Digital Planet

By BBC World ServiceTechnology

Digital Planet episodes

September 21, 2021 Can AI predict Arctic ice loss?
Arctic AI
Have you checked the ice-cap forecast? Melting sea ice might be a well-known symptom of global warming, but how do scientists predict how quickly ice will recede? A new Artificial Intelligence tool does a better job than traditional prediction methods to forecast whether sea ice in the arctic will be present two months in advance. We hear from Tom Andresson, Data Scientist at the BAS AI Lab, who developed the algorithm.
VR Cystoscopy
Cystoscopy is vital for managing bladder cancer and something that those affected will need to undergo regularly for the rest of their life when their cancer has gone into remission. However the process can be very unpleasant which means some people choose not to keep up with their life saving visits. Dr Wojciech Krajewski has been studying how using VR goggles to create a more relaxed environment can help patients manage the pain cystoscopy causes. Immersing patients in an Icelandic waterfall meant patients reported lower pain scores and they tolerated the procedure better.
5G festival
Working remotely has been a difficulty for many of us over the past year - but musicians have found it particularly hard, as slow connections make playing together almost impossible. Over the past two years Digital Catapult have been developing a way of using 5G networks to solve this problem. They will be running a virtual festival next year to highlight the technology. Claire Jordan visited the trials and reports for Digital Planet.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Ghislaine Boddington.
Studio Manager:
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz
(Image credit: British Antarctic Survey)
44 min
September 14, 2021 Tech on the island of Jersey
Digital Planet is back in Jersey, the small English speaking island off the coast of France. We’re travelling around in an on-demand electric vehicle – all booked, paid for and locked and unlocked with an app from our smart phones. We’re finding out about agricultural tech on a dairy farm – how the famous Jersey Cows, that produce premium milk - are being managed by the latest innovations and we’re also out in the fields where a host of sensors and data analytics are helping with the Jersey potato harvest. And if that is not enough we visit the remote control tower at St. Helier airport and see how remote airfields around the world are beginning to embrace this technology, pioneered on Jersey, to make flying to seldom used airports safer. Guests include: Gavin Breeze, Director of Evie, Air traffic controllers Marc Hill and Richard Mayne, Jersey Cow Girl Becky Houzé and Mike Renouard, Business Unit Director at the Jersey Royal Company.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Bill Thompson.
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz
(Image: Bill Thompson has a pre-interview chat with guest on Digital Planet. Credit: Ania Lichtarowicz / BBC)
45 min
September 07, 2021 The Children’s Code protecting kids online
The so-called Children’s Code has just come into force in the UK. The Age-appropriate design code aims to protect children online by making digital services accessed by children comply with standards that safeguard children from being tracked and profiled. This includes toys, games and edtech but also social media and video sharing platforms. Changes have already been made by the likes of FB, TikTok and Instagram that will be implemented worldwide. Professor Sonia Livingstone from the LSE, a specialist in children’s digital rights, is on live.
The rise of telemedicine in China
China adopted a digital health code earlier this year and has seen a massive increase in the use of tech for healthcare since the start of the COVID pandemic. Reporter Yuan Ren explains how this rise is taking the pressure off the heavily burdened public healthcare system, despite higher costs to the patient but it’s also driving a demand for online doctors and changing the way the Chinese look after their health.
China’s online gaming limits
Our games correspondent Chris Berrow reports on the highly restrictive online gaming clampdown on teenagers announced by the Chinese authorities and how it could bring bigger problems for young people in the future.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Ghislaine Boddington.
Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz
(Image credit: Getty Images)
43 min
August 31, 2021 Digital us
This week’s Digital Planet is something of a celebration, it's 20 years since the BBC World Service launched the programme. Originally entitled ‘Go Digital’, the programme has always been innovative. It was the first radio programme to generate digital video, and also launched podcasting. We look back over two decades at how technological innovation has changed global society. The programme began in an era where smartphones didn’t exist and the social media we know today had yet to be invented.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Tracey Logan, Alfred Hermida, Ghislaine Boddington, and the programme’s longest-serving contributor Bill Thompson.
Producer: Julian Siddle
(Image: Bill and Gareth meet bloggers in Delhi. Credit: Julian Siddle/BBC)
48 min
August 24, 2021 Why the Taliban love social media
While the stereotype of the Afghan Taliban is that they lack sophistication, that certainly isn’t true for their online presence, which is geared to influence across many languages within Afghanistan and around the world. Adam Rutland co-founder of the Centre for Information Resilience looks at the effectiveness of their campaign and how they have learnt from both ISIS and Hamas.
We also look at computer guided initiatives for understanding the working of the human brain. Alex Frangi and Ali Sarrami Foroushani from Leeds University have a model which can be used to do research which would be dangerous in real people.
And Fern Luham reports on the technology she and other blind people can use around the home from practical devices to those that help with her social life.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Ghislaine Boddington
Studio Manager: Nigel Dix
Producer: Julian Siddle
(Image: Getty Images)
47 min
August 17, 2021 Uganda, too much surveillance?
Uganda introduced an extensive CCTV network ostensibly to cut down on crime. Now there are plans to place trackers on every vehicle for similar reasons. However, critics see both measures as ineffective and open to abuse. They are particularly concerned over the use of such surveillance to spy on opponents of the government says Dorothy Mukasa from Unwanted Witness.
And schoolchildren in Uganda have been enrolled to pilot a new device for rapid Malaria testing. Developed with local partners and the University of Glasgow it uses locally made 3d printed test materials married to a mobile phone both to power the test and collect the results. There’s potential for its use in detecting and analysing many diseases say Jonathan Cooper and Julien Reboud.
