| APrIGF 2025 Session Proposal Submission Form | |||||||||
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| Part 1 - Lead Organizer | |||||||||
| Contact Person | |||||||||
| Prof. Tariq Zaman | |||||||||
| Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) * | |||||||||
| University of Technology Sarawak | |||||||||
| Designation | |||||||||
| Professor | |||||||||
| Gender | |||||||||
| Male | |||||||||
| Economy of Residence | |||||||||
| Malaysia | |||||||||
| Stakeholder Group | |||||||||
| Academia | |||||||||
| Part 2 - Session Proposal | |||||||||
| Session Title | |||||||||
| A Garden of Connectivity: Visualizing the Internet Connectivity Landscape | |||||||||
| Thematic Track of Your Session | |||||||||
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| Description of Session Formats | |||||||||
| Showcase (30 minutes) | |||||||||
| Where do you plan to organize your session? | |||||||||
| Onsite at the venue (with online moderator for questions and comments from remote participants) | |||||||||
| Specific Issues for Discussion | |||||||||
| This session explores the disconnect between projected internet coverage and real user experiences, especially in underserved rural communities across Asia, including Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia, and India. Traditional reporting by telecom providers often overlooks local realities. Our project (https://myspeed.my/), supported by the APNIC Foundation, uses the netStethoscope, an IoT based tool to provide live, localized monitoring of internet quality (speed, latency, packet loss). It empowers communities with tangible data from over 50 test points across the region. This data, rich in figures, was often confined to complex tables and charts, precise yet impersonal. We realized that while these numbers were vital, they failed to convey the human story of connectivity. A key focus of the session is the Garden of Connectivity, a novel data visualization approach that transforms abstract internet performance metrics into intuitive, flower-like graphics. Each flower represents a telecommunications provider, with four petals illustrating download speed, upload speed, latency, and packet loss. Two petal layers show baseline standards and actual performance, making disparities immediately visible. A green leaf appears when all QoS thresholds are met, offering a simple, visual cue for full compliance. Participants will engage with a poster showcase, interact with the data, and reflect on regional patterns of connectivity. The discussion will highlight challenges in data transparency, the need for accessible visual tools, and how design can drive inclusive, data-informed policy and advocacy. Call to Action: Empower Your Community's Connectivity As an outcome of this session, we invite interested participants to become active contributors. Five netStethoscope devices will be provided to enable community-based network quality monitoring. Participants can help crowdsource critical data for a more transparent and equitable digital landscape across the Asia-Pacific. |
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| Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF | |||||||||
| This session directly relates to the overarching theme of APrIGF (The Future of Multistakeholder Digital Governance in Asia Pacific) by addressing the critical need for transparent and equitable digital access across the Asia-Pacific region. The 'Garden of Connectivity' visualization, powered by the netStethoscope and myspeed.site ecosystem, offers an innovative approach to understanding and communicating internet performance data. By transforming abstract technical metrics into an intuitive visual language, the session aims to democratize understanding of internet connectivity, bridging the gap between specialists and communities. This directly contributes to discussions on digital equity, infrastructure development, and policymaking, empowering participants to advocate for better digital access in their own localities. The expected outcome is to encourage active participation in monitoring internet quality through the distribution of netStethoscope devices, fostering a crowdsourced data collection effort that will help identify and address connectivity gaps, ultimately cultivating a more transparent and equitable digital landscape in the region. | |||||||||
| Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right) | |||||||||
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| Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible) - (Required) | |||||||||
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| Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session. | |||||||||
| Professor Dr. Tariq Zaman, as the project lead, will serve as the main moderator and facilitator of the session. His expertise in ICT4D, data visualization, and community-centered design ensures a coherent framing of the session’s goals and discussions. Mr. Ram Naresh Kumar (India) and Ms. Ezmieralda Melissa (Indonesia) are key project partners and representatives from their respective countries. Both have been directly involved in the on-ground implementation of netStethoscope, data collection, and localized analysis. Their inclusion ensures regionally grounded perspectives, contextual insights, and a balanced representation of the diverse connectivity realities across the Asia-Pacific. Together, this team brings a strong combination of technical, analytical, and community engagement experience, making them highly relevant contributors to the session's objectives. |
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| Please declare if you have any potential conflict of interest with the Program Committee 2025. | |||||||||
| No | |||||||||
| Are you or other session contributors planning to apply for the APrIGF Fellowship Program 2025? | |||||||||
| No | |||||||||
| Upon evaluation by the Program Committee, your session proposal may only be selected under the condition that you will accept the suggestion of merging with another proposal with similar topics. Please state your preference below: | |||||||||
| Yes, I am willing to work with another session proposer on a suggested merger. | |||||||||
| APrIGF offers live transcript in English for all sessions. Do you need any other translation support or any disability related requests for your session? APrIGF makes every effort to be a fully inclusive and accessible event, and will do the best to fulfill your needs. | |||||||||
| No | |||||||||
| Brief Summary of Your Session | |||||||||
