I am passionate about information accuracy and reliability, especially in today’s AI-driven world. Recently, I had the opportunity to contribute to the quality assurance process for a cutting-edge large language model (LLM).
Specifically, I identified and reported a significant error in source attribution regarding the University of Southampton’s India campus, directly leading to the correction of the LLM’s knowledge database. This feedback loop is crucial for the ongoing refinement and accuracy of AI-driven information systems, demonstrating a commitment to data integrity and precision.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭?
𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥: It shows I am meticulous and can identify errors, even in complex datasets.
𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: It positions me as someone who understands and contributes to the improvement of advanced technologies.
𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲: It emphasizes my dedication to ensuring reliable information is available.
𝐈𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: It is not a generalized statement, but a specific example of my contribution to improving an AI system.

This experience reinforces the importance of human oversight in AI development. Even advanced models require continuous refinement, and every contribution, big or small, plays a role in shaping the future of AI.
I am excited to continue exploring the potential of AI and contributing to its responsible development. Thanks to the encouragement, “Naomi Latini Wolfe“

hashtag#AI hashtag#MachineLearning hashtag#DataIntegrity hashtag#QualityAssurance hashtag#Feedback hashtag#ContinuousImprovement

We often overlook the environmental cost of our digital activities. Every action we take online—posting a photo, streaming a video, or even sending a message—requires energy, contributing to a growing environmental footprint. High-definition video streaming, a dominant component of social media, is a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions, and this impact is only expected to rise as video quality and usage increase.

Recent studies indicate that the average internet user is responsible for approximately 414 kg of carbon dioxide emissions annually, highlighting the broader climate impact of our digital lifestyles. Despite raising awareness in my WhatsApp groups, urging people to think twice before sharing videos, photos, and Sharechat images, my efforts often go unnoticed. Perhaps more relatable analogies—like the one above—could help drive the message home.

I believe that rather than designating a single day (e.g., National AI Literacy Day on March 28, 2025), we need a sustained, global campaign to promote awareness about digital consumption and its environmental consequences. I am sure the thought leaders have valuable insights and solutions to address this challenge.

How can we effectively integrate digital literacy with environmental consciousness? Looking forward to your thoughts.

Hashtags: #Sustainability #EcoFriendly #ClimateChange #DigitalFootprint #CarbonFootprint

I have always been fascinated by maps. They are more than just navigational tools; they are windows into the world, revealing hidden connections and stories etched into the landscape. So, when I stumbled upon The National Map Corps, a volunteer initiative by the U.S. Geological Survey, my inner cartographer jumped for joy.

The National Map Corps is an online project where people like me, with a passion for geography and a keen eye for detail, can become citizen scientists and contribute to updating the National Map. We do this by using aerial imagery and research to verify, update, delete, or even create structure points—those little dots that represent buildings, schools, hospitals, and other landmarks across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

It might sound like a simple task, but the impact is far-reaching. These updated maps inform everything from emergency response and disaster relief to urban planning and environmental conservation. Every verified structure, every added point, contributes to a more accurate and up-to-date picture of the United States of America, one that can guide people towards a more sustainable and resilient future.

Joining the National Map Corps is more than just a volunteer opportunity; it is a chance to be a part of something bigger. It is about using my skills and passion to make a tangible difference for the community and the country. Every click and scroll through the online mapping editor, every verified point, fills me with a sense of purpose and gratitude.

The learning curve has been steep, but the rewards are immense. I am discovering hidden gems in the neighborhood, learning to decipher aerial imagery like a seasoned cartographer, and even brushing up on my research skills. The online community of Map Corps volunteers is also incredibly supportive and inspiring. We share tips, celebrate each other’s achievements, and learn from each other’s experiences.

QS RANKINGS 2016-2017– Growing challenges from the world’s emerging economic powers

http://www.topuniversities.com/

The  inspiration for sharing this post comes from the recent edition of QS World University Rankings 2016-2017 (published on 6 September 2016) and the fact that the two Public Universities in Singapore, namely National University of Singapore  (Rank 12) and Nanyang Technological University (Rank 13) throwing greater challenges to both US and UK top ranking universities.

Both National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are now ranked within the World’s top 15 Universities.  Unlike some of the top Universities slipping in from their last year’s positions (e.g. Harvard University slipping from 2 to 3; Cambridge University from 3 to 4, Imperial College London from 8 to 9), both NUS and NTU have retained their same position in this year’s ranking, as well.

