ALBIN
ALBIN is a sustainable device opening the dimensions of the procedure of national identity preservation throughout the world. The device acts against identity loss in unfortunate situations and allows identity registration and verification in places without internet, mobile network or even electricity through this solar powered data transmitting device using low-energy radio wave. The device intakes parents' names, nationality and finger prints and work on two steps. In the first step Low Frequency Radio Wave is used to transmit input data across 15-20 km to the nearest police station without using any particular network service. Second step causes the received data by the LoRa receiver in police stations which is updated or can be inquired from both national and international database. This not only aids the unfortunate against identity endangerment but also allows global identity verification in sustainable costs. Generalized diagram on the project can be found here https://drive.google.com/drive...
The specific problem ALBIN is willing to solve comes in two dimensions. Firstly, we want to ensure digital identity registration and authentication in places with bare minimum technological access. More than 4 billion people(nearly 47% population) do not have access to internet. About 55% people don't hold a smartphone. States like Odisha in India have over 6000 villages without traces of internet. India has a total of 28,000 villages without internet services or mobile network. The situation is worse in Africa where about 97.8% people in Ethiopia lives without a stable internet connection. Registration, verification and authentication of digital identity are almost impossible in these places. Next comes the issues with identity loss which is at all time high at the aftermath of unrest and wars. This is particularly alarming for refugees. More than 10 million refugees do not carry solid identification documents to verify their national identity. We aim to preserve those in one database. The use of ALBIN will allow global identification of nationality without the inconveniences of losing it in places devoid of internet or mobile network.
The solution is applicable and is bound to serve all individuals of the world. We are targeting to incorporate a global identification system for nationality verification through ALBIN. However, we cater more to certain groups. We cater to every rural, low/no connectivity regions which includes more than 52,000 villages in Asia alone. They require a medium to create their digital identity that can remain preserved. We also cater to over 64 million displaced population highly at risk of losing their initial national identity. Above all, we cater to all individuals who are in an inconvenient setting for creating digital identity and those having issues preserving it across the globe.
- How can countries ensure that digital authentication mechanisms—which often require smartphones, computers and internet access—are accessible to marginalized and vulnerable populations to facilitate remote access to services and benefits?
The product solution that is offered is based on the very concept of eliminating digital identity verification and authentication issues for the marginalized people. The solution accepts necessary identity information, encrypts them into data sets and sends across nearly 18 miles to the police stations. The system is automated and hence not complicated to use at all. Any general man can provide the input. Each transmitter that we have already produced costs only 30$ and a receiver(which has been produced) costs a little above 40$ receiving signals from 81 transmitters. The sustainable costs make it highly suitable for remote distribution.
- Prototype: An individual or organization building and testing a product, service, or model.
- A new technology
Relevant innovations is what creates revolutions. In present world, there have been sufficient innovation approaches taken by ID giants like Modern Identity system or Augmented Reality based identification or computer vision mechanisms. But those changes according to us, are possible to innovate, not implement. It would take another century before AI and AR based Identity becomes well used by remote regions which hardly have electricity. We tried to bridge the gap utilizing modules made for IoT purposes and integrating them into a working machine. The machine depends on solar energy to function, sends data through radio waves and adapts to designated IP address' open API to automatically update to the device which uses internet for updating to multiple servers. Such complex integration using day to day technology makes for the cheapest form of NID registration and verification machines and create a simple GUI understood by any man. The opportunities of the ALBIN software is limitless which can not only be used in ALBIN transmitters but also incorporated in hundreds of other technologies through APIs including Mobile applications and fully functional computers. Our take is for the people and hence we innovated the path to eternal identity without taking complex, unknown and unplanned routes to cater to the common people.
