DEV 2016 provides an international forum for research in the design, implementation, and evaluation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for social and economic development. In particular, we focus on contexts where conventional computing solutions are often inappropriate due to various contextual factors including, but not limited to: cost, language, literacy, and the availability of power and bandwidth. The topic of ICT for development is inherently multidisciplinary, and encompasses a broad array of research domains. The ACM DEV conference is an opportunity for researchers across these diverse domains to come together to work on the common problem of improving access to and availability of information and communication technology solutions. The focus of the conference is
research at the intersection of computer science and development related to (but not limited to) the following nonexclusive focus areas:
● Systems
● HCI and Applications
● Data Science
We are committed to accepting papers of the very highest quality and will allow authors to specify one or two submission “tracks” that best fit their work. Each track has dedicated Program Committee (PC) members with expertise in the specified area to enable appropriate review of papers. Papers will be automatically referred to another track or reviewed by PC members from different tracks where appropriate. Example topics within focus areas include:
Systems Track
● Lowcost
connectivity and computing devices
● Network solutions for poorly connected regions, including white space spectrum
● Powerefficient
systems
● Mobile systems and applications
● Specialpurpose
systems, e.g., sensors, wireless, IVR
● Systems challenges and opportunities in development, e.g., security, sustainability, resilience
● Cellular phone systems and applications
● Novel tools and applications for development
● Measurements of existing technology in developing regions (e.g. network deployments)

HCI Track
• User interfaces for low-literacy populations
• Multilingual computing
• Participatory methods and user-centered design
• Accessibility for disabled populations in developing regions
• User interfaces for low-cost devices
• Design and evaluation of applications in health, microfinance, education, agriculture, entertainment, social media, etc.
• Adapting content and applications to local languages and education levels
• Understanding social relationships and information flows in underserved communities

Data Science Track

• Computational sustainability
• Computational social science
• Econometric models and developmental economics
• Data science for social good
• Machine learning techniques for large-scale data analysis in development contexts
• Speech interfaces and translation for low-resource languages
• Computer vision challenges and opportunities in development
• Understanding social networks and digital media in developing regions
General Track
We also welcome papers outside of the above topics that address the DEV focus on computing innovations supporting social and economic development.

Papers should describe original and unpublished research. Three metrics will be applied to judge the submissions: (a) relevance of the problem for development; (b) novelty of the ideas; and (c) evaluation of the solution, making a case for development-focused impact. All DEV paper submissions should either provide or directly motivate a novel technical solution that has direct implications for development. Full papers must not exceed 10 pages (including references, figures, and tables). All submissions must be in ACM format, submitted as a PDF and should be fully anonymized. In particular, the names or affiliations of authors should not be included so as to allow for blind review. All papers will undergo a double-blind review process with at least three reviews. Papers should be submitted via the submission site. As part of the submission process, please indicate one or more tracks for which your submission is best suited. Please direct any questions to acmdev2016@gmail.com.