mobile devices and social services
January 15, 2010 8:36 PM Subscribe
Can you point me to examples of innovative programs using cell phones in poor countries?
Examples of the type of thing I'm thinking of are this and this, but these links are focused on projects that are gathering data about potential uses, rather than real projects already in place, and I'm looking for concrete examples. I'm imagining projects where a person could, for example, text a certain number to get answers to health questions, or maybe sign up for regular updates on some civic issue or something. My question is open-ended I know, but that's because I don't really even know what I'm asking for - maybe you folks can help me come up with some categories of types of projects I should look into more. I'm asking because I'll be working on one of these projects, and I'd like to know as much as I can about what's already being done in this arena.
Examples of the type of thing I'm thinking of are this and this, but these links are focused on projects that are gathering data about potential uses, rather than real projects already in place, and I'm looking for concrete examples. I'm imagining projects where a person could, for example, text a certain number to get answers to health questions, or maybe sign up for regular updates on some civic issue or something. My question is open-ended I know, but that's because I don't really even know what I'm asking for - maybe you folks can help me come up with some categories of types of projects I should look into more. I'm asking because I'll be working on one of these projects, and I'd like to know as much as I can about what's already being done in this arena.
MILLEE (Mobile and Immersive Learning for Literacy in Emerging Economies) is a program to use cell phones for novel educational programs. Might touch on the sort of thing you're interested in. Here's a link: MILLEE
posted by heliostatic at 9:30 PM on January 15, 2010
posted by heliostatic at 9:30 PM on January 15, 2010
PRI / The World's technology podcast seems to cover this kind of thing frequently. The 08 January 2010 episode includes "a conversation with Tavneet Suri of MIT’s Sloan School of Management [who] has been studying the impact of the mobile money transfer system called M-PESA" in Kenya. Past episodes have talked about such things as health professionals in the field in Africa using cell phones to transmit medical imaging data to hospitals in industrialized countries for analysis. Clark Boyd, who does the podcast, would probably point you to other similar stories he's done, if you asked nice!
posted by muffuletta at 9:36 PM on January 15, 2010
posted by muffuletta at 9:36 PM on January 15, 2010
There are a host of resources. Probably the best general resource is Mobile Active. Probably the most population application is FrontlineSMS and its various spinoffs FrontlineSMSMedic and CreditSMS. Ushahidi currently being deployed in Haiti is important to look at. Then there is UNICEF's RapidSMS and RapidAndroid projects. And INSTEDD's Geochat and Mesh4x applications.
If you are interested in data collection, look at JavaRosa as a development platform. If you're involved with community health workers, there is a google group discussing mobile applications in this area.
For crowdsourcing solutions, look at Nathan Eagle's TxtEagle.
For voice and sms based community information services, look at the Freedom Fone project.
As a generic platform for chat and groups, have a look at MxIT. 12 million users in Southern Africa.
If it's mbanking you're interested in, take a look at the Cyclos Project.
For mLearning, Steve Vosloo maintains an excellent resource on mLearning initiatives in Africa.
Also look at the Jokko Initiative in Senegal.
Sorry, this is a potpourri off the top of my head not an organised or comprehensive list but it should give you some interesting avenues to explore. It's great you ask this question as the biggest problem in mobile initiatives for development at the moment is the overlap and duplication going on.
posted by stevesong at 11:22 PM on January 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you are interested in data collection, look at JavaRosa as a development platform. If you're involved with community health workers, there is a google group discussing mobile applications in this area.
For crowdsourcing solutions, look at Nathan Eagle's TxtEagle.
For voice and sms based community information services, look at the Freedom Fone project.
As a generic platform for chat and groups, have a look at MxIT. 12 million users in Southern Africa.
If it's mbanking you're interested in, take a look at the Cyclos Project.
For mLearning, Steve Vosloo maintains an excellent resource on mLearning initiatives in Africa.
Also look at the Jokko Initiative in Senegal.
Sorry, this is a potpourri off the top of my head not an organised or comprehensive list but it should give you some interesting avenues to explore. It's great you ask this question as the biggest problem in mobile initiatives for development at the moment is the overlap and duplication going on.
posted by stevesong at 11:22 PM on January 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Taken Your Medicine?" June 4th, 2009 - The Economist.
Link
The article is unfortunately behind their paywall.
In summary: Tuberculosis requires a consistent 6 month drug regimen. For every dose you get a "code" that you can redeem for, in the test case, cell phone minutes. The program mentioned is called XoutTB.
In essence, an incentive system of micropayments distributed through and for cell phones.
posted by handle_unknown at 11:24 PM on January 15, 2010
Link
The article is unfortunately behind their paywall.
In summary: Tuberculosis requires a consistent 6 month drug regimen. For every dose you get a "code" that you can redeem for, in the test case, cell phone minutes. The program mentioned is called XoutTB.
In essence, an incentive system of micropayments distributed through and for cell phones.
posted by handle_unknown at 11:24 PM on January 15, 2010
The Economist did a special report on telecoms in emerging economies; basically EXACTLY what you're looking for.
The report is here but behind their paywall. You can register and get a free 14-day trial, though, which should let you access what you need there.
They also sell the PDF to registered users for the entire report for $4.95.
It's concrete, real examples of how telecoms and mobile phones are changing third world lives and economies, and what's to come. A very great collection of about six or seven separate articles.
posted by disillusioned at 12:03 AM on January 16, 2010
The report is here but behind their paywall. You can register and get a free 14-day trial, though, which should let you access what you need there.
They also sell the PDF to registered users for the entire report for $4.95.
It's concrete, real examples of how telecoms and mobile phones are changing third world lives and economies, and what's to come. A very great collection of about six or seven separate articles.
posted by disillusioned at 12:03 AM on January 16, 2010
Check out DatAgro in Chile. They hope to expand this to other countries later.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 3:46 AM on January 16, 2010
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 3:46 AM on January 16, 2010
The Blum Center for Developing Economies at Berkeley has four projects going on:
Smartphones for Better Health: Using the data and communication capacity of mobile phones to support an innovative voucher-based program for disease treatment.
CellScope for Disease Diagnosis: Developing a modular, high magnification microscope attachment for cell phones so images of blood samples can be transmitted from remote locations.
Bodas For Life: Using the voice capacity of cell phones to create a new service that assists people in rural areas with access to medical services.
Mobile Phones for Literacy: Using cheap short message services (SMS) to turn mobile phones into an adult literacy platform in Niger.
posted by jesseendahl at 7:54 AM on January 16, 2010
Smartphones for Better Health: Using the data and communication capacity of mobile phones to support an innovative voucher-based program for disease treatment.
CellScope for Disease Diagnosis: Developing a modular, high magnification microscope attachment for cell phones so images of blood samples can be transmitted from remote locations.
Bodas For Life: Using the voice capacity of cell phones to create a new service that assists people in rural areas with access to medical services.
Mobile Phones for Literacy: Using cheap short message services (SMS) to turn mobile phones into an adult literacy platform in Niger.
posted by jesseendahl at 7:54 AM on January 16, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks folkss, these are so helpful.
posted by serazin at 10:22 AM on January 16, 2010
posted by serazin at 10:22 AM on January 16, 2010
Usahidi tracks crises by location. It was first used to track election violence in Kenya. Now it's being used to track all sorts of things, including post-earthquake hazards in Haiti.
posted by embrangled at 9:59 PM on January 16, 2010
posted by embrangled at 9:59 PM on January 16, 2010
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I know there's also been a lot of talk about the technology enabling mobile money in use there, which has brought banking services to many people who otherwise couldn't access it.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 8:45 PM on January 15, 2010