<nettime> NEPAL: Looking at 'commons' initiatives there...

[Frederick_Noronha <fred@bytesforall.org>]

Thanks to help from Hempal Shrestha <hempals@sapi.org.np> I've managed
to put together some 'commons' links from Nepal, defining the term in
a broad perspective. Please add more that you might know of. The ones
listed below related to Nepal or the Nepali language/community, which
give a hint of the creation, management and proliferation of digital
content in initiatives where the Net is taking things forward (but not
restricted to the internet alone). Some listed are also general sites
...

* Wikipedia, in Nepali. Over 2500 entries, according to the last
count. http://ne.wikipedia.org
* Wictionary in Nepali. http://ne.wiktionary.org/
* Wikibooks in Nepali: http://ne.wikibooks.org/
* WIkinews in Nepali (proposed): http://ne.wikinews.org/wiki/
* Nepal on Wikipedia: http://nepalonwikipedia.notlong.com  (6200 links)

* Wikitravel on Nepal: http://wikitravel.org/en/Nepal
  Mid-west Nepal: http://wikitravel.org/en/Mid_Western_Nepal
  Annapurna: http://wikitravel.org/en/Annapurna
  Kathmandu Valley: http://wikitravel.org/en/Kathmandu_Valley
  Kathmandu: http://wikitravel.org/en/Kathmandu
  Bhaktapur: http://wikitravel.org/en/Bhaktapur
  Biratnagar: http://wikitravel.org/en/Biratnagar
  Birgunj: http://wikitravel.org/en/Birgunj
  Dharan: http://wikitravel.org/en/Dharan
  Namche Bazaar: http://wikitravel.org/en/Namche_Bazaar
  Nepalgunj: http://wikitravel.org/en/Nepalgunj
  Patan: http://wikitravel.org/en/Patan
  Pokhara: http://wikitravel.org/en/Pokhara

* Nepal-related commons material
  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Nepal&fulltext=Search

* FOSS Nepal Community: FOSS Nepal Community is a team of volunteers
who believe in the usage of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS). The
primary objective of the community is to promote and diversify the
usage of Free/Open Source Software in Nepal.
http://www.fossnepal.org

* OLPC Nepal: OLPC Nepal (One Laptop Per Child Nepal) is a non-profit
organization. Our objective is to address Nepal's development
challenge through it's root cause, Education. Our goal is to provide
every child of Nepal with new opportunities to explore, experiment,
and express themselves. We believe that Nepal's asset is the
knowledge-based economy but the bitter truth is that, we are still
below the threshold. We need an efficient and effective tool to
leapfrog the gap. The adoption of the appropriate technology is the
only way out. OLPC Nepal aims to provide the solution with "Mero Sanu
Sathi", an inexpensive, durable, and highly power-efficient laptop as
a learning tool, for each and every child of Nepal.
http://www.olpcnepal.org/

* Telecenter movement in Nepal: Bringing Wi-Fi technology to create
new opportunities in the Himalayan region of Nepal. We had started the
Nepal Wireless Networking Project as a pilot project from a small and
remote area of Nepal with the help of foreign supporters and
volunteers. We did several testing in  2002 to find out if it is
possible to connect the villages to the nearest ISP in Pokhara. The
test was successful. In September 2003, we had connected five villages
and expanded the network to two more villages later on. So far we have
networked seven villages. The name of the villages are Nangi, Paudwar,
Ghara, Tikot, Sikha, Ramche, Khibang and Ghorepani of Myagdi district,
Nepal. The network is running despite some problems mainly the
shortage of power and wireless devices. Now we have 13 villages
connected in the network. http://www.nepalwireless.net/

* Digital Educational content in Nepal: sex shouts: Sixyadaan is the
Open Courseware Project in Nepal. It is 1. Is a free and open
educational resource (OER) for educators, students, and self-learners
2. Is a publication of Course materials & Researches in Nepal 3.
Requires no registration to access the materials 4. Requires a free
registration to contribute 5. Is not a degree-granting or
certificate-granting activity
http://sixyadaan.org [Site not accessible as on Feb 13, 2008] Also:
http://parvez.stumbleupon.com/tag/sixydaan-nepal-ocw/

* LTSP e-Library concept : Open Learning Exchange Nepal : In order to
fulfill its mission, OLE Nepal is working in partnership with the
government of Nepal to: * Develop high-quality free and open-source
interactive digital learning materials that conform to Nepal's
national curriculum. * Maintain a web-based repository of these
resources. * Build the government's capacity to design, develop and
maintain ICT-based materials. * Implement a plan to provide universal
access to primary and secondary school level ICT-based
teaching-learning materials by 2015. * Research and evaluate the
effectiveness of different ICT based learning approaches.
http://www.olenepal.org/

* E-village initiative [Link not located.]

* United Mission to Nepal initiative to Migrate to Free and Open
Source Software. [Link not yet found.]

