Charis Chrisna
TechInAfrica – More often than not, university students are at risk of being targeted by criminals and law offenders alike—and most of the time such crimes also occur within or around the campus area itself. To provide a sustainable communication and security platform, Unilag (University of Lagos) students developed an app called Lagmobile, designed particularly for the community. Lagmobile, along with a campus life website, was launched to offer improved information and risk-prevention instruments for those affiliated with Unilag.
Lagmobile, as Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe—Vice President of Unilag—spoke, grants the availability for its users to report unfortunate instances of crime such as kidnapping, accidents, rape, or cultism. These reports, accompanied by location signals, are then forwarded to the corresponding bodies of institution for further intervention measures. Highly interactive, Lagmobile can also present information regarding what’s happening around the campus, as well as to facilitate complaints from the students themselves.
Additionally, aside from reporting emergencies, the app can also be implemented to console between users and the appropriate student directorates; in case the user is experiencing academic problems or drawbacks. From there, proper actions are to be conducted to address the users’ respective academic disputes.
Furthermore, another application for both iOS and Android is also currently undergoing developments by the students of Unilag. This one in particular serves as a map of the university area—aimed for new visitors and guest scholars so that they wouldn’t wander around asking for directions.
These two embodiments of innovation were based on the goal to arrange an ecosystem where accessibility plays a key role for both students and visitors. In addition, because its students are directly involved in the developments of both platforms, the university is granted a larger potential to attract foreign researchers, developers, or even students—raising their overall visibility on the map.
Prof. Ogundipe also claimed that the university aims to develop students who will not say they are thinking outside the box. Contrarily, they want students who will say there is no box in the first place—meaning that there are no limitations or boundaries to express one’s passion in achieving one’s dreams. With the impending change in technology brought by the idea of the fourth industrial revolution, Unilag encourages its students to indulge themselves in artificial intelligence and data processing; with the goal to upgrade their global competitiveness.
Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa, Acting Director of Unilag’s Centre for Information Technology and System, asserted that such developments align with the campus’ ICT visions and missions. In Unilag, internet connectivity is deemed as substantial for each and every one of its corresponding elements—that means not just students, but also lecturers and researchers—because it’s an essential instrument for communication. This, in return, would pose as a framework for students to be connected to each other almost seamlessly via their respective devices.
He also conveyed:
We have been able to network several places that we have over 60km of fiber cable laid round the campus.
In coherence towards this notion, the university is also looking for partnerships with individuals and/or institutions with a passion to present advanced developments in the education sector. Such partnerships can embody in the form of access point donations—among other things, undoubtedly.
Students are trained to manifest implementations of Internet of Things (IoT) and cybersecurity by incubating their overall tech insights and competence. Africa, as a continent that has grown substantially in the fields concerning technology, is subject to improve the way its citizens adopt technology as a part of their everyday lives.
Now, practicing the applicability of the matter regarded, Unilag is bringing Africa one step closer to achieve the ideal tech ecosystem.
Source: guardian.ng
