The creative application of science, mathematical methods, societal understanding, and place-based knowledge to address a physical need that serves the user of the innovation while recognizing the influence of stakeholder motivations, capabilities, and values
Humanitarian engineers want to make a difference in the world, but they’re often discouraged by lack of infrastructure sustainability. We believe that recipient societies’ failure to adopt and maintain infrastructure designed by industrialized-world engineers results from two false assumptions:
1) Engineered infrastructure must address a physical need and also should improve economic, political and social conditions for the recipient society, and;
2) Recipient societies fail to adopt and maintain infrastructure because they receive insufficient training and education from design practitioners.
Contextual Engineering challenges those assumptions by taking a 360-degree look at the project process, from practitioner drivers to local identity to global inter-dependencies. The illustration below shows the four quadrants of Contextual Engineering practice along with the 16 key conditions that interact to determine true context in design and implementation.
How do we practice Contextual Engineering?
The Contextual Engineer must start by developing an understanding of the world. What global influences are at play that could affect the conditions of the client society as well as the relationship between an outside practitioner with that client. Is there a history of conflict, a legacy of colonialism, unfair trade relations, racism, hierarchical relationships, any of which could change the dynamics between design practitioner and client?
The Context of place is critical to understanding how to design an effective infrastructure. In addition to geologic, atmospheric, topographic, and other physical conditions associated with place, conditions such as indigeneity, economic need, population homogeneity, governance structure, and talents/skills must be considered. All of these will come together for a Contextual Engineer to inform appropriateness of design and implementation.
Because any project is, at minimum, a partnership between Contextual Engineering practitioner and client, stakeholders must explore not only each others’ needs and conditions, but their own motivations and expectations as well. The savvy Contextual Engineer recognizes that their motivations are a jumble of altruistic and self-serving drivers, equipping them to recognize which motivation(s) is influencing decision-making at any given time.
Armed with an understanding of drivers, relationships, needs, capabilities, and legacies, the designer can proceed collaboratively and iteratively with their client to produce an infrastructure design that incorporates place-based needs and conditions into a solution that leverages client capabilities using rigorous scientific thinking.
CLICK-THROUGH SURVEY LICENSE AGREEMENT
The Deliverables (as defined below) will only be licensed to You by
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois ("University") upon
the condition that You accept all of the terms and conditions contained
in this
survey license agreement ("Agreement
"). Please read this Agreement carefully. Then, fill out the
registration form at the end and click the "ACCEPT / SUBMIT" button. By
clicking on the "ACCEPT / SUBMIT" button, You accept the terms and
conditions of this
Agreement
. After You click on the "ACCEPT / SUBMIT" button and Your form has
been reviewed and approved,
you will receive access to the survey.
If You are not willing to be bound by these terms, select the "CANCEL"
button at the bottom of this page.
ARTICLE 1:DEFINITIONS
The following capitalized terms are used in this Agreement with the
following meanings:
"You" (or "Your") means an individual or legal entity
exercising the rights granted hereunder, and complying with all of the
terms of, this Agreement.
"Deliverables"
means, the Survey and Survey Report and any corollary services provided to
You related to the Survey Report.
"Portal"
means (i) the web portal to provide credentials for accessing the Survey
and for uploading the Survey Data, accessed through as identified in Schedule 1; (ii) software and services related to verifying
credentials and granting access to Survey and to uploading Survey Data;
(iii) the servers hosting the Survey and Survey Data.
"Survey"
is the list of questions created to measure effectiveness of adopting new
technologies, as described in Schedule 1, [A1] and as
made available to You by University through use of Portal.
"Survey Data"
are the responses to Survey provided by You (de-identified data) to
University, through use of Portal.
"Survey Report"
are email-delivered results of analyzed Survey Data created through use of
software, as described in Schedule[A2] 1.
"Term of Agreement" or "Term" is 12
months unless earlier terminated as provided herein.
ARTICLE 2: GRANT OF LICENSE AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS
2.1. Grant.
a) From University. Conditioned upon Your continuing
compliance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, The Board of
Trustees of the University of Illinois ("University") hereby grants to you
the non-exclusive royalty-free right to:
i. use Portal to register and access Survey;
ii. browse, view, download, reproduce, copy, and administer the Survey to
Your clients;
iii. use Portal to upload Survey Data;
iv. reproduce and distribute Survey Report, including portions of the
Survey questions included in such Survey Report;
v. use Survey Data for internal purposes.
b) From You. Conditioned upon University's continuing
compliance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, You hereby grant to University all ownership rights in Survey
Data collected under this Agreement and uploaded by You to the Portal
for analysis and creation of Survey Report.
This Section 2.1(b) survives the Agreement.