* digitalhimalaya.com: Books and publications available in Creative
Commons, FDL, Open Content in Nepal.  A project to develop digital
collection, storage, and distribution strategies for multimedia
anthropological information from the Himalayan region. Conceived of by
Professor Alan Macfarlane and Dr. Mark Turin as a strategy for
archiving and making available valuable ethnographic materials from
the Himalayan region. Based jointly at the Department of Social
Anthropology at Cambridge University and the Anthropology Department
at Cornell University, the project began in December 2000. Three
primary objectives:  1. To preserve in a digital medium archival
anthropological materials from the Himalayan region that are quickly
degenerating in their current forms, including films in various
formats, still photographs, sound recordings, field notes, maps and
rare journals 2. To make these resources available over broadband
internet connections, coupled with an accurate search and retrieval
system useful to contemporary researchers and students 3. To make
these resources available on DVD to the descendants of the people from
whom the materials were collected by making them both easily
transportable and viewable in a digital medium. Five ethnographic
collections representing a broad range of regions, ethnic groups, time
periods, and themes were slated for digitisation in the first phase of
the project, along with a set of maps of Nepal and important journals
on Himalayan studies.  http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/

* Open Knowledge Network:   The Open Knowledge Network (OKN) is a
project founded by OneWorld International. It is active in parts of
Africa and South Asia as a human network, which collects, shares and
disseminates local knowledge and is supported by flexible technical
solutions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Knowledge_Network

* Open Knowledge Network Project-Nepal has played a vital role in the
creation, development and dissemination of local content. ENRD was one
of the implementation partner in this project which was implemented in
the Multi-stakeholder partnership (MSP) model.
http://www.enrd.org/contentdev.php

* Nepal on the Directory of Open Access Journals:
http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=findJournals&hybrid=&query=Nepal

Journal of Nepal Medical Association
ISSN: 00282715
EISSN: 1815672X
Subject: Medicine (General) --- Public Health
Publisher: Nepal Medical Association
Country: Nepal
Language: English
Keywords: health, health care system, medical education
Start year: 1999
http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=openurl&issn=00282715&genre=journal

Kathmandu University Medical Journal
ISSN: 18122027
EISSN: 48122078
Subject: Medicine (General)
Publisher: Kathmandu University
Country: Nepal
Language: English
Keywords: medical education
Start year: 2003
http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=openurl&issn=18122027&genre=journal

Nepal Journal of Neuroscience
ISSN: 18131948
EISSN: 18131956
Subject: Neurology
Publisher: Neuroscience Forum
Country: Nepal
Language: English
Keywords: neuroscience
Start year: 2004
http://www.neuroscienceforum.org.np/index.html

Our Nature
ISSN: 19912951
Subject: Biology --- Environmental Sciences
Publisher: Nature Conservation and Health Care Council
Country: Nepal
Language: English
Keywords: biological sciences, ecology, environmental sciences
Start year: 2003
http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/

MUSIC, BLOGS AND COMMUNITY SITES of Nepali communities.

* United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal: Mission: United We Blog!
wants democracy and peace to be restored in Nepal as soon as possible.
We accept articles related to Nepal from people all over the world.
Email UWB: unitedweblog(at)gmail.com We are a group of like-minded
journalists working on various media outlets in Kathmandu and other
parts of Nepal. This is our forum to express things that we can't in
our media because of various reasons like space and time constraints
in traditional media. http://blog.com.np/

* MySansar.com In Nepali. "This is not a news site, it's a blog."
Publishes national Nepali and political news. http://mysansar.com

* Sajha: Sajha.com aims to be the internet destination for all
Nepalese living in Nepal and abroad, and for anyone interested in
Nepal - to provide a internet space where we take a little break from
the monotony once in a while to indulge in gupp-supp to tickle our
intellect, to talk about Nepal and the Nepalese, and to remind the
fact that we are Nepalese no matter where we are and what we do.
http://ww.sajha.com

* Nepal on http://www.openstreetmap.org/ Localities covered include, *
Nepal, Nepal * Patan, Nepal * Kathmandu, Nepal * Birgunj, Nepal *
Bir??tnagar, Nepal * Bharatpur, Nepal * Taweche, Nepal * Dhar??n B??z??r,
Nepal * Siddharthanagar, Nepal * Kathmandu, Nepal * Set?? Zone, Nepal *
Sagarm??th?? Zone, Nepal * R??pt?? Zone, Nepal * N??r??yan?? Zone, Nepal *
Mech?? Zone, Nepal * Mah??k??l?? Zone, Nepal * Lumbin?? Zone, Nepal * Kos??
Zone, Nepal * Karn??l?? Zone, Nepal

Thanks Hempal for the pointers and more! ---FN
--
Frederick Noronha http://fn.goa-india.org Ph +91-832-2409490
The Goa books blog: http://goabooks.wordpress.com
Goa1556 (alt.publishing.goa): http://goa1556.goa-india.org





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