Asia

DW has a new broadcasting partner in Indonesia. PT Riau Media Televisi is now broadcasting Inovator, DW’s science program for Indonesia, every week to a potential 250, 000 households in the Sumatran city of Pekanbaru.

DW’s online German language courses are now available to users in China via the German information center from the Beijing embassy. The courses are linked on the Chinese “Twitter” Weibo and the Chinese instant message service Wechat.

Live streams from DW are now available to viewers on the state-owned Pakistani live stream service PI Television.

Mobile

DW content is now available on more mobile devices in Ghana thanks to a new partnership with Accra-based mobile aggregator and app developer Rancard Solutions. Rancard will be providing DW content on everything from text messages to news and audio apps. Starting in October, DW content in Ghana will be available with the telecommunications providers MTN, Vodafone and Tigo. An expansion to Nigeria is planned for November.

 

Digital and mobile technology is changing the world but some effects may be less obvious than what you see every day. A selection of talks and presentations from niche companies to big telecoms will cover some innovative trends and techniques at the 2014 Global Media Forum.

A presentation hosted by big-data experts, Flowminder, and the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), focuses on how collecting and analyzing mobile data can be used in determining the extent and real effects of mass displacement following major environmental catastrophes. The presentation titled Big data, big insights: Mapping climate-induced displacement with mobile data, takes a unique look at how mobile data can be used to get accurate assessments of where people go, if they return and if proper aid is being provided to affected areas. The group will present the results of data analysis from five million anonymous cell phone users in the wake of Cyclone Mahasen that struck Bangladesh in May 2013.

Also exploring the effects of mobile technology on society and social development is a discussion hosted by the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communication titled, M-powering society: How mobile technology is changing society. The panel will discuss how mobile technology is being applied to create mobile health, mobile education and mobile government, emphasizing what makes mobile solutions more effective and the positive impact of mobile technology in developing areas of the world.

A talk hosted by the Grimme Institut will cover how digital technology is changing the way people express themselves and share narratives. The session titled See YOU in the future – new ways of digital storytelling, looks at how digital technology has given everyone a voice and has broken down social and cultural barriers. The discussion will explore future tools and platforms and introduce how digital stories are used in different areas of society.

In the final installment next week before the Global Media Forum begins, we will highlight some events covering the main issue at the conference – how digital technology is enabling increased participation in media and governance.