 ICACT20210115 Slide.01
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome  Click!! |
 |
Hi everybody, my name is Edgard NDASSIMBA.
For ICACT 2021, I have cooperated with three partners from Network Computing and Telecommunications Laboratory (LIRT) of University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar - Senegal: Ms. Nadège Gladys Ndassimba, Mr. Ghislain Mervyl Kossingou, Pr. Samuel Ouya.
Our presentation today is about Feasibility of interconnecting the University of Bangui and peripheral areas via the TV White Space for e-learning in the context of COVID-19.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.02
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
Our work is organized as follows:
- Introduction
- State of art
- Feasibility study
- Results and discussions
- Conclusion
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.03
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
On March 14, 2020, the Central African Republic reported a first case of COVID-19 on its territory.
To prevent the multiplication of this pandemic, all schools and universities were closed down.
At the time when most of the universities used e-learning platforms, the only public university of Bangui didn't have this possibility because it has no network infrastructure.
However, the TV White Space could be used to offer broadband Wi-Fi interconnection with several advantages over traditional Wi-Fi.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.04
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
TVWS can be used to set up Wi-Fi interconnection of campus and university buildings as well as remote rural areas with difficult accessibility for e-learning courses via the collaborative platform using Moodle and its virtual classroom plugins BigblueButton.
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a feasibility study of interconnection of surrounding neighborhoods and villages through the TV White Space at the University of Bangui to meet the ICT needs for online courses in the context of COVID-19
.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.05
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
The situation of COVID-19 in the Central African Republic is that the country has recorded from March 14 to August 14, 2020, 4652 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 61 deaths.
Classes resumed on July 29th with all risks of contamination.
However, the government has imposed barrier and distancing measures to prevent the proliferation of the pandemic.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.06
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
TW White Spaces can be used to interconnect the University of Bangui and peripheral areas to provide an e-learning solution for its potentialities and performances tested and confirmed all over the world.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.07
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, other authors in have shown that academic institutions have favoured e-learning which has proven to be effective.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.08
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
We used Moodle and it pluggin Bigbluebutton for its efficiency to facilitate e-learning.
In the context of COVID-19, Moodle emerged as the most widely used e-learning platform in the world.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.09
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
Figure 1 below describes the architecture and assumptions of our feasibility study.
The e-learning deployment architecture without Internet connection using TV White Space access network includes:
• a base station installed on the building housing the rectorate of the University of Bangui,
• three customer stations installed respectively at the Begoua School, the Bimbo High School, the Rapides High School and a relay station on the banks of the Oubangui River.
The e-learning system includes:
• the Moodle platform and its plugin BigblueButton installed locally at the University of Bangui with Wi-Fi access offered by TV White Space technology without Internet connectivity,
• Wi-Fi routers at sites that offer DHCP service for DHCP clients,
• a database to manage student authentication.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.10
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
In this study, we are using Gen3 RuralConnect TV White Space System equipment from Carlson Technologies with the following technical specifications.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.11
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
For the result and discussion of our work
Both of the figures showed for the link budget the power level in dB of the radio signal emitted from the BS to the CPE and from the Relay to another CPE.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.12
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 showed respectively radio profile from BS to CPEs of Ecole Begoua, CPE Lycée Bimbo, Relay Moov, Lycée Rapides
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.13
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
The results in Table 4 showed the link budget, specifically the margin, the received signal (Rx Level) and the receiver sensitivity.
When the level of the Rx Level is equal to or greater than the Receive Sensivity threshold, then the link is feasible.
The results obtained in Table 4 have shown that links are feasible.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.14
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
The scenario of e-learning through the TVWS network is presented on this slide.
In this scenario, we have students from the Faculty of Sciences Bachelor 1 in Mathematics and Computer Science. Considering their number and to respect the rules of physical distance, we have subdivided them into four groups:
a first group at the University of Bangui in an amphitheater with the professor giving the courses in person and followed by the students located in the other zones,
a second group at Bimbo High School in a classroom following e-learning through TVWS connectivity without Internet,
the third group at the Bégoua school in a classroom, following the e-learning through TVWS connectivity without Internet, and
the fourth group at the Lycée des Rapides in a classroom following e-learning through TVWS connectivity without the Internet.
All of these classrooms have been interconnected locally by the TV White Space at the University of Bangui.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.15
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
The figure 9 showed the window used by teachers and students to connect to the platform by using the local site rca.rtn.sn
The figure 10 showed that the teacher logged in to deliver the linear algebra 1&2 courses using the PDF format and the virtual classroom using web conferencing via BigBlueButton.
The figure 11 showed a virtual class session of Linear Algebra 1&2 with a real-time slide presentation of this course after teacher and students logged in.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.16
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
To conclude this work.
In this work, we studied the feasibility of interconnecting the University of Bangui and the peripheral areas via TVWS without Internet access for online courses in the context of Coronavirus.
Generally, TVWS is a viable medium for broadband Internet access applications.
However, our solution uses it as a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) to interconnect peripheral areas at the University of Bangui without Internet access. The technical advantages in terms of high bandwidth, extended reach and penetration make it possible to offer the e-learning service without Internet access to the students at the selected sites.
|
| ICACT20210115 Slide.17
[Big Slide]
[YouTube] |
Chrome Click!! |
 |
Thanks for your attention!
Now! Floor is open.
Welcome any comment or question. |
