Innovation Idols

Like many communities across Thailand, Ban San Pamuang village, in Phayao province, faced the challenge of declining rural incomes and the associated domestic and societal problems that often come hand in hand. Rather than looking outside for a solution, the people of the village looked within and realized they had the knowledge and skills to produce handmade crafts that could be sold in overseas markets. All they needed was as a way to connect the village to the global market. This is where Khun Pongsri and the Internet come in.

In 1997, Khun Pongsri established the “Hyacinth Weaving Craft Group” of Ban San Pamuang Village with just 10 members, to help her community earn much needed income while preserving an important part of the local cultural heritage. The group initially focused on establishing quality standards, improving production techniques and building their own brand by participating in traditional market activities like trade fairs. While the outstanding quality of the group’s merchandise was recognized within Thailand, they needed a way to expand awareness of their offerings to new markets.

In 2007, the Hyacinth Weaving Craft Group established its website to showcase their products to the world. Over the years the site has been developed to include product information and photos, production details, prices and instructions for placing an order. It also permits delivery tracking and even offers a discussion forum. Since the website was launched, the Group’s sales have increased by over 50% and orders are now regularly coming from international markets including Germany, Sweden, Australia, China and Japan. The group has grown to 620 members and they still cannot keep up with demand. For Ban San Pamuang village this is not a bad problem to have.

Deforestation is a major environmental issue that Thailand has been grappling with for many years. Among the causes for the loss of forest area is illegal encroachment on protected areas, like national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

The Bureau of Consumer Protection and Environmental Crime of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Ministry of Justice is responsible for investigating encroachment cases and protecting Thailand’s forest resources. To assist these efforts, Pol. Maj. Natapol Disayatham, PhD. Titasak BoonThai (Dr.) and Mrs.Tanaporn Traikityanukul developed an innovative open source mapping solution that combines data from multiple sources. The solution uses MapFish OpenLayers and Extjs and Google Maps and is accessible at https://dsi-map.go.th. Pol. Lt. Col. Prawut Wongseenin, who oversees the project, recognized the value of empowering local communities and responsible NGOs with Internet access to the DSI encroachment map so they could share information and updates in real-time and expedite the work of the Department.

Today the map solution incorporates data from official surveys, land use authorization documents, aerial and satellite imagery as well as crowd sourced information from the public. By combining all available digital content and gaining additional content from the community, this highly effective solution makes it possible for the DSI to determine if an area is being encroached on in just five minutes, compared to the two months it took using traditional methods.

Going forward the DSI plans on expanding community participation in its encroachment map project through specialized training for NGOs, community leaders and young volunteers on how to update the map with real-time observations. The increase in local input to the DSI’s map will help ensure faster action against encroachment and give Thailand’s forests a fighting chance.

In Thailand, as in countries throughout the world, there are simply not enough doctors to be everywhere they are needed. Increasingly, this issue is being addressed by using Internet and wireless broadband technology to link doctors with patients via streaming video connections. This increases the number of patients who can be treated and makes the best use of the doctor’s time.

The concept of telemedicine inspired Col. Tavatchai Kanchanarin at Phramongkutklao Hospital to develop a highly innovative solution offering real-time video monitoring from remote locations or moving vehicles, connecting emergency response personnel with doctors in the hospital to improve patient care during the first critical minutes.

As this solution was developed locally it has been designed to function using Thailand’s existing IT and network infrastructure. The system incorporates an IP network video camera, a mobile WiFi connection, and a Lithium-ion power supply that can last for up to 6 hours. Due to the relative weakness of Thailand’s broadband infrastructure in rural areas, Col. Tavatchai’s system is designed to work with the nation’s existing cellular network and can deliver up to 30 frames per second at 640X480 pixels. There is also multipoint functionality that allows for several doctors to consult on a specific case in real-time.