LoRa or Long Range Radio Wave module is a widely known technology used at past to produce IoT without any nearby internet. Its components are described at https://www.semtech.com/lora/what-is-lora and uses at https://www.digikey.com/en/maker/blogs/introduction-to-lora-technology#:~:text=LoRa%20technology%20was%20developed%20by,for%20M2M%20and%20IoT%20networks.&text=Each%20LoRa%20gateway%20has%20the,up%20to%20millions%20of%20nodes. The API of the device can be build and incorporated into other software by Auto-mocking through Raspberry-Pi. Fingerprint sensors are common bio metric technology which is processed by micro controller atmega328p with which LoRa module is easily compatible. https://components101.com/microcontrollers/atmega328p-pinout-features-datasheet#:~:text=ATMEGA328P%20is%20high%20performance%2C%20low,is%20used%20in%20ARDUINO%20boards. leads to its documentation. The micro-controller uses the LoRa module to transmit the data; The source code in the transmitter will have the IP address of the receiving server encoded and addressed. The radio waves carry the data to the exact IP address having open API which auto-connects and updates data to the corresponding server which can easily be automated to send the data to the national and global servers using any basic language using computers at police station over 20 miles. Here's the link to our circuit design https://drive.google.com/drive... and here is the source code https://github.com/adibahnaf/ALBINcode/blob/master/ALBINcode1.c
- Big Data
- Internet of Things
We imagine to live in a world where everyone holds and retains their identity. But unfortunately, almost 4 billion people across the world don't have access to internet. That is why, digital authentication mechanism might not always be accessible to these people. In these situations; our activities with more inaccesible and expensive technology will not create an impact. We need a global identity system that is practical, easy to use and cost effective. That is why we are introducing ALBIN, a global chain of identity registration and verification machines. It will be running through solar energy that transmits data through radiowaves before adapting to the protected wireless fidelity of nearest police stations. The complete national identity registered in a protected database collected so easily through the machines may be our pathway to eternally registered and preserved identity immune to all harms. Our primary target is to work in the places where internet is not accessible, especially in the war prone areas, African & south-asian countries. With the whole world using ALBIN; a refugee will not be denied, a terrorist cannot disguise and those who lost everything to disasters can cling to their most unique resource. The world's trade will be more structured and food, shelter and medicine distribution can be more accurate and less corrupted. We believe identity is a right and our impact will be to keep it registered and preserved irrespective of wherever someone resides and however the conditions and facilities are there.
Through ALBIN, we aim to preserve everlasting identity in one database, act against identity loss in unfortunate situations, and allow identity registration and verification in places with no internet, mobile network or even electricity through the solar powered data transmitting device using low-frequency radio wave. Our primary objective is to provide the facility mainly to the marginalized and vulnerable groups including people of low/no connectivity settings, refugees, migrant workers, minorities. We are not altering the basic concepts of traditional identification system but making it accessible and everlasting as much as possible.The data transmitted will be same as of a National ID.The data input will be similar and basically will only require finger prints, name, parents' name and national identity.Our take is turning digital registration of national ID possible irrespective of locations and economical or political conditions.We are not proposing a completely new chartered policy but a more accessible adaptation of the pre-existing ones.
The utilization of the machine is quite easy as all the hard work ends up in the back-end. The whole source code can be made into modules with only updates being made are the IP addresses even which can be converted into a constant GUI input. The API is possible to be generated very easily and is able to be incorporated into any of the existing identification systems as long as the micro-controller is compatible to work. This encompasses every micro-controllers used in identification including airport security. Some sample compatible micro-controllers are provided here https://www.microcontrollertips.com/development-boards-handle-lorawan-low-power-wide-area-network-technologies/.
The ALBIN software generates open API that can be embedded to any system; even in mobile application. However we will allow the API extracted version for only verification as registration will be possible only through the machines under approval and co-ordination of the registered representative. So the API will be open but the embedded system will require special bio metric credentials to be activated for registration and data collection but can be easily use for verification.
The main goal of the whole solution is remote inclusion. We transmit encrypted data across miles without any internet or mobile network or even electricity. This accounts for all the remote regions with little to no connectivity and ensures safe and sound data transmission once it adapts to nearest police station wireless fidelity. The data input is similar and basically only requires finger prints, name, parents' name and national identity. Every Albin transmitter is put under the account of a rural representative for the government who can help the individuals with least literacy. The system however can be easily updated and incorporated with voice technology by simple machine learning. The same could be done for people with visual technologies through incorporating a braille based interface. Individuals lacking literacy or suffering from disability in regions of lowest connectivity can access global identity registration and verification through Albin.