Some additional facts:

• NUS and NTU also remained the only two Asian universities in the global top 15 universities with China’s Tsinghua University the next closest at 24^th Rank;
• Both NUS and NTU surpassed Ivy League schools including Yale University (Rank 15), Cornell University (Rank 16), Pennsylvania University (Rank 18) and Columbia University (Rank 20) in the United States and thus demonstrating a strong upward momentum for Asia’s Higher Education hubs;
• Only two other Ivy League schools, namely Harvard University (Rank 3) and Princeton University (Rank 11) are ahead of NUS and NTU;
• Incidentally, the other two Ivy League Schools, namely Brown University and Dartmouth College are way behind NUS and NTU with Brown University ranking at 49 and Dartmouth ranking at 158.
• That is, of the 8 Ivy League Schools, NUS and NTU are ahead of 6 Ivy League schools.

For the purpose of this Post I only considered the top 20 Institutions mainly to highlight the supremacy of Asian Universities, namely NUS and NTU over some of the top ranking US and UK universities.

The application processes for both NUS http://www.nus.edu.sg/and NTU http://www.ntu.edu.sg/for the Academic Year 2017-2018 will commence in October 2016, i.e. in about a couple of weeks’ time.  Please do check the websites for further details including Scholarships.

Please do not think that this is a promotional Post on NUS and NTU.  In fact, as some of us are already aware that both NUS and NTU do not need to market themselves as they both are well known internationally.  Incidentally, to my knowledge, these two Institutions do not engage Agents to recruit students, rather they both encourage prospective students to contact them directly for any assistance.

The purpose of this Post will be served if deserving students considered NUS and or NTU for suitable courses, besides their other study destinations such as USA, UK, Australia, etc.

I am privileged to have visited briefly both NUS and NTU a few years ago.

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is a British company specializing in education and study abroad (Wikipedia)

According to QS, “the rankings are based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact”.

Besides QS, Times Higher Education (THE) and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) are the other two most widely and frequently referenced Rankings.

In addition to World University Rankings,  QS Rankings are available (i) by Subject, (ii) for 350 top universities in Asia; (iii) for 250 top universities in the five BRICS countries (i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.) ,

The interactive QS Ranking tables lend themselves to compile helpful analysis.  So good luck to prospective students and Parents and do make the most of this edition of QS World University Rankings.

Other Useful Links:

http://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings/2016

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2016#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/brics-rankings/2016#sorting=rank+country=+stars=false+search

The target audience and the learning outcomes of a free online course, namely Natural Disasters, offered by McGill University in Canada are most suited and relevant to those involved in relief and rehabilitation work during the recent and worst deluge in Chennai.  It is a coincidence that the course has its start date in January 2016, a few weeks immediately after the worst rain and floods in Chennai.

Besides the defense personnel, National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), the deluge in Chennai saw many undergraduate and postgraduate students, young professionals, volunteers, NGOs, etc., supplementing and complementing the relief and rehabilitation work provided by the State and Central Governments.  Volunteers from other Districts within the State of Tamil Nadu and neighboring States were in Chennai for several weeks to offer help and assistance.  We salute every one of them for their hard work in saving lives, moving people to safer places, providing food, shelter, drinking water, clothes, medicine, etc.

As most, if not all, of the volunteers may not have had prior knowledge and/or experience in assisting people during and after the disaster, they would appreciate a learning opportunity to understand the science behind different types of natural disaster.  Besides, the Politicians, City Planners, Disaster Management Officials would appreciate, as well, to learn more about the ability or inability to control and predict these events.  The fact that the course is offered online, people can attend it from anywhere at any time; no fees, no need to be away from work on leave; no clearance is required from seniors or appropriate departments (just in case they are in Government service), etc.

The course being delivered by McGill University speaks very high of its quality due to the fact that (i) it is 24^th ranked in QS World University Rankings 2015/16 (ii) 12 Nobel Prize winners – the highest among Canadian Universities and (iii) 139 Rhodes Scholars – the highest among Canadian Universities. This is offered as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) through edX Provider.

The course starts on January 13, 2016.  It is a 12 weeks course.  No pre requisites are required to attend this course.

According to the course provider:

• The course is aimed at:
  • City Planners who need to know where and where not to site buildings;
  • Politicians who need to make scientifically informed decisions;
  • Emergency management officials who need to understand the nature of a potential disaster and ways to mitigate such an event;
  • Journalists who need to report scientifically accurate information

• The learning outcomes of this course are:
  • Explore the ongoing conflict between humans and nature;
  • Discuss the global impact of natural disasters and how they are linked;
  • Explore the scientific principles behind the occurrence of natural disasters

Let us share this among our friends and contacts through our Social networks so that those interested can take advantage of this course. Incidentally, such courses might be repeated; as these courses get filled up fast, those who could not get enrolled for January 2016 course possibly might make it for the subsequent courses.

