The Impact of ICT in the Local Community Essay Example for Free

The Impact of ICT in the Local Community Essay Redbridge The London borough of Redbridge is located in greater London. It has a good supply of technology and transport but all of this was possible because of ICT. Without ICT there would not have been an attraction of tourism and business. It now has a wider population than it did before and by day is improving. In this assignment I shall explain a variety of technologies and the uses they brought into the community. I will evaluate the effectiveness of the ICT in meeting the needs of the community. Oyster cards Oyster cards are electronic tickets used on Transport of London and national rail services. The card contains a unique code which the computer detects once you swipe it on an oyster card surface. Oyster cards are widely used in Redbridge. They bring in more tourists and travellers to Redbridge. The oyster card contains an electronic chip which is also used in Malaysia on their Touch n go cards. The advantages of the oyster card are, it is easier to use, can hold up to three ticket products at the same time, to prevent misuse the card must be swiped in the beginning of a journey and at the end of a journey. It also can store up to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 90. The disadvantage of the oyster card is that it is only available in greater London and not in any other part of Great Britain. Also some oyester cards can be stolen and can be misused. Mobile phones A mobile phone is a portable electronic device for peer-to-peer telecommunications over long distances. Mobile phones are very widespread in Redbridge and have helped people telecommunicate in times of need. Whenever there is an emergency, people dont have to go to a phone booth to call someone because they can always reach into their pocket where they shall find a mobile phone. I can Mobile phones are found entertaining as well as useful because they have games, puzzles, video calling, movies, ring tones and some of them have access to the internet. All these things can fit into a mobile phone because of the large storage capacity it has. A mobile phone is a little like an organizer because it has a calendar to remind people of important dates like a meeting or special occasion and tells time. It also has an alarm clock to wake me up in the morning The disadvantages of a mobile phone are that sometimes the network will not work properly and others will not be able to hear the caller on the other line, it also makes funny noises at times. Another problem is that the mobile phone may freeze or crash suddenly which is bad because if someone is in a bad situation, then they could be in great danger. Some times the phone does not have enough storage and will ask you to delete a few items. Mobile phones have brought great uses to the community as we can all now interact with each other and stay in touch. Electronic article surveillance (EAS) In Redbridge there are many places to shop the most common is the Exchange. To keep safety levels up security alarms are used like EAS. Electronic article surveillance is a technological method for preventing shoplifting from retail stores or pilferage of books from libraries. Special tags are fixed to merchandise or books. These tags are removed or deactivated by the clerks when the item is properly bought or checked out. At the exits of the store, a detection system sounds an alarm or otherwise alerts the staff when it senses active tags. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_article_surveillance#Types_of_EAS Electronic tags are of 4 types * Magnetic * Acousto-magnetic * Radio frequency * Microwave The advantages of EAS are that it prevents things from getting stolen and if a shoplifter tries to steal an item then they may be caught. This system will lower the levels of shoplifting in the community and will make people within Redbridge feel safe. The disadvantages of EAS are that sometimes false alarms may go of which can be very embarrassing for the customer especially when they are honest. It is also embarrassing for the business as they now have a very upset customer. These false alarms usually go of because the tag has not been deactivated properly. Also some shoplifters may be able to take the tag of which can bring a loss to the company. These tags are also very expensive to buy and can result into being a loss for small businesses. Automated teller machine (ATM An automated teller machine (ATM) is an unmanned automated telecommunications device which provides a customer with financial transactions in public space. On most ATMs a customer is recognized when a plastic card with a metal strip or a smartcard with a chip is inserted in an ATM, the card contains a unique code which only belongs to the card holder. The cardholder then needs to enter a personal identification number (PIN) for security reasons. The ATM gives customers access to their bank account. Using the ATM customers can check out their bank balances, deposit cash or cheques, pay bills, transfer money between bank accounts and buy goods or services. The advantages of ATMs are that instead of walking a long way to the bank we can access an ATM. In the Exchange mall there are many ATMs which is very useful because it is time efficient. Another great thing about ATMS are that everybody has a unique code which means there wont be any mix up. To make sure that ATMs are reliable they undergo a very expensive test. The disadvantages of ATMs are that thieves can use chemicals to break them apart and take all the money out. They can also cause damage to the ATM, this result into a loss for the company. The first known instance of a fake ATM was installed at a shopping mall in Manchester, Connecticut in 1993. By modifying the inner workings of a Fujitsu model 7020 ATM, a criminal gang known as The Bucklands Boys were able to steal information from cards inserted into the machine by customers. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.05/atm_pr.html This incident goes against the Computer Misuse Act (1998). Overall I think that ICT has very much helped fulfill the needs of the community and has made Redbridge a much better borough to live in. It has benefited the community in many ways and has made Redbridge quite popular. Without ICT we would not have as many facilities we have now.