In Nairobi, Kenya, there is a 500,000 resident slum, Mathare, where there is no school system, water supply or even basic sanitation. Except for the “street” schools, people living there have no other access to the most basic learning facilities, so only 10% of the local youth manage to reach college or other form of higher education. But these people are not the only ones digitally excluded. They are just a part from the five billion other individuals all over the world.
Because of this, an U.K. based initiative, called Keepod Unite, is aiming to reduce this digital gap with a creative and ingenious OS that can be loaded onto a USB flash drive and run on just about any personal computer. According to the developers behind Keepod, this is the first standardized version of a bootable operating system, meaning that the software is separated from the hardware.
Keepod OS
Based on previous and similar USB systems like LinuxLive and WinToGo and with added improvements, the Keepod is not only providing system previews for testing or installation back-up solutions. It acts as a primary system, developed with increased security, performance, file system reliability and many other features, which make the portable computing a safe and reliable experience. And because the USB flash drive loaded with the Keepod can be used on almost any old machine, it makes computing more affordable especially to the people in need, like in Mathare.
Keepod is based on Linux and provides quite a wide range of pre-installed apps. It contains web browsers, social network applications, the LibreOffice suite, VLC media player, FileZilla FTP, Steam and so on, making the computing convenient.
On a more technical side, the Keepod requires at least an 8 GB USB flash drive and the host computer has to meet some basic requirements. It minimum needs an x86 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 1024 x 768 resolution display and at least an USB 2.0 port or higher. But, to this date, Keepod doesn’t support Mac machines.
According to the Keepod team, the attempts of distributing PCs to the people in need, made so far, had little effect on the ground. So they came up with the plan to provide the means necessary of computing on individual external drives, with protection and some degree of anonymity, in order to eliminate the need for individual PCs.
This solution, economically speaking, provides a cheaper and easier way to replace a broken or outdate PC, plus is more suitable for areas where these situations are likely to take place. The Keepod OS allows the use of older PCs or refurbished computers that are most likely ending up in the landfills.
Also, as part of the plan, the Keepod team wants to implement local hubs inside the slums where locals can access Keepod devices, public computers, connectivity services and spaces where people can learn about new technologies. Along with this, they will train local individuals to manage the hubs.
But Keepod team’s ambition does not stop with the Mathare project, carried along with the LiveInSlums NGO. This is just the first step for other grassroots initiatives around the world, if the Mathare project is successful.
1st of March marked the undertaking of the project as the team successfully reached their campaign goal, the raise of at least $38,000 with the help of the crowdfunding community hosted by Indigogo.
If you want to know more about Keepod, visit them at keepod.org or at www.indiegogo.com/projects/keepod-unite.