How Modern Technological Initiatives Are Improving Life in Rural Areas

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

How Modern Technological Initiatives Are Improving Life in Rural Areas


Technology

In modern America, urban populations continue to swell, while rural populations remain stagnant or decline. For many people, there just isn't enough opportunity in rural communities to provide the optimal quality of life they've come to expect.


Even the internet, which is connecting the entire world, is leaving many rural residents behind. Many broadband providers won't service rural areas because they don't see enough of a consumer base to justify the infrastructure. Fortunately, the U.S. government is providing incentives to change this. Here are some of the ways that technical initiatives can improve rural life.

Education

Rural communities with limited funding tend to have poorer school facilities and fewer qualified teachers. Many children never receive sufficient education to make college a real possibility. Getting computers and internet into classrooms can raise the quality of education. Free access and affordable paid subscriptions can provide access to online libraries, interactive tutorials, and customizable E-learning management software. With the help of such initiatives, both special-needs and advanced students can progress at their own pace.

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Economy

The community connections that technology can bring will help to create more cohesion, pride, and economic opportunity for rural areas. Existing businesses can leverage cloud computing to utilize services such as accounting, marketing, and even data analytics. Mobile apps will allow more communication with field workers and suppliers. Improving efficiency and outreach will help local entrepreneurs develop more possibilities more easily. A growth in small business will create more jobs and more community wealth.

Healthcare

Socioeconomic needs drive 40 percent of health policies, so rural communities rarely have the facilities to accommodate many needs. People needing medical treatments have to drive long distances for every appointment. Technologies like telemedicine are utilized by doctors to connect with remote patients over video chat to make visual examinations and discuss health issues. Wearable technology can monitor the vital signs of invalid patients and stream it to computer records, or issue alerts if there's a problem.

Governance

Computerized data and systems, and means of exchanging information, can improve efficiency for every branch of government. E-government can take the form of web portals permitting government-citizen interactions, while satellite or streaming drone imagery with GPS mapping are useful tools for law enforcement and tax assessment. Qualified engineering management professionals can lead the way in a range of innovative technical projects.

With today's network capability, rural citizens can claim all the technological benefits that urban residents do. More support is needed at the community level as well as from state and federal governments.



By  Hannah Whittenly Embed

Author Bio - Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, California.



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