Browsing by Author "Beebwa, Irene"

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Requirements Engineering for Digitizing Traditional Medical Knowledge: The Case of Building Phytomedicine Mobile-Web Application in Tanzania
(International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology, 2019-12) Beebwa, Irene; Dida, Mussa; Chacha, Musa; Nyakundi, David; Marwa, Janeth
The digitization of traditional medical knowledge in Tanzania will greatly enhance its preservation and dissemination. This is especially important given the challenges facing the current methods of preserving and managing such knowledge. This study presents the requirements engineering approaches and requirements for a web-mobile application that would successfully digitize indigenous knowledge of phytomedicine and relevant practitioners licensing and registration processes. To establish the requirements of such a digital system application, the study sought the opinion of 224 stakeholders whose suggestions were used to analyze and model the requirements for designing such a web-mobile tool. The study was carried out in Arusha, Kagera and Dar es Salaam regions of Tanzania which involved ethnobotanical researchers, herb practitioners, curators from herbaria and registrar officers from Traditional and Alternatives Health Practice Council. Structured interview, survey, observation and document review were employed to find out the basic functional and non-functional requirements for possible designing and implementation a web-mobile application that would digitize indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants. The requirements were modelled using the use case and context diagrams. Finally, the study came up with a list of items for both functional and non-functional requirements that can be used as guidelines to develop a web-mobile application that will capture and document traditional medical knowledge of medicinal plants in Tanzania and, enabling relevant authorities to regulate and manage stakeholders.
Requirements Engineering for Digitizing Traditional Medical Knowledge: The Case of Building Phytomedicine Mobile-Web Application in Tanzania
(Irene Evarist Beebwa et al. International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology, 2019-12) Beebwa, Irene; Dida, Mussa; Chacha, Musa; Nyakundi, David; Marwa, Janeth
The digitization of traditional medical knowledge in Tanzania will greatly enhance its preservation and dissemination. This is especially important given the challenges facing the current methods of preserving and managing such knowledge. This study presents the requirements engineering approaches and requirements for a web-mobile application that would successfully digitize indigenous knowledge of phytomedicine and relevant practitioners licensing and registration processes. To establish the requirements of such a digital system application, the study sought the opinion of 224 stakeholders whose suggestions were used to analyze and model the requirements for designing such a web-mobile tool. The study was carried out in Arusha, Kagera and Dar es Salaam regions of Tanzania which involved ethnobotanical researchers, herb practitioners, curators from herbaria and registrar officers from Traditional and Alternatives Health Practice Council. Structured interview, survey, observation and document review were employed to find out the basic functional and non-functional requirements for possible designing and implementation a web-mobile application that would digitize indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants. The requirements were modelled using the use case and context diagrams. Finally, the study came up with a list of items for both functional and non-functional requirements that can be used as guidelines to develop a web-mobile application that will capture and document traditional medical knowledge of medicinal plants in Tanzania and, enabling relevant authorities to regulate and manage stakeholders
Stakeholders’ Attitude on the Use of ICT Tools for Sustainable Propagation of Indigenous Knowledge in Tanzania: A Case of Traditional Medical Knowledge of Medicinal Plants
(Modern education and computer science press, 2019-11-08) Beebwa, Irene; Marwa, Janeth; Chacha, Musa; Dida, Mussa
Most local communities in Tanzania depend on herbal remedies as the primary source of health care and such knowledge have been stored in the minds of the elderly who pass it on orally to young generations. However, the method is not reliable, as there is a likelihood of gradual loss of such knowledge as the elderly become older and incapacitated. It is at the backdrop of such a scenario that this study investigated the stakeholder’s attitude towards the use of information and communication technology tools in preserving traditional medical knowledge in Tanzania. The study also investigated the existing approaches for managing both traditional medical practitioners, herbaria activities and the difficulties. Both quantitative and qualitative data were employed and the study covered Arusha, Kagera and Dar es Salaam regions where 60 ethnobotanical researchers and 156 traditional medical practitioners were involved. The collected data was analyzed using R and Tableau software. The study indicated that 75% of traditional medical practitioners use story-telling for preserving traditional medical knowledge; 86.53% of practitioners indicated that much of the knowledge has disappeared over generations. More than half (69.87%) of practitioners were aware of the existence of technological devices for accessing the internet and 80.5% of researchers and practitioners believed that Information and Communication Technology tools have benefits in the practice of traditional medicine. From the findings, the study came up with the ICT model solution that can help in documenting, preserving and disseminating traditional medical knowledge and integrate the management of stakeholders in Tanzania.