital citizen service and to help corruption and poverty alleviation will also have never been accomplished due to language barrier of governmental officials and people living in remote and rural areas.

Therefore, to achieve the socio-economic development, human resources development and poverty alleviation goal, the Royal Government of Cambodia has set out an draft ICT policy stated to choose a two pronged approach1 (Proprietary Software and Open Source Software as an alternative) for its software adaptation.

I will give a case study regarding Open Source software application in Cambodia.

Case Study
Open Institute, Cambodia – KhmerOS Project2 - Introducing Localized ICT.

KhmerOS envisions Cambodia a country where people can learn and use computers in their own language. Databases and applications will be developed directly in Khmer. And there must be widespread use of very low cost software, well adapted to Cambodia's economy, business climate, and people.

Since 2004, this project has created a number of useful software such as Khmer Unicode fonts, keyboard, and a number of localized Open Source Software (OSS) plus training materials for trainers and end users. A Master Plan for the Implantation of Open Source in Cambodia was also been devised in 2005. After three years of hard work, this cooperation project between the government and Open Institute has raised the awareness of OSS to governmental IT support staff, hardware vendors, organizations and some universities in Cambodia.

However, evidence proved that there is still a limitation of using OSS. As mentioned, OSS is not widely used in academic programs and also pre-installed software is proprietary software. Most organizations and companies that require computer-based jobs haven't even heard about OSS. Additionally, they even have no idea about intellectual property rights and total cost of ownership issues which could bring tremendous consequences.

Other obstacle for migrating to OSS is that people feel fear of using the new software, because they don't know what it is, how to use it, and if it is secure.

The inadequateness encourage me to conduct this research and the result of my research will address the following prominent highlighted problems:
• What are the consequences for a country which is plagued by software piracy?
• The Royal Government of Cambodia chose a two-pronged approach for software adaptation, so which one should be taught in educational institutions? why?
• Will OSS be a better alternative software for rapid human resource and socio-economic development? If so, what opportunities and added values will OSS offer to computer users? what are the obstacles to promote FOSS in business models?

Research Methodologies

To be effective, I have defined clear research methodologies. At the first step, I will research for the understanding of OSS perspectives for development including the global perspective on Open Source Software use, some case studies in developing countries, the current dynamics of Open Source Software, and so forth from collected documents. Secondly, the thorough assessment of the present use of ICT will be made. The quantitative survey on the awareness of ICT importance on OSS understanding will be done among computer users in Cambodia. Thirdly, I will try to evaluate the standard living and GDP of Cambodian people by cooperating with the Ministry of Finance to get the accurate data to forecast on how many people can afford
such a high price of proprietary software license fee and how much can be saved from using OSS.

Finally, the critical analysis will have to be done under the Japanese professors' advice.
Beneficiaries Based on my clear methodologies with the input of Japanese professors, I do believe that this crucial research will be implemented successfully. As a result, the best strategy for Cambodia to develop ICT and the effective role of government in ICT development will be approved. All in all, Cambodia will have a clear direction in the usage of Information and Communication Technology in education. This will enhance its quality and prepare its
citizen to play an active role in the knowledge-based society; they must not have the technical skills, but a global view that will allow them to use ICT to work, communicate and further develop their personal and professional skills. Besides education sustainability, the outcome will enable Cambodia to be regarded as a country where Intellectual Property Right (IPR) is protected.

My future plans upon return

After returning to Cambodia, I will apply for the position of ICT policy consultant either for a institute which is working closely with government or directly for government institutions such as National Information Communication Technology Development Authority (NiDA) or Ministry of Education, Youth & Sport (MoEYS) to participate in the development of government policy. I will introduce and offer my knowledge, skills, and experiences that I will acquire from my research study program in Japan with the strong vision to bring economic growth to Cambodia as the result of the right use of ICT learned from the effective Japanese ICT methodologies. Putting these strategies and techniques into practice along with the extending and enhancing bilateral relationships with Japan, I do believe that Cambodia's ICT will grow the way Japanese ICT has been doing for the past several years. In this position, I will use my knowledge gained from other countries' policy guidance, Japan's in particular to find out both the positive and negative impacts if those methodologies are implemented in Cambodia.

Additionally, Cambodia's draft ICT policy will also be reviewed and compared to find a better approach. To further ICT policy development, I will do research on the gaps of ICT between developed countries and developing countries; and on what factors should be included in the ICT policy for socio-economic development. Clearly defined milestone and outcomes of National ICT policy in Cambodia should also be set out.

Why am I here, Japan?

Due to the low capacity of institutions in Cambodia, I have always been eager to pursue my Master's degree abroad. To me, scholarship is my only bridge to get me through my dream. Not only is Japan an economically advanced country, but it is also a land of high technology which enables high speed Internet, multimedia science, robot, 3rd generation mobile phone (3G). Cultural preservation in information technology is especially wildly accessible. These are immense developments resulted from the right use of ICT. A developing country like Cambodia should observe and follow the effective strategies and methodologies in order to succeed in integrating those factors to achieve economic development goal.

Therefore, I would like to be trained in Japan in the field of ICT Policy which primarily spotted on ICT Policy for developing country. I have never stopped but developed a great determination to be a JDS fellow to achieve my desire. I have put my strong intension and endorsement on my attached research proposal whose result will advance ICT developments in Cambodia as it intends to help information technology decision-makers in Cambodia understand the potential benefits gaining from the technology advancements and know how to use it for sustainable ICT development.

For the development of ICT, Cambodia must have its own clearly defined policies and plans to promote ICT development and utilization throughout the country. So far, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has established only the draft ICT policy and it is likely that the precise approved date is not in the near future.

This is a slow decision-making process due to low awareness of the importance of ICT among policy and decision makers. This concern should be promptly solved with the help of qualified human resource to speed up the development process.

Lacking of a clear ICT policy, Cambodia has not achieved the priority actions such as maintaining
macroeconomic stability; improving rural livelihoods; expanding job opportunities, strengthening
institutions and improving good governance, etc

Therefore, I would like to conduct a crucial research in Japan and to learn how to design strategies for ICT development. The result will ensure that the adoption is applied appropriately in Cambodia and it will be a significant contributor to the RGC in making efficient and effective ICT policy to address socio-economic development, human resource development and poverty alleviation in particular, I do highly expect to acquire specialized and practical knowledge which will become the driving force to further ICT development in Cambodia.