Reservation of rights:
Subject to the terms of this Agreement, You may use Survey Data and Survey
Report for any non-profit purpose, subject to the limitations stated in
section 2.4.
2.2. Additional University Deliverables. No later than
thirty (30) days after receiving complete Survey Data from You, University
shall make available the Survey Report to You via email address you provide
in the registration form.
2.3. Additional Obligations of the Parties:
a) Your client permissions. You are responsible for
ensuring that any individual You designate to participate in the Survey has
granted sufficient rights and permissions under all applicable laws to
allow You to collect such information and allow University's ownership and
use of the de-identified Survey Data and Survey Report.
b) De-identified data. You agree that the Survey Data
provided to University will be de-identified.
c) Publicity. You agree that Survey Data will not be used
for purposes of public comparisons or publicity.
2.4 Limitations. You have no right to commercialize,
create derivative works of, or to implement the Survey except as permitted
under this Agreement, unless separate permission has been granted by the
University.
2.5 No Support Services. University shall have no
obligation to offer support services to You, and nothing contained herein
shall be interpreted so as to require University to provide any developer
support, maintenance, installation services, debugging, consultation,
technical support or end-user support of any kind.
ARTICLE 3: WARRANTIES; INDEMNIFICATION
3.1. Limited Representation. University represents that it
has the right, power and authority to enter into and perform its
obligations under this Agreement.
3.2. Disclaimer of Warranties. The Deliverables are
licensed "AS IS." EXCEPT AS SPECIFICALLY SET FORTH HEREIN, UNIVERSITY
DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND OR NATURE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, RELATING TO PERFORMANCE, MARKETABILITY, TITLE OR OTHERWISE IN ANY
RESPECT RELATED TO THE DELIVERABLES. UNIVERSITY FURTHER DISCLAIMS ANY
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY REGARDING
INFRINGEMENT OF ANY PATENT, COPYRIGHT, TRADEMARK OR OTHER RIGHTS OF THIRD
PARTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE, OR THE MAKING, USING OR
SELLING OR OTHER DISTRIBUTION OF DELIVERABLES BY ANY PERSON OR ENTITY. YOU
ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SAFETY, EFFICACY,
PERFORMANCE, DESIGN, MARKETABILITY, TITLE AND QUALITY OF ALL DELIVERABLES
AND USE OF PORTAL. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing,
University does not warrant (a) the accuracy of any information or services
provided to You, or (b) the accuracy, safety, or usefulness for any purpose
of the Deliverables. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed
as either a warranty or representation by University as to the validity or
scope of any intellectual property right in the Deliverables.
3.3. Limitation of Liability. University assumes no
liability in respect of any infringement of any patent, copyright, or other
right of third parties due to your activities under this Agreement. In no
event shall University or its affiliates, including its trustees,
directors, officers, faculty, staff, students, employees, consultants and
agents (collectively, the "Agents"), be responsible or
liable for any indirect, special, punitive, incidental or consequential
damages or lost profits to You or any other individual or entity regardless
of legal theory. The above limitations on liability apply even though
University or its affiliates, or any of their Agents, may have been advised
of the possibility of such damage. You shall not make any statements,
representations or warranties or accept any liabilities or responsibilities
whatsoever with regard to any person or entity that are inconsistent with
any disclaimer or limitation included in this Article 3.
3.4. Indemnification.
(a) None of the University, any of its
affiliates, or any of their respective Agents (each an " Indemnified Person") shall have any liability or
responsibility whatsoever to You, or any other person or entity for or on
account of (and You agree and covenant not to sue any Indemnified Person in
connection with) any injury, loss, or damage of any kind or nature,
sustained by, or any damage assessed or asserted against, or any other
liability incurred by or imposed upon, You, or any other person or entity,
whether direct, indirect, special, punitive, incidental, consequential or
otherwise arising under any legal theory (and further excluding without
limitation any existing or anticipated profits or opportunities for profits
lost by You), arising out of or in connection with or resulting from (i)
the use of any Deliverables by You, (ii) any advertising or other
promotional activities with respect to either of the foregoing, or (iii)
the production, use, or sale of any product, process or service identified,
characterized or otherwise developed by You with the aid of the
Deliverables.
(b) You shall obtain and carry insurance or
self-insurance in full force and effect, with the coverages and limits as
are reasonably adequate to ensure that You can meet its obligations to
University pursuant to this Article 3, the nature and extent of which
insurance shall be commensurate with usual and customary industry practices
for similarly situated individuals or entities. Upon request by University,
You will provide University, for itself, with appropriate certificates of
insurance or, if self-insured, a statement certifying that You conduct a
reasonable program of self-insurance sufficient to cover its obligations
hereunder.
