Changing+space—the+shrinking+world

Harmony of the Seas: World's largest cruise ship in Southampton
 * Explain how a reduction in the friction of distance results in time–space convergence.**
 * Th world's largest aircraft**
 * Examine the relative changes in the speed and capacity of two types of transport (air, ocean, road, rail, pipeline) responsible for the flow of goods, materials and people.**


 * Examine the changes in a transport, internet or telecommunications network in terms of the extension of links and nodes and the intensity of use at a national or global scale.**


 * Describe the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in civil society and the transmission and flow of images, ideas, information and finance.**


 * Examine the contrasting rates, levels and patterns of adoption of an element of ICT in two countries**

**__TIME - SPACE CONVERGENCE__ ** Changing Space - Shrinking World The friction effect of distance (distance effect decaying) suggest that areas closer together are more likely to interact with each other whereas areas further away from each other a less likely to interact with each other. However, there has been a reduction in friction of distance as improvements in transport and communication have allowed greater distance to be covered within a short period of time. Improvements in ICT have brought places on different sides of the world together. Time- Space convergence is the process that investigates the changing relationship between space and time, especially the impacts of transportation improvements on such relationships. It is closely related to a concept of speed, which indicates how much space can be travelled/ covered over a specific period of time.Time space convergence therefore is a reduction in the time taken to travel between two places due to improvements in transportation or communication technology. It is usually expressed in minutes per year. Transportation systems refer to the various ways through which goods and people are transported from one place to another. Communication systems are the means by which information or ideas are transmitted between two places. Measurement of time Space- convergence The figure provides an example of space/time convergence between two locations and time periods.
 * To measure space/time convergence (STC), travel time information is required for at least two locations and two time periods.
 * Variation in travel time (∆TT) is simply divided by the time period (∆T) over which the process took place.
 * In 1950, it took 6.2 hours to travel between A and B . By 2000, this travel time was reduced to 2.6 hours. Consequently, STC is 0.072 hours per year or -4.32 minutes per year. The value is negative because the time value is being reduced. if the value was positive, a space/time divergence would be observed.

 Source: people.hofstra.edu
 * The diagram below shows that between 1500 and 1840, the faster means of transport were horses drawn coaches and sailing ships which moved at 10mph (16.5km). Between 1850 and 1930, steam locomotion travelled at an average speed of 65mph while steam ships travelled at an average speed of 36mph. this means that there has been time-space convergence in the sense that the time taken to travel has reduced significantly as a result of an improvement in the average speed of the means of transport. This further improved by the 1960’s where jet propellers aircrafts were able to travel 500-700 mph. thus reducing the distance between two places in terms of time taken to travel.
 * By the 1970’s-1990’s, the invention of the Concorde plane (an innovation by the British and the French) further reduced the travel time because of an improvement in the number of hours it takes to travel from New York to London(6 hours).
 * Today, faster aircrafts, ships, motor bikes, cars and trains have all helped to reduce the friction of distance between two places and in the near future, jet cars and other forms of the high speed transport technology will further improve the transport technology.
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[[image:https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/7sbFdSzLHYfK0CKKs575j7T6O3jdJ4CFZfcvy_k5jBL_tH9Bit0ALoVu_CORQhA2wfIkIlJ6pJlzIfLZdATKm_3ayFG1yBtpx91xvC90MxH7OCAqKaWBfr3PUHz6wMCpsYqBqPM-K4QoIcL33g width="338" height="462"]]

<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Source: Yambilla.wikispaces. **<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Improvement in transport technology. ** **<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How has it helped to improve on speed and capacity of the means of transport? ** <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Air transport**  <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Improvement in air transport/ travel has helped to significantly reduce the friction of distance between two places. This has taken place in two ways: <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Advantages <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Disadvantages
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two important improvements in the technology that have helped improve the friction of distance are:
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Improvements in transport technology.
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Improvements in information and communication technology.
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Planes have been equipped with jet engines which makes them travel at a speed of 700-800 km/hr.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Air crafts have also been improved in the number of passengers that can be carried within a specific time. This has made it possible for people to travel in their numbers within a shorter period of time. This has also made it possible for goods to be transported in large quantities i.e cargo planes transport perishable goods e.g DHL.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Air travel has also made it possible for the cost of travel to be significantly reduced which makes it possible for large number of people to travel.
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is safer as compared to other modes of transport but the sea.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is faster over long distances.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is limited congestion compared to road transport.
 * 4) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is good for transporting valuable items and perishable goods
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Large chunks of lands are usually required to construct airport terminals.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">High noise and visual pollution in terms of greenhouse pollution
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Aircrafts are difficult to build and expensive to maintain
 * 4) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is no flexibility of routes.

**<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Road transport ** <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Advantages__
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Improvement in road transport over the years has also helped to significantly reduce the friction of distance between places e.g the use of fossil fuels to replace coal and steam powered vehicls has significantly improved the relative speed with which most cars or lorries travel from one place to another for example, most cars today can travel at 200km/hour.
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Again, the development of bigger cars like buses that can carry as much as 86 passengers have helped to improve the capacity of road transportation thereby is reducing the friction of distance.
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is cheaper.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is cost effective in terms of maintenance.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is cheaper over long distance.
 * 4) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is convenient for carrying goods for remote places.