- Migrant Workers
- Low/No Connectivity Settings
- Poor
- Low-Income
- Refugees & Internally Displaced Persons
- Minorities & Previously Excluded Populations
- Nomadic Populations and Pastoralists
Since our products are ready but not yet introduced publicly; serving individuals is not yet applicable. We predict to take at least 3 years for total production, setting and implementation and estimate serving the whole world population in preserving their identity by the fifth year.
First year goals:
- Ensuring the ALBIN application can embedded in all pre-existing data verification points including airports and borders
- Endorsing braille and other methods for ALBIN data input
- Coming with agreements with global organizations ensuring preservation of identity and also national authorities
- Charting a balanced policy following the technology which will later be presented at Global summits
Five year goals:
- Ensuring all 37,000 ALBIN transmitter and 3700 ALBIN receivers are set across the globe
- Setting a completely encrypted data path with no data leak or cloning
- Setting database on every country and an international database in a host country based on agreement
- Ensuring verification centers to be overseen by trusted individuals
- Creating mass production and repairing firms
- Lack of primary trust on the privacy of the data
- Financial costs are high of maintenance
- Anyone may extract someone's national identity with access to the machines
- Risks of not getting proper government permissions and support across the globe
- Huge blocks of data entry
- Risks of being hacked
- Possible vulnerability of data
- Individuals may input wrong information
- New concept adaption can be confusing and misunderstood
- Time taken on registering billions of people can be huge
- Server crash or data corruption will cause a tragedy
- Unauthorized personnel accessing these machines can harm national privacy
- Blockage created by huge structures/mountains
Each number of possible solution corresponds to the respective barrier
- Trust can be retained and earned through global being certified by global authorities and identity leaders and even this competition itself. Country's internal criticism can be avoided showing the intact privacy and necessity to the government and the use of mass media.
- Financial costs are only high if one body holds the responsibility of maintaining all Transmitter-Receiver which will not be the case as countries will be handed over the duty which individually is very cheap.
- The machine uses bio-metric credential with advanced algorithm making it almost impossible for security breach.
- The competition and other identity leader and global organizations support may help in convincing.
- The data entry consists of only 7.7 billion static blocks which is not actually huge based on current server capabilities.
- ,7.The encryption and complete privacy have been worked on and will be reproduced collaborating with other organizations before implementing.
8. ,12. Trained personnel will guide the individuals and protect the machines.
9. Government campaigns can help raise awareness
10. It will be a 5 year program before implementing its official and obligatory mass use
11. We are looking forward to collaborate with organization and country that can keep the global server safe and secure.
13. Provided radio waves reflect at higher levels of atmosphere and travel almost at speed of light; huge structures will not cause any obstructions.
- Nonprofit
Our team currently have 7 main members. They include Adib Ahnaf (working as the head of the solution execution and engineering), Alif Hossain (working on national and international policies for the solution), Azmain Hossain (working on data analytics),Faiaz Azmain(working on encryption and transmission), Safwan Zaeem (working on geographical references and distribution), Uzzal Sarker (working on mass production). We all are full time and act as permanent members on the project.
Each of the members are uniquely positioned for the following reasons:
Adib Ahnaf: Works in integrated circuit building, Computer Vision and data transmission and receiving. Pioneered and piloted the whole project core idea. Works with Bangladesh ICT Division a2i.
Alif Hossain: Decent at IR and delegating policies. Worked as national ambassador for multifarious programs including WLF and Acumen. Highly skilled in policy making.
Azmain Hossain: Works in web and app development along with graphics designing. Decent in Python based Data Science. Founded 15+ social startups; each working at its own pace.
Faiaz Azmain: Asia Pacific ICT Awards winner. Highly skilled in data processing and full stack development. Worked on projects across the world on data encryption.
Safwan Zaeem: Well versed in geographical sciences. Wrote papers on geography.
Shefa Tabassum: Highly proficient in research based activities. Conducted many research papers of the country.
Uzzal Sarker: Works on AI and machine learning. Holds a certified company providing industrial grade mass production and distribution.
We are not currently partnering with any organization.
