Wired for Information Setting the Stage First there was the telex machine, then the fax machine.
Today there are e-mail and Internet.
Technology is not only revolutionizing how we communicate, it is also transforming the way in which information is delivered to us. The end result may still be a piece of paper, but the media of production and transmission have changed dramatically. I met with grantees in the agricultural, health, and population sciences in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, and Zimbabwe to discuss their communications and information needs in order to make recommendations to the Foundation on how best to use ICT to meet those needs. My report included an appendix on appropriate e-mail and Internet sites in a range of disciplines likely to be relevant to these grantees. PIAC was established because both foundations believe that ICT can play an important role in improving the ability of organizations to meet their objectives, but that many grantees need help in determining the most appropriate strategies for utilizing ICT to the maximum extent possible.