And can’t get to school? No problem you can now take your lessons and exams via WhatsApp. That is if you’re enrolled in Zimbabwe’s Dr. Maxx WhatsApp school - run with considerable success by Maxwell Chimedza
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Bill Thompson
Studio Manager: Giles Aspen
Producer: Julian Siddle
(Image credit: Julian Siddle/BBC)
44 min
August 10, 2021 Brazil’s Data Protection Law comes into force
Brazil’s Data Protection Law
Brazil has started to enforce its data protection law with companies facing fines of up to $10m USD if they fail to comply. We’re speaking to the Director of the recently formed National Data Protection Authority, Miriam Wimmer, about how the legislation will protect the data of individuals and the impact on companies in Brazil.
Twitter Disaster Bot
As the clean-up operation following the floods in Henan province in central China continues Yuan Ren reports on the tech that has or hasn’t worked in preventing and managing these floods. We also hear about a disaster alerting twitter bot that’s been developed in Indonesia. Jakarta produces 2% of all tweets globally, it is also hit by a huge number of disasters, from flooding to earthquakes. The information people are tweeting about these disasters can now be collected into a real time map, PetaBencana or Disaster Map, with the help of a twitter bot. This bot recognises certain words associated with disasters, such as “flood”, and will respond to the sender to ask if they’d like to add the info onto the map. This real time map can help local residents and emergency services know what is happening on the ground. Director Nashin Mahtani told us more.
Bitclout
Harrison Lewis reports on a brand new form of social media. Bitclout is not a company, but a proof of work blockchain designed for running social media. A platform where you can speculate, buy and sell creator coins associated with the social media user, this could be a friend, influencer or high profile celeb like Elon Musk. To do so, you need to hold a token for the website, this is called Bitclout and can be bought with Bitcoin. In itself Bitclout is a native cryptocurrency. Even if you do make money though, you can’t retrieve it.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Angelica Mari.
(Image: A hand holding a padlock in front of html code to illustrate online data protection
Credit: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Studio Manager: Nigel Dix
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz
43 min
August 03, 2021 How Jersey is leading tech development
This week we’re reporting from Jersey, somewhere that’s at the forefront of development for digital technology. Known for its financial tech it’s also leading the way in ecological and medical technology too. This digital innovation is supported by a commitment to connectivity on the Island. Every home and almost every commercial property in Jersey has had fibre broadband installed, and its internet speeds are some of the highest in the world. On top of this it has total 4G LTE coverage, and it was the first nation globally to achieve this
.
We’re joined by Tony Moretta, CEO of Digital Jersey, which is dedicated to growing the digital sector in Jersey. Nick Ogden, founder of Worldpay, who is currently developing frictionless atomic settlements which can move trillions of dollars around the world in milliseconds and Rebecca Curtis, Monitoring and Impact Officer for Jersey Overseas Aid, who are using technology to enable effective aid projects including major conservation work in southern Rwanda.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Bill Thompson.
Studio Manager: Giles Aspen
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz
(Image: Digital Planet/BBC)
47 min
July 27, 2021 IoT saves driver after kidnapping in Mexico
After a fleet driver was kidnapped whilst driving in Mexico, the technology he had in his car alerted emergency services. Artificial vision and in-cabin video were used to flag the event in real-time. Combining Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things technology sent the driver's location and video to the company's control centre who alerted law enforcement, allowing them to track him down and return him safely the same day. To find out more we spoke to Romil Bahl CEO of KORE Wireless the company behind the technology and Niv Yarimi CEO of KABAT, the fleet company whose driver was kidnapped.
Protecting the Amazon from deforestation with tech
Providing indigenous communities in the Amazon with technology, including satellite images, maps, smart phones and GPS, can reduce deforestation. Data delivered to remote communities on USB by couriers navigating the Amazon river enabled communities to monitor for forest loss. Connecting deforestation alerts with indigenous communities means local patrols can guide themselves to areas thought to be undergoing unauthorised deforestation. In turn this allows communities to defend their land from deforestation. Jessica Webb from Global Forest Watch tells us more.
Neurorights in Chile
Brain altering technology is becoming more sophisticated. Mostly developed to try and treat conditions including Parkinson's and epilepsy, there are concerns however about what might be created in the future. Could future smart devices in our homes read our thoughts? Chile hopes to protect neurorights through modification of their constitution. Jane Chambers reports.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Angelica Mari.
Studio Manager: Giles Aspen
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz
(Image: Concept of technology of the future in safe driving by car. Credit: Igor Borisenko / Getty Images)
37 min
July 20, 2021 Internet shutdowns in Latin America
As protests continue in Cuba, so do its internet shutdowns. Anti-government protesters are demonstrating against food shortages, power cuts and coronavirus restrictions. In response Cuban authorities have been shutting down internet connections in an attempt to stop protests. Meanwhile Venezuela is becoming known for its frequent online restrictions. David Aragort from Latin American tech rights NGO RedesAyuda updates us on what has been going on.
The world’s first 3D printed smart bridge
The world's first 3D-printed steel bridge has been unveiled in Amsterdam. Pedestrians can now use it to cross over the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal. Sensors will continuously monitor how the bridge is used and its ongoing safety. This data will influence how other 3D-printed structures could be built in the future. Professor Leroy Gardner and Dr. Craig Buchanan from Imperial College’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering tell us more.
Ecosystem soundscape monitoring with AI
One way to monitor the health of an ecosystem is through sound. Anthea Lacchia reports on how scientists are using machine learning to monitor these ecosystem sounds. From Okinawa to Borneo, they can listen to the sounds of the forest without having to be physically present.
The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Bill Thompson
Studio Manager: Nigel Dix
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz
(Image: Getty Images)
48 min