Value Proposition:
- Everlasting identity
- Global identification
- Data Privacy
- Safety of identity
- Reduction of fear of identity theft or loss
- Remote connectivity
Customer segments:
- Global Distributors
- Country Representatives
- Generall Individuals
Customer Relationship: Multi-staged
Channel:
- Through an international governing body
- Through global distributor
- Through country representative
Key Activities:
- Mass Production
- Resource management
- Maintaining talents
- Media coverage
- Machine maintenance
- Active policy making
- Adopting to different system
Key Resources:
- Modules and electronics
- Machineries
- National and international database
- Constant pre-orders
Trained personnel - Registration and verification Centers
Key Partnerships:
- Global distributors
- Talent recruitment and training institutions
- Regional organizations
- Government bodies
Cost structure:
- Electronics
- Industrial machinery for mass production
- Maintenance
- Distribution
- Database costs
- Settlement
- Transportation
- Wages
Revenue Streams:
- Pre-orders from distributors
- National taxation
- Grants from World Bank for industrial setup
- Organizations (B2B)
Owing to the exclusivity of the contents of identity and necessity of proper distribution of the products, ALBIN is not meant to be commercialised to the common individual. Our plans include selling to globally trusted organisations working on identity who will supply it according to the globally accepted and chartered regulations to all member countries of UN who will nationally take the activity of distribution of the machines in unit regions. It depends upon the internal taxation of the country to afford the globally accepted customs as countries will have to purchase from the globally acclaimed institutions whom we expect to fund our production and maintenance
We haven't raised any funding and produced the complete transmission, receiving, encryption, adaption and database product based on our own expenses. There are no financial liability yet as it would compromise our firm business model.
Firstly, we aim to go through the process of legalization and global enactment. We are more well positioned in production and development and we aim to be bound to that. As for funds, we aim to provide completed products to global distributors in exchange of grants who can impose costs based on their profit margin. For the whole project we are seeking for an equity based partnership/s providing maximum 20% of revenues in exchange of maximum 100,000$ on estimation. As this covers for a limited set batch, to complete the whole project globally; our target is to deliver on pre-orders . We expect advance payments from the distributors for the lion's share of the latter productions.
2020 is our pilot year and we aim to cover 1/37 th of total requirements in the pilot sessions. It includes 1000 transmitters(worth 30,000$) ,10 receivers (400$),pilot team recruits(1000$), expenses and setting (1500$), pilot database(1000$) and thus a sum total of 33,900$. It is to be noted that if the pilot is successful 1/40 of total costs is relieved
We,as a team, embody impact. NIIL have in past worked with multifarious innovations and we aim to revolutionise society through planned inventions targeting global issues. This competition appeared to us like a holy grail as we were working on this identity based technology for over a year. All we needed was a platform to represent it which will help bringing our vision to reality. We believe in a centralised system of global identity and aim to leave no stones unturned turning it to reality. We are here for the impact. Impact is all that matters to us.
- Product/service distribution
- Funding and revenue model
- Talent recruitment
- Legal or regulatory matters
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Marketing, media, and exposure
- In order to catch the attention of the international community, marketing and media exposure is essential. So, we are looking forward to working with such organizations for promoting us in front of the world community
- And to ensure proper monitorization and fundings, we have plans to sell the products to globally trusted organizations working on identity who will supply it according to the globally accepted and chartered regulations to all member countries of UN who will also take the activity of distribution of the machines in unit regions
- It also depends upon the internal taxation of the country to afford the globally accepted customs as countries will have to purchase from the globally acclaimed institutions whom we expect to fund our production and maintenance
- For distribution and setting up 37,000 transmitters and 3,700 receivers across the globe, collaboration with an organization is vital.
Distribution, Monetory: Globally trusted organizations that work with identity-related issues, e.g. Turillo, IDEMIA, GBGIDENTITY, IDENTANCE
Funding: Distributor mentioned above who will collect revenues from countries it distributes to. It also depends upon the internal taxation of the country to afford the required machines.
Talent recruitment & Training: Recruit from organizations like GTR, NESGT, UN. The government officials will also help with its resources for purposes like training as well.
Legal or regulatory matters: Regional organizations such as- European Union, The African Union, SAARC, ECOSOC
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