We consider the problem of reducing a potentially very large dataset to a subset of representative prototypes. Rather than searching over the entire space of prototypes, we first roughly divide the data into balanced clusters using bisecting k-means and spectral cuts, and then find the prototypes for each cluster by affinity propagation. We apply our algorithm to text data, where we perform an ...

In this paper, we consider the revenue maximization problem in auctions for dynamic spectrum access. We assume a frequency division method of spectrum sharing with a primary spectrum owner that can divide the available spectrum into sub-bands and sell them to secondary users. We assume that a secondary user’s utility function is linear in the rate it can achieve by using the spectrum. We presen...

The main aim of this paper is to examine the impact of the establishment of telecentres, particularly KedaiKom on community building in Malaysia. KedaiKom is one of the projects undertaken by the Malaysian government to reduce the digital divide among the population. The impact of KedaiKom on community building was viewed from two perspectives: capacity of getting ahead and social and digital i...

Increased access and more affordable connectivity to advanced ICTs and especially wireless and Internet services enhances the ability of development professionals and an increasingly diverse range of citizens of developing countries to access the world’s storehouse of information – the Internet. Proper management of the knowledge networks is required to ensure that the Internet will be a tool t...

The powerful role of information and communication technology (ICT) in social and economic development has led many to ponder the consequences of unequal access to it. In the mid-1990s, journalists, scholars, and political leaders started discussing the significance of what they termed a digital divide between the information haves and have-nots. In this chapter, I review the issue of a digital...

As its point of departure, this paper takes the view that if the digital divide between rich and poor countries is to be diminished on any significant scale, a wide range of complementary low-cost versions of information technologies will be needed. Since the available knowledge about these technologies is highly fragmented and difficult to access, however, we seek in this paper to provide poli...

Data on Internet performance and the analysis of its trend can be useful for decision makers and scientists alike. Such performance measurements are possible using the PingER methodology. We use the data thus obtained to quantify the difference in performance between developed and developing countries, sometimes referred to as the “digital divide.” Motivated by the recent interest of G8 countri...

This brief paper uses a simple arithmetic framework to classify and explain the performance of developing countries in closing the absolute digital divide. Four categories are created on the basis of two variables, namely, the penetration and rate of growth of mobile phones. The paper answers questions such as: Which countries do well and badly on both variables? Are the countries in these cate...