| The APRIGF session, “A Garden of Connectivity: Visualizing the Internet Connectivity Landscape,” led by Prof. Tariq Zaman (University of Technology Sarawak, Malaysia) with collaborators Brandon Chong (University of Technology Sarawak), Dr. Ezmieralda Melissa (Binus University, Indonesia), and Dr. Ram Naresh Kumar (Sagar Group of Institutes, India), focused on mapping internet connectivity in the Asia-Pacific. The project was initiated in response to a noticeable discrepancy observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We identified challenges including limited Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring, stakeholder-centred coverage maps, and insufficient local data. To address these issues, we introduced myspeed.site, an open-source platform for user speed tests, interactive visualisations for policymakers and the NetStethoscope, an IoT device for ongoing data collection. To make information accessible, especially for indigenous communities and those with low digital literacy, the “Garden of Connectivity” visualisation was created. A metaphorical model using flowers was introduced to represent connectivity status. Lower petals reflect QoS parameters, upper petals show telecom provider performance, a leaf indicates full QoS compliance, bark colour distinguishes urban from rural, and each flower bloom’s colour corresponds to a specific telecom provider, enabling intuitive brand recognition. The session presented the results of the field testing of QoS in India, Malaysia and Indonesia. In the main room, after providing teh background of the session and results form study in Malaysia, the session has been transferred to two breakout rooms (India an dIndonesia) and in the end the session was concluded as the end remarks in the main room. One of teh feedback and enquiry received was about the local community's perfections and understanding of the visualisation. In conclusion, the session underscored the importance of user-focused data visualisation and local QoS monitoring to bridge the digital divide, welcoming feedback and collaboration to further improve connectivity across the Asia-Pacific. |
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| Substantive Summary of the Key Issues Raised and the Discussion | |||||||||
| The session addressed a critical disconnection between official internet coverage statistics and actual user experiences in the Asia-Pacific region, especially among rural and indigenous communities. Coverage figures often failed to capture real-world QoS issues, and existing maps lacked user-friendly, localized data for effective policymaking. While national reports often cite high coverage rates such as Malaysia’s 96% 4G coverage in 2021, these figures do not reflect actual ground performance. QoS indicators, download speed, latency, packet loss, and upload speed are inconsistently tracked, especially in dispersed regions like Sarawak and Borneo. Ministers and parliamentarians noted difficulties in obtaining actionable connectivity data, which hindered informed decisions and community interventions. To address these challenges, we introduced several innovations like the MySpeed platform and NetStethoscope, an IoT device. As previously described, the flower model design makes connectivity data intuitive and inclusive, especially for users with limited digital literacy. Field experiments in Malaysia, Indonesia, and India revealed surprising and unpredictable connectivity patterns. For example, Long Lamai, Sarawak, a remote area accessible only by twin otter flight or 4WD demonstrated stronger network performance than nearby urban centers, while neighbouring Long Banga showed poor results. These findings underscore the need for localized diagnostics and visual tools tailored to specific communities. The discussion highlighted the importance of shifting from coverage-centric to quality-centric metrics in connectivity evaluation. It was emphasized that empowering communities with self-assessment tools can enable them to advocate more effectively for improved connectivity. Moreover, collaboration across borders was encouraged to scale simple and repeatable methodologies, enhancing the impact of these initiatives |
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| Conclusions and Suggestions of Way Forward | |||||||||
| To move forward, the presenters recommended strengthening community engagement by empowering local populations, particularly in underserved and indigenous areas, to carry out their own connectivity assessments using tools such as myspeed.site. This approach promotes a sense of ownership and ensures that the unique needs of these communities are accurately reflected. It is also crucial to enhance localised data collection by expanding the deployment of netStethoscope devices and encouraging frequent data collection, thereby building a robust, real-time understanding of connectivity conditions at the grassroots level. Notably, the ongoing development and refinement of inclusive visual tools should continue, making connectivity information straightforward and accessible for users with varying degrees of digital proficiency. On the policy front, there is a need to encourage policymakers to prioritise quality-based metrics over mere coverage statistics and leverage on user-generated data to guide infrastructure investments and regulatory choices. Regional collaboration must also be fostered, promoting the sharing of knowledge and approaches across countries in the Asia-Pacific to replicate successful initiatives and amplify their impact. Finally, maintaining a continuous channel for feedback and collaboration with stakeholders is essential, ensuring that both tools and strategies remain adaptive and responsive to the evolving requirements of communities and policymakers alike. Through the implementation of these recommendations, stakeholders can work together to effectively bridge the digital divide and guarantee equitable, high-quality internet connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region. | |||||||||
| Number of Attendees (Please fill in numbers) | |||||||||
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| Gender Balance in Moderators/Speakers (Please fill in numbers) | |||||||||
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| How were gender perspectives, equality, inclusion or empowerment discussed? Please provide details and context. | |||||||||
| Gender perspectives and inclusion were reflected in both the session’s design and content. The speaker lineup included voices from Malaysia, Indonesia, and India, with female representation through Dr. Ezmieralda Melissa, who shared insights on connectivity challenges and community engagement in Indonesia. The session emphasized inclusive visualization tools such as the Garden of Connectivity model designed to be accessible to users with varying levels of digital literacy, including women and indigenous communities. Discussions also highlighted the importance of empowering all users, regardless of gender, to self-assess and advocate for better connectivity through open-source tools like myspeed.site. | |||||||||
| Consent | |||||||||
 I agree that my data can be submitted to forms.for.asia and processed by APrIGF organizers for the program selection of APrIGF 2025. |
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