edward cutrell - innovating for the world at microsoft research india
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Panel Discussion: Made by Asia... Not Just in Asia - The Latest From Microsoft Research India and ChinaTRANSCRIPT
Research Group Goals
Innovating for the World at Microsoft Research India
Ed Cutrell Technology for Emerging Markets group
Microsoft Research Presence
Microsoft Research India
http://research.microsoft.com/india
Established January, 2005
Seven research areas – Algorithms & Search – Cryptography, Security & Applied
Math – Mobility, Networks, and Systems – Multilingual Systems – Rigorous Software Engineering – Technology for Emerging Markets – Vision, Graphics, and Visualization
Contributions to Microsoft:
– MultiPoint, Netra, Virtual India
Currently ~55 full-time staff
Collaborations with government, academia, industry, and NGOs in India
Image: Sridhar Vedantham
WikiBhasha: Machine Translation for Wikipedia
A Kumaran & colleagues Multilingual Systems Group, MSR India
‘Bhasha’ in Sanskrit means ‘Language’
Wikipedia + MT = Win!
▪ Passionate Wikipedia communities
▪ Highly skewed content in different languages
▪ Use MT to help bootstrap Wikipedia into other
tongues by bilingual Wikipedians
▪ Corrections of MT used as data for improving
translation algorithms
Wikipedia Content by Language
WikiBhasha: Functional View
WikiBhasha
UX
WikiBhasha User Community
CTF
Dictionary
API’s Wikipedia
• As an edit layer on Wikipedia page
Wikipedia
Linguistic
&
Collaborative
Services
WikiBhasha Beta
• WikiBhasha announced in Oct 2010
– Open sourced (Apache & GPL2)
– Released in www.WikiBhasha.org & MediaWiki SVN
– Commitment to make all data as research resource
WikiBhasha and you!
• Covered in 35+ languages across the world
– Viral popularity
SpecNet: Shared wireless spectrum analysis for global coordination
Krishna Chintalapudi & colleagues Mobility, Networks & Systems, MSR India
• White spaces
Un-utilized spectrum: 100s of MHz!
Prime spectrum: at sub GHz, coverage is 5-10 KM (compared to 100-250m for WiFi)
FCC ruling Nov 14, 2008 allows opportunistic use of allocated spectrum
FCC ruling Sep 23, 2010 allows use based on database OR sensing
• Most of the allocated spectrum remains severely underutilized
80% of TV spectrum remains unutilized in rural areas of US
30% of the TV spectrum remains unutilized even in urban areas of US
Under-utilization is expected to be much higher in developing nations
698 806 Freq in MHz
dBm
Mar 24
23:12
Mar 25
14:12
-110 -40
Whitespace—Wasted resource
How can we construct and maintain spatio-temporal spectrum usage maps?
• A collaborative measurement platform is the key!
• A network of spectrum sensing devices
Creation of a real-time spatio-temporal spectrum usage database
• India is a large country
• Information is not as readily available as in developed countries
3200 Km
3000 Km
Measuring spectrum
A first-of-its-kind platform that allows spectrum analyzers around the world to be networked and efficiently used in a coordinated manner for
spectrum measurement as well as implementation and evaluation of distributed sensing applications
Remote User
Spectrum Analyzer
SpecNet
Construction and Maintenance of Real-Time White Space Spatio-Temporal Usage Maps
• Can aid the operation of white space devices
• Can help future white space service providers to plan their infrastructure deployments
Enables remote real-time measurements
• Help researchers to access real data from across the world to validate their models
Remote User Spectrum Analyzer
Real-Time Distributed Applications that Utilizes Spectrum Measurements
• Researchers can implement and test their novel ideas using the SpecNet API in real-time
The Power of SpecNet
Technology for Emerging Markets
Understand existing and potential technology users in developing communities
Design and evaluate technology and systems that contribute to socio-economic development of poor and developing communities worldwide
Collaborate with product groups, development-focused organizations, governments and industry for sustained, scaled impact
Photo: Divya Ramachandran
Research Group Goals
Bill Thies, Technology for Emerging Markets, MSR India with CGNet, MIT & International Center for Journalists
CGNet Swara: Voice Portal for Citizen Journalism
Voice Remains Primary Interface for Mobile Subscribers in India
• Most subscribers lack smart phones
• Mobile Internet is rare, <3% of subscribers
– Growing quickly, will not be free
Smart Phone: < 5% Feature Phone: 50-70% (e.g., music player)
Basic Phone: 30-50%
Source: McKinsey, IDC India
Dominant Interfaces: Voice, SMS
• Voice calls remain central
• Text messaging is common but not ubiquitous
– 25% of subscribers send at least 1 SMS / day
– 5% of subscribers check cricket scores on phone
• Bluetooth is used by urban users
– Peer-to-peer video sharing on feature phones
Source: Mp Mobile Tracker
Literacy and Language Barriers
Literacy and Language Barriers
Non-Literate
Literacy and Language Barriers
Literate
in English
Non-Literate
Literacy and Language Barriers
Literate
in English
Non-Literate
Literate in Other
Language
Literacy and Language Barriers
Literate
in English
Non-Literate
Literate in Other
Language
Language Known
What will become the Web 2.0 for India’s 850 million mobile subscribers?
Journalism in Tribal Chhattisgarh
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Gondi
Kurukh
Kui
Number of speakers (in millions)
Number of news outlets (print or audiovisual)
• No news medium for tribal languages in India • Very few tribal journalists who know these languages
• It is not legal to broadcast news over community radio in India!
• Anyone can report news, issues, etc. in local language
• Submissions are reviewed by moderators over the Web
• Appropriate submissions are published: – For playback on audio channel
– For browsing on web
– Some submissions seed stories for posting on CGNet site + list
CGNet Swara Voice Portal for Citizen Journalism
Application – Governance and Grievance Redress, News and Songs
• About 40% of all posts concerns with governance –Government employment scheme (NREGA) workers not getting paid
– Forest land not distributed under FRA
– Situations of rural schools and health centers
–Reports on corruption in public schemes
–Teachers not being paid ▪ The teachers were paid their back wages one week after publication of the interview on
CGNet Swara
• Real time breaking news directly from the source in local languages
–Reports on pollution and public health emergencies
–Deaths due to cholera, diarrhea and malaria
–Arsenic in water
• Tribal stories and songs
Father wanders for due NREGA wages, son dies in hospital...
Manish Rai from Ambikapur says some days back I had heard an interview on CGnet Swara with a labourer called Pitbasu who had completed 100 days work in NREGA but had not been paid any wages. Today by chance I met him in the hospital and found that while Pitbasu was making rounds for his due NREGA wages his son died in the hospital. Is there any provision in NREGA to punish officials who has caused this grave incident? NREGA laws should be so strong that no one should wait for their wages as has happened with Pitbasu. For more on the story please contact Manish at 09826538904.
http://www.cgnetswara.org/index.php?id=2847
Thank you! http://research.microsoft.com/research/tem
Photo: Paige Bills