This has reference to the recent news item “Seventh Pay Commission recommends 23.5 % salary hike for central government employees and pensioners with effect from 1.1.2016”. We are at a loss as to whether the Seventh Pay Commission has addressed the issue of OROP (One Rank One Pension). It is a very sorry state of affairs that the defense personnel who defended our Country have to struggle to get their OROP (One Rank One Pension) sorted out.

Whenever successive pay commissions enhance the salaries and consequently the pensions, these are effected only prospectively. The gap between past pensioners and their younger equivalents keeps widening with every successive pay commission. Also, as compared to the other civil employees, defense personnel do not get to serve as many years as required to procure optimum pension amount. For example, while a civil servant may put in as many as 33 years and secure a 50% pension, a defense personnel would probably be retired much before he completes that many years and so will not be eligible for the same amount of pension.

Major exclusions in the Policy, general & specific mandatory waiting periods for certain illnesses, Third Party Administrators (TPAs) and their roles, network hospitals, procedures towards Cashless facility; Pre-approval, co-payment, sub-limits for expenses, etc., and the list goes on and on and on.

My intention is not to intimidate people with the above list but to make their life relatively easier with some of my learning experiences. Whilst it is a mammoth task for us to be able to successfully get our claims sorted out, it is hugely important that we all have our Health Insurance/ Mediclaim Policy.  Otherwise the lifestyle diseases coupled with high medical costs would drain our financial resources or erode considerably the life term savings in the case of senior citizens.  The sooner the better – considering the fact that there is a mandatory waiting period for claims in the case of certain illnesses.  When it is mandatory for the vehicle owner to have valid Motor vehicle insurance, I fail to understand as to why the Government has not made it mandatory for the people to have their health insurance.

As someone, who went through the processes recently and having equipped with firsthand information and learning experience, I thought it is my duty to share them with you all through this Post, just in case some of us need to avail the Health Insurance facilities in the near or distant future – though it is not anybody’s wish.

My recent experience is with one of the Private Insurance companies.  However, I would love to hear from people just in case, they have experience in dealing with other insurance companies (a) in Private Sector, e.g. Apollo Munich, Max Bupa, Star Health Insurance, etc. or (b) Public sector, e.g. United India Insurance Company Limited, National Insurance Company Limited, etc.

Unfortunately, my experience with the Private Insurance Company, with whom I have my relationship for nearly a decade, was not a pleasant one.  Thank God I did not have an opportunity to deal with them during the last 10 years. [The positive side to this is that the cumulative bonus points get added to our sum insured for “no-claims” and thus this is an encouraging factor for us to keep renewing our Policies].  I had the unfortunate occasion a few days ago when I needed to interact with my Insurance Company for my illness – inguinal hernia.  Hope, I wouldn’t be totally wrong in my perception that the Insurance Company was taking its customers for a ride.  None of us expect that the terms and conditions of the Policy served by various Health insurance providers should be in favor of the customers.  But it should be fair enough with fair practices and enable the customers to minimize or reduce considerably the huge medical costs.

TPA (Third Party Administrator):

I was aware in the case of my Insurance Company, that there was an additional layer in the form of Third Party Adviser (TPA) in between the Insurance Company and me – i.e. the customer.   However, I was not aware of their roles, as I never had an opportunity in the past to know more about TPA.  It was my mistake not to have found out, proactively, what this TPA meant and why their address was mentioned in my Certificate of Insurance.  Incidentally, as TPA they have access to our personal details, besides the Insurance Company!  I do not know if other private insurance companies employ / contract TPAs.  This is something for us to find out before hand, as this will enable us to know whom to contact when there is a need or during emergency.  This is because some of the Insurance Companies use TPAs to administer services, including claims administration, premium collection, enrollment and other administrative activities.

As I never took advantage of Health Insurance facilities in the past, I was in a confused state as to whether (i) I should pay upfront to the Hospital and claim reimbursement from my Insurance Company or (ii) inform the Insurance Company prior to my hospitalization & surgery and seek pre-approval from them.   Like many others I was under the impression that I need not pay anything towards my hospitalization and medical costs just because I had a valid health insurance Policy with the sum insured far exceeding the estimated costs provided by the hospital.  Unfortunately, it was not so.  Even though we have a valid Health insurance policy for a reasonable amount of sum insured, the amount approved by the Insurance Company against our claim could be far less.

Though I knew the sum insured in my case, I was not aware as to how much the Insurance Company will approve or reimburse.  This is a big worry for the customers, who are in need of treatment/surgery in a hospital, especially as an in-patient.  The estimated cost for a couple of days stay in a reasonably good hospital for a common surgery could be anything from ₹ 1.20 to ₹  1.50 Lakhs. If the treatment, consultation or medical procedure is planned then we can contact the insurance company or TPA either directly or through the Hospital where we intend to have the treatment and seek a pre-approval (Cashless service offered by the Insurance Company).  In an emergency, the insurance company or TPA should be informed within 24 hours after the treatment or hospitalization.

