Journal of ICT Systems

The SDN Based WLAN Resilience Enhancement for Smart Grid

2025-01-20T06:48:18+00:00

A resilient wireless network for smart grid communication is essential for ensuring continuous network availability while maintaining an acceptable quality of service (QoS). The primary challenge is developing wireless networks that not only meet the stringent availability requirements of smart grids but also deliver satisfactory QoS. Current Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) struggle with seamless handover between Access Points (APs) when the serving AP encounters issues. In this study, we propose a Software Defined Networking (SDN)-based WLAN utilizing the Odin framework to enhance WLAN resilience against network challenges, thereby ensuring smart grid availability with acceptable bandwidth and latency. Our solution was evaluated in a physical laboratory setup employing off-the-shelf network components, including APs, routers, and switches. Our results demonstrate that in the event of an AP failure, the SDN-based WLAN effectively redirects users to a nearby AP, achieving 100% availability, a throughput of 8.93 Mbps, and a latency of 20ms metrics that fulfill the resilience requirements of smart grids. Notably, this approach employs standard APs and necessitates no modifications to end stations.

Systematic review on challenges for integration of health management information systems in enhancing HIV and AIDS estimation and monitoring across Sub-Saharan African countries

2025-04-15T18:57:26+00:00

Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries suffer from high disease burdens, including HIV and AIDS. Data from the national Health Management Information System (HMIS) to inform HIV and AIDS estimates are relatively poor, negatively impacting monitoring of the epidemic. The challenge necessitates a need for increased integration and functionality of the national HMIS to deliver timely and reliable information to healthcare workers and managers. This study investigates how the challenges to effective integration of HMIS in SSA countries impact the availability of good quality HIV estimation and monitoring. We conducted a systematic review of relevant publications from 2008 to 2024. The findings show that, despite the efforts by SSA countries, challenges continue to impede the meaningful utilization of HMIS to produce good quality HIV estimates. The challenges are attributed to technical, organizational and behavioural factors, such as limited integration of HIV programme components, poor data quality, inadequate resources, weak leadership, lack of accountability, and limited enforcement of HMIS regulatory frameworks. Hence, the systems hardly respond timely to the expanding data requirements of the HIV estimation tools and monitoring requirements. The study recommends SSA governments and partners to support HMIS development and on job training in data collection, cleaning, and analysis.

Effects and Optimal Integration of Electric Vehicle Charging Systems in the Tanzania Electrical Distribution Networks using Metaheuristic Algorithms

2025-04-23T09:08:18+00:00

Electric vehicles (EVs) present a viable solution for reducing carbon emissions, environmental pollution, and the effects of climate change. The EV utilizes energy stored in its battery banks, which are charged by electric vehicle charging systems (EVCS), primarily integrated with the power grid. However, integrating EVCS into grid poses significant challenges, including increased power losses, voltage deviations, harmonic injection, and grid instability. This study examines the impacts of connecting EVCS to Tanzania's electrical distribution networks and proposes an optimization approach using metaheuristic algorithms to mitigate power loss and voltage deviation challenges. The study reveals that adding one EVCS raises power loss from 13.0357 kW to 17.1963 kW, while voltage deviation increases from 0.47 V to 0.63 V, with further deterioration in system performance as more EVCS units are introduced. An enhanced Symbiotic Organism Search algorithm was employed to determine the optimal allocation and size of EVCS and PV systems. The results show that integrating 1 PV in the power system with 3 EVCSs reduced power loss to 5.26 kW from 61.42 kW. This research reveals the effectiveness of optimal PV system placement in improving the stability of the electrical network and the feasibility of an efficient EV penetration in Tanzania.