ARTICLE
4: INFRINGEMENT
4.1. Notification. If You become aware of the infringement
of any intellectual property right in the Deliverables within the Field,
You shall immediately notify University by sending email to otm@illinois.edu and/or email address
as provided in Portal.
ARTICLE 5: TERM AND TERMINATION
5.1. Term. Unless terminated earlier under Section 5.2 or
5.3, this Agreement shall become effective as of Your acceptance of this
Agreement and shall remain in effect for the term set forth in Term, unless
earlier terminated as specified herein.
5.2 Your Right to Terminate. You may terminate this
Agreement at any time by written notice to University at otm@illinois.edu and/or email address
as provided in Portal providing thirty (30) days written notice.
5.3 University Right to Terminate. University shall have the right (without
prejudice to any of its other rights conferred on it by this Agreement or
otherwise) to terminate this Agreement if You:
(a) are in breach of or defaults with respect to any provision of this
Agreement, and You fail to remedy any such breach or default within
forty-five (45) days after written notice thereof by University;
(b) make any materially false report, and such termination shall be upon
written notice to You;
(c) In the event sufficient funds are not appropriated to University, or to
any one of its departments, so as to allow it to fulfill the requirements
of this Agreement. University may, in its sole discretion, terminate this
Agreement in whole or in part, by giving written notice thereof.
5.4. Effect of Termination.
Starting Termination date You shall have no more access to the Portal.
Notwithstanding the termination of the other provisions of this Agreement
pursuant to Section 5.2 or 5.3, the following provisions of this Agreement
shall survive such termination:
(a) Section 2.1(a)(v), 2.1(b), Article 3, this Section 5 and Article 6
below;
(b) Any cause of action or claim by You or University, accrued or to
accrue, because of any breach or default of this Agreement by the other
party.
ARTICLE 6: MISCELLANEOUS
6.1. Assignment. This Agreement shall not be assigned by
You without the prior written consent of University granted or withheld in
the discretion of the University. Prior to any such assignment becoming
effective, all amounts due must be paid in full and a permitted assignee
must agree in writing to become bound by this Agreement.
6.2. Entire Agreement, Amendment and Waiver. This
Agreement (including any attached schedules) contains the entire
understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter of this
Agreement and supersedes any and all prior written or oral discussions,
arrangements, courses of conduct or agreements. This Agreement may be
amended only by an instrument in writing duly executed by the parties. Any
express waiver or failure by either party to promptly enforce any provision
of this Agreement will not create a continuing waiver or any expectation of
non-enforcement of that or any other provision.
6.3. Notices. All notices
required or desired to be given under this Agreement to be made to
University under this Agreement, shall be delivered to otm@illinois.edu.
6.4. Enforcement. If for any reason a court of competent
jurisdiction finds any provision of this Agreement, or portion thereof, to
be unenforceable, that provision of the Agreement will be enforced to the
maximum extent permissible so as to effectuate the intent of the parties
and the remainder of this Agreement will continue in full force and effect.
6.5. Governing Law. This Agreement is governed and
interpreted under the laws of Illinois, excluding its conflict of laws
provisions.
6.6. Jurisdiction. In consideration of the performance by
University of this Agreement, You agree that, unless otherwise agreed by
University in writing, all actions or proceedings related to this Agreement
shall be litigated in courts located within the State of Illinois. You (i)
consent and submit to the jurisdiction of any local or state court located
within said state, (ii) consent to delivery and service of process by means
of the notice provisions established in this Agreement, and (iii) shall not
bring any action or claim against University in any other jurisdiction
without the prior written consent of University granted in University's
sole discretion.
6.7. Export Controls. You agree to strictly comply with
any and all applicable United States export control laws and regulations
and foreign export or import laws and regulations.
6.8. Relationship of Parties. The
parties to this Agreement are independent contractors. There is no
relationship of principal to agent, master to servant, employer to
employee, or franchiser to franchisee between the parties. Neither party
has the authority to bind the other or incur any obligation on its behalf.
6.9. Use of names and trademarks. You shall not use the
names or trademarks of University or Agents, or any adaptation thereof, in
any commercial activity, marketing, advertising or sales brochures without
the prior written consent of University.
6.10. Copyright Notices. All copies of
the Survey Data and Survey Report shall include the copyright notice as
specified below, or such other reasonable notice as University shall from
time to time require, on each copy of the same: "Copyright 2018 The Board
of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved."
Approved for form University legal counsel SJA 03/18
Schedule 1: Survey Reporting and Deliverables Description
OTM Technology No. 2017-194, titled "Diagnostic Tool for Engineering
Effectiveness in Rural International Societies".