There are various factors we need be aware like: mandatory waiting period for certain illnesses, exclusion clauses for certain illnesses, etc.  This means even though we have a valid health insurance policy we cannot take advantage of it towards these illnesses for the simple reason that we have not completed the mandatory waiting period.  Incidentally, this could be ranging from 2 to 4 years (4 years in the case of pre-existing diseases). Then there is a long list of exclusions.  This is where we tend to think that most, if not all, of the terms and conditions are favorable to the insurance company.

Through the feedback system, I did inform the Hospital, as well, as to how they were equally unfriendly and indifferent when they deal with patients availing health insurance facilities.  The Hospital’s billing section never informs and explains it to the Patient or the Attendant as to what was included in the bill either before or after they sent the bills to the Insurance Company for settling the claim.

From my recent experience, I found out that it is not as simple/easy as we think to avail ourselves of the Health insurance facilities and to get our claims administered by the Insurance Companies. It involves a lot of our time, efforts and negotiation skills. One can imagine how difficult it is for people in general and older persons in particular to spend time and persuade Insurance companies, especially if they themselves are patients.  Besides, many elderly consumers of healthcare/health insurance are not savvy-consumers.

Considering the life style diseases and the huge medical costs, the bottom line is that we need to have health insurance, especially those who are retired with no fixed monthly income.  We should remember to buy Policies from Insurance Companies registered with IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India).  Insurance companies such as Apollo Munich coming out with their own scheme even for Dengue fever called “Dengue Care Plan”. The medical costs would be very high even with Dengue fever, when it goes out of control and required hospitalization.

The summary of the key messages is given below in two separate slides:

As it is something useful and related to this Post, I am sharing with you a recent news item appeared in the Hindu dated October 16, 2015 – “State told to reimburse surgery expenses to School teacher” http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/reimburse-surgery-expenses-to-teacher-hc-orders-state/article7768009.ece

According to the news item in the print edition, “The Madras High Court Bench in Madurai has directed the government to reimburse ₹ 44,581/- spent by a Madurai Corporation Middle School teacher for performing obstructed hernia surgery on her 10 month old son at a private hospital that was not part of a network of hospitals listed under the health insurance scheme for government employees” It was heartening to note that the High Court directed the Government to make sure that the amount was reimbursed along with interest at the rate of 9% from April 30,2014, when she had made the payment to the private hospital, to the date when the money would be handed over to her. 

Excellent on the part of Judge to have delivered this judgment.  I could not make out from the news item, if the direction included reimbursement of costs towards School teacher’s legal battle and compensation towards her mental agony for the last 15 months. We all hope and wish that the direction to the State Government included this, as well.

Hats off to the School teacher, who had to fight her case initially with the District Collector, Commissioner of Treasuries and Accounts, Insurance officials from United Insurance Company, etc. before seeking legal assistance from the High Court.

This is really encouraging, as we have a precedent now to use when some of us need to undergo treatment in a non-networked hospitals when in emergency.

IoT (Internet of Things) Technology in Insurance Industries:

Until I read a LinkedIn Pulse Post a couple of days ago [Internet of Things: A transformational force for the Insurance Industry by Mr. Rohit Bhisey}, I did not realize that the emerging technology, i.e.  Internet of Things (IoT) has already started  revolutionizing  various sectors including Health insurance sector.

I was extremely happy when I read that “The Internet of things will help insurers price their products based on historical data and real-time data. This will allow insurers to provide customized and fair policies. The IoT will also help insurers reduce risk and mitigate costs in many ways. A few healthcare insurers are offering consumers lower premiums, free fitness trackers, and other benefits to help consumers meet their daily exercise goals”.

In my view, this area, i.e. Health Insurance or Mediclaim – lends itself to a variety of   topics for research.  Together with the emerging technology IoT (a new future of the Insurance industry), I think a world of opportunities exist for possible research in this area.  For what it is worth, I am tempted to associate myself with any efforts in this direction.

Incidentally, masters students, research masters students and students registering themselves for Doctoral research would appreciate the huge potential this sector offers for research in terms of comparing various facilities the Health insurance provisions offered by both Public and Private Sector Insurance Companies.  I am sure the research findings would be hugely useful and beneficial to all stakeholders, i.e. Insurance Companies in Public and Private sectors, Governments, Healthcare professionals, Hospitals, Doctors, customers, etc.

Hope the readers would not mind this long post.