DP Digital Society Questionbank

The farmers of Chacra Province are concerned about the provincial government using a computer model to determine the amount of water they will be allowed to use to water their fruit trees.

To what extent should the farmers of Chacra Province rely on their knowledge and experience, rather than the computer-based solution provided by the provincial government, to manage the watering of the fruit trees?

Evaluate Kinakora National Park’s decision to use computer modelling to develop strategies for dealing with wildfires.  

Clouds under the sea

Microsoft has located one of its data centres on the seabed. Project Natick is now operating 100 feet below the surface of the North Sea (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: An artist’s representation of a data centre on the sea bed

[Adapted under sea photo by NOAA on Unsplash]

Microsoft has chosen to develop data centres on the seabed because they claim there are concerns about the environmental impact of data centres built on land. These seabed data centres can be constructed and placed on the sea bed in 90 days. This is compared to the two years that are required for land-based data centres.

Google patented their design for an underwater data centre in 2009. Even though functioning prototypes have been trialled, none have been used commercially.

The demand for data storage is doubling every two years, so it is likely that an increasing number of data centres will need to be constructed. These data centres can be constructed either under the sea or on land.

Discuss whether companies like Microsoft should build data centres on the seabed.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using machine learning to predict natural disasters like earthquakes.

Smart farming

A government in East Africa is using the expertise of scientists at a university in the region to promote the culture of smart farming and increase the productivity of farmers (see Figure 5). To do this, they have developed an app that the farmers can use to assist them in their decision-making.

Figure 5: An example of farming in East Africa

Using a Segway with machine learning capabilities?

The Segway Patroller is a two-wheeled, battery-powered electric vehicle. Recently, Segway Patrollers have been used for security purposes in cities as well as in public spaces such as concerts, railway stations and shopping malls.

The Segway Patroller can travel up to a speed of 20 kilometres per hour (about 12 miles per hour) and travel about 40 kilometres (25 miles) in distance before the battery needs to be recharged.

Figure 3: A Segway Patroller

Google will collect large quantities of data that will be held in data centres.

Explain two concerns linked to the increasing number of data centres.

The Okavango Medical Centre has received additional funding from the local authority. The centre is investigating the possibility of using these funds to purchase IT equipment that would allow surgeons in Gaborone to carry out surgery remotely.

Evaluate the impact of the purchase of this IT equipment on the medical centre and its patients.

Identify two components of a global positioning system (GPS).

Identify two key stakeholders involved in this project.

Can digital technologies be used sustainably?

Many organizations claim that the most efficient use of information technology (IT) equipment, such as laptops and printers, is to replace them on a regular basis. For example, an organization’s strategy may be to do this every three years.

Other organizations purchase IT equipment that can easily be upgraded by increasing the storage and memory or upgrading the processing capabilities only when required. They claim they do not need to replace their IT equipment on such a regular basis and believe this is a more sustainable practice.

Evaluate the sustainability of these two strategies.

The government of Cameroon is watching the results of the Agritexte initiative. It is considering two options:

• extending the functionality of Agritexte into a web-based information system
• investing in education and training on the use of the existing Agritexte SMS system.  

Evaluate these two options.

App or intuition?

Apps have been developed that allow a customer to submit a trip request to a taxi company on their smartphone. These apps allow the customer to select the starting point and final destination of the journey as well as add other information, such as the time of journey and number of passengers.

The developers of the taxi journey app claim it can capture the real-time details of a journey, including the starting point, route, distance travelled, the speed of the car and the final destination. The app integrates this information with real-time traffic information, such as closed roads or accidents. Fares can be estimated before the journey, and the customer can pay digitally with their credit card or by PayPal.

Some traditional taxi drivers in cities such as Paris and Rio de Janeiro have campaigned against the introduction of these apps in taxi companies. Based on previous journeys recorded by the app, the taxi company recommends that their taxi drivers rely on the taxi journey app rather than their own knowledge of the city when determining the best route.

Discuss whether the taxi driver should rely on the taxi journey app, rather than their own knowledge of the city, when determining the best route.

Selecting candidates for political parties

Political parties often have large numbers of applicants who wish to act as representatives in their various governing bodies. A senior party official must make the final decision about which applicants should be offered which roles. Many roles receive as many as 15 applications, and it is not possible to interview each applicant.

In an attempt to streamline the application process, a prospective representative will need to complete two tasks:

1. Completing an online questionnaire.
2. Submitting a video where they explain the reasons behind their application.

Neither task will involve the team in the political party.

The applicants will be directed to a link provided by the software developer where they can complete both tasks. The responses to the questionnaires and the videos will be analysed using artificial intelligence (AI).

The software will score the questionnaire and video for each applicant and send it to the senior party official’s team. The applicants with the highest scores will then be invited by the political party for an interview.

The software developers claim this will reduce the number of applications the senior party official needs to process and lead to the most appropriate applicants being selected for an interview.

Discuss whether the political party should introduce the digital system to assist the senior party official when deciding which applicants should be offered roles as representatives.

Bitcoin transactions are made between individuals without the knowledge of banks, governments, or credit card companies. Some governments are investigating whether they should regulate digital transactions, such as those made using bitcoins.

To what extent is it appropriate for governments to regulate digital transactions, such as those made using bitcoins?

To what extent can the use of models and simulations like the MADAS system help prevent future accidents?