Creator: Ann-Perry Witmer
Brief Description:
The Survey provides a list of 41 questions (rated on 5-point Likert scales)
to evaluate relative influences of critical non-engineering conditions and
guidelines for selection/implementation of technologies within a rural
society. The Survey identifies design and implementation strategies that
enhance engineered infrastructure sustainability and durability.
"Survey Report":
The following information is provided in the Report.
RESULTS
Influence
Community Score
Country Weight
Weighted Score
Cultural
Political
Educational
Technical
Economic
· Column 1 lists the five community influences most likely to affect
design, implementation and acceptance of an engineered infrastructure.
· Column 2 shows the raw scores of each influence for the community, based
upon scores You provided after observing Your client.
· Column 3 draws upon open and free data from World Bank database of World
Development Indicators. Where data are lacking for Your country, those
absences are not included in calculations. Religious composition is
evaluated using open and free Pew Research Center data.
· Column 4 provides a weighted, relative influence score for Your client
community, factoring in national norms to identify the conditions that most
strongly govern your client's approach to an engineered infrastructure.
The following information is also provided: Guidelines for interpreting the
high and low scores of the contextual influences, and Guidelines as to how
to approach the design of the engineering infrastructure.
We use Cookies on this site to enhance your experience and improve our marketing efforts. Click on “About Cookies” to learn more. By continuing to browse without changing your browser settings to block or delete Cookies, you agree to the storing of Cookies and related technologies on your device.University of Illinois System Cookie Policy
About Cookies
Cookies and related technologies (herein “Cookies”) are small text files that a website saves on your computer when you visit the site. Cookies the University sets are called first-party Cookies. The data collected might be about you, your device, your preferences, or your login information. This data is mostly used to make the website work as expected so, for example, you don’t have to keep re-entering your credentials whenever you come back to the site. Cookies set by third parties are called third-party Cookies. We use third-party Cookies for analyzing website traffic and our advertising and marketing efforts. We have divided the Cookies we use into the following categories: Strictly Necessary, Performance, Functional, and Targeting. Under each category heading below you will find a general description of the Cookies in each category. You can change your browser settings to block, delete, or alert you to Cookies. The Help menu on the menu bar of most browsers will tell you how to do that. However, if you do, you may have to manually adjust preferences every time you visit a site and some features may not work as intended.
More information
Cookie Categories
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Always Active
Strictly Necessary Cookies are first-party Cookies that are necessary for the website to function. They can be either permanent or temporary and are usually only set in response to actions made directly by you that amount to a request for services, such as logging in or filling in forms. For example, we use Strictly Necessary Cookies to handle user registration and login. Some sites require the use of Strictly Necessary Cookies to access the site, such as University websites requiring University credentialed authentication. If you set your browser to block or delete Cookies, you may not be able to access the site or some parts of the site will not work.
Performance Cookies
Always Active
Performance Cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance and effectiveness of University websites. Performance Cookies also help the University understand which webpages are the most and least popular, see how visitors move around the site, and determine whether webpage content is relevant to user interests. Performance Cookies may be first-party or third party, permanent or temporary, and do not personally identify individual visitors. Some Performance Cookies are “analytics” Cookies (e.g., Google Analytics), using third-party software tools, which help us understand more about how our websites are used and where visitors come from by collecting and aggregating anonymous information on the pages visited and any advertisements viewed. The University does not take responsibility for the collection, use, and management of data by any third-party software tool provider unless required to do so by applicable law. If you set your browser to block or delete Cookies, some site services and functionalities may not work.
Functional Cookies
Always Active
Functional Cookies enhance the performance and functionality of our websites but are non-essential to their use. These permanent Cookies allow our website to remember information from your previous visits, such as details you submitted before or your previously stated preferences. These Cookies may also be used to provide services you request, such as newsletters or publications. They may be first- or third-party Cookies that enable services we have added to our webpages. If you set your browser to block or delete Cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
Always Active
Targeting Cookies are used to deliver content tailored to your interests and may be temporary or permanent. They may also be first-party or third-party Cookies. Targeting Cookies are based on uniquely identifying your browser and device; they do not store information such as your name. The University may use targeting Cookies prepared by the University, its third-party contractors, or advertising partners
to provide you with personalized University display advertising and promotional material about the University and its programs. The University may also allow third parties to place Cookies on your device that collect and use anonymous information about your visits to, and interactions with, our websites to personalize advertisements and promotional materials for University goods and services. Targeting Cookies may be used by our third-party contractors or our advertising partners to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites. We may share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you have provided to them or that they have collected from your use of their services. If you set your browser to block or delete Cookies, you will still see advertisements, but they will be less targeted to your interests.