<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Disadvantages__
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is limited in terms of goods it can carry.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is dangerous compared to air and sea
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It relies heavily on crude oil which is the number one contributor to greenhouse gases.
 * 4) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Vehicle congestion can sometimes increase the friction of distance / time-space divergence as it takes more time to travel between two places.

**<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Describe the role of ICT in the transition of and flows of images ideas and information and finance__ ** <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__ICT:__ <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> It is Information and Communication Technology. <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__What is the role of ICT?__
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It involves the use of computers i.e. Ipads, internet, etc.
 * <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ICT includes technological tools and resources used to communicate and to create, disseminate, store and manage information.
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Media:__ <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> It includes Newspapers, internet, television, and satellite communications. It introduces ideas and images quickly, cheaply and widely across national borders.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Social Media: Such as Facebook, online shopping and church sites
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mass Media: i.e. Messages can be sent from one person to millions of users worldwide using the internet. E.g. BBC website, CNN website, Ghana news website and New Vision Uganda including live soccer matches and other events which can be posted online
 * 4) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Civil Society Organizations (NGOs):__ <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Raising public awareness by helping people to gain information about campaign issues, mobilizing wide spread support for their services. ICT also aids public funding of the Civil Society Organisations.
 * 5) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Politically, ICT plans can be used by political leaders for their campaigns and also raise funds for their political activities.
 * 6) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Skype:__ <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> ICT can also be used to enhance the quality and quantity of work that can be done across national borders using Skype, Face time, Viber or Tango.
 * 7) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Skype for instance can be used to video conferences where board members from organizations can meet to deliberate meetings. It can also be used to interview employees.

**<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__The Role of ICT in Civil Societies__ ** **<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Civil Society__ **<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**;** is an organization or movement that works in the area between the household, the private sector and the state to negotiate matters of Public concern E.g. Institute of Economic Affairs in Ghana. <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Examples of CSOs include **<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__The role in response to Natural Disasters__ ** <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ICT helps in mitigating the effects of natural disasters for example in Dec. 2004, technology had a major impact in the way people pledged their support in the Indian Ocean Tsunami. A survey by the Charity Aid Foundation found that 61% of people pledged their support online for the first time and 41% of those who use a debit or credit card donated by telephone.
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The media can be used by CSOs in various ways to introduce ideas and images quickly, cheaply and widely across national borders.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Social media; which allow the public to interact over issues of public concern e.g. Facebook and micro blogging used by CSOs to interact with other people.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Radio and Television stations can be used to disseminate information or images especially to educate the public on matters of public concern e.g. Ebola, HIV AIDS.
 * 4) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The media can also be used to raise the profile of some political leader or an important personality who might have been rewarded large sums of money over nothing done.
 * 5) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">They can also use the media for fund e.g. churches come on social media to request for donations from people
 * 6) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Telephone communication. It can be used by CSO’s to contact members of the members of the group in various locations in different parts of the world, where information can be exchanged.
 * 7) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CSOs can also use ICT to promote or improve human development e.g. well-designed websites have been used by many CSOs to make policy statements available online which have contributed to the formation of virtual communities that are kept in touch via emails and chat rooms.
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mass Organizations; constituting organizations which influence the interest of particular organisation groups. E.g. UN organization, representing children, unemployed, women and young people, etc.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Trade related organizations e.g. trade unions
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Faith-Based organizations e.g. religious bodies
 * 4) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Academic organization bodies e.g. University bodies, professors, IB organization etc.
 * 5) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Social movements and campaign networks.

**<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__The Digital Divide__ ** <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The digital divide refers to the inequalities existing between societies in terms of their access to information and communications within societies. The differences exist between regions of the country, different countries in a given regional area and or continents. **<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Factors responsible for differences in access to ICT__ ** **<span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Factors affecting access to ICT/ or the Digital Divide__ **
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wealth: Richer countries tend to offer fast and reliable internet access that covers most parts of the country e.g. in Norway, the entire country is covered in 4G internet. On the other hand poor countries cannot afford fast and reliable internet that covers the whole country.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Internet Infrastructure: In poor countries, access to the internet is limited to the dial-up internet service i.e. using a telephone line which is sometimes very slow and cannot be extended to other parts of the country. Rich countries however, can afford broad-band internet using fibre optic cables or satellite technology.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Population size: The higher and denser the population, the greater the demand for internet and ICT services and thus the more difficult it is to supply them.
 * 1) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Affordability: This internet access within the reach of local people in terms of financial affordability.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Knowledge; or level of education among the people. The more educated people are, the more likely they are to have access to it and vice versa.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Quality: Is it using broadband? i.e. 3G, 4G and 5G
 * 4) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Infrastructure
 * 5) <span style="background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0); color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Usage