A Note on the Availability (and Importance) of Pre-Paid Mobile Data in Africa data sheet 2117 Views
Author:
Donovan, Kevin; Donner, Jonathan.
Publication Date:
Jun 2010
Publication Type:
Report/White paper
Abstract:
We argue that access to prepay data will be as essential to the widespread adoption and use of the mobile internet in developing countries as access to prepay airtime is/was to the adoption of the mobile telephone. In late 2009, we conducted a desk assessment of the availability of pre-pay (payas-you-go) data from the major operators in 53 African countries. In 36 cases we were able to identify at least one operator in each country which offered pre-pay data, and in 3 cases we could determine that no prepay data was available.
Information available from operators was vague, incomplete, and hard to obtain, suggesting a threshold in general awareness and enthusiasm on the part of operators may not yet have been crossed. We describe an ongoing follow-up “crowdsourcing” activity underway to fill in information from the remaining 14 countries, and suggest topics for further research, both on the demand and supply sides of the prepaid data equation.
Four Billion Little Brothers? Privacy, Mobile Phones, and Ubiquitous Data Collection. data sheet 2081 Views
Author:
Shilton,Katie.
Publication Date:
Aug 2009
Publication Type:
Report/White paper
Abstract:
Participatory sensing technologies could improve our lives and our communities, but at what cost to our privacy? They place calls, surf the Internet, and there are close to 4 billion of them in the world. Their built-in microphones, cameras, and location awareness can collect images, sound, and GPS data. Beyond chatting and texting, these features could make phones ubiquitous, familiar tools for quantifying personal patterns and habits. They could also be platforms for thousands to document a neighborhood, gather evidence to make a case, or study mobility and health. This data could help you understand your daily carbon footprint, exposure to air pollution, exercise habits, and frequency of interactions with family and friends.
According to the Wall Street Journal, “[Data produced by the use of mobile phones] generates immense commercial databases that reveal the ways we arrange ourselves into networks of power, money, love and trust.” As mobile phone use increases and applications become increasingly sophisticated, the volume of mobile data we create continues to grow at an incredible rate, creating new possibilities and posing new challenges to notions of privacy.
Businesses want this data for marketing. Congress wants to regulate it. Activists and privacy advocates want to ensure that it is not used to compromise their safety or freedoms. Meanwhile, projects such as UN Global Pulse want to use information gleaned from mobile phone use to detect and prevent slow-onset humanitarian crises. We invite you to join us on the evening of June 30th for our next New York City-based Mobile Tech Salon as we explore these tough questions:
How do we determine socially beneficial uses for mobile data?
How can the safety, security, and privacy of individuals be respected while using mobile data to benefit them?
How can our mobile data be effectively aggregated and anonymized? Or can’t it?
Txteagle in Flight: Mobile Data Collection for Disaster Preparedness data sheet 5253 Views
Txteagle is a data collection and engagement platform that leverages mobile airtime compensation for data collection and customer engagement. It is currently used by one nonprofit organization to survey constituents about disaster preparedness. We looked into the company and one of its customers.
Txteagle widely advertises its ability to reach 2.1 billion mobile subscribers currently. MobileActive.org spoke with Nathan Eagle, co-founder of the service, to learn more about how it works, how many active participants there are and where some of the large numbers come from. We also spoke with Terry Gibson, project manager for the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction, who is currently using txteagle to collect mobile data on 40,000 respondents in 48 countries.
Open Data Kit: Tools to Build Information Services for Developing Regions data sheet 1301 Views
Author:
Hartung, Carl, Yaw Anokwa, Waylon Brunette, Adam Lerer, Clint Tseng, and Gaetano Borriello
Publication Date:
Dec 2010
Publication Type:
Report/White paper
Abstract:
This paper presents Open Data Kit (ODK), an extensible, open-source suite of tools designed to build information services for developing regions. ODK currently provides four tools to this end: Collect, Aggregate, Voice, and Build. Collect is a mobile platform that renders application logic and supports the manipulation of data. Aggregate provides a “click-to-deploy” server that supports data storage and transfer in the “cloud” or on local servers. Voice renders application logic using phone prompts that users respond to with keypad presses. Finally, Build is a application designer that generates the logic used by the tools. Designed to be used together or independently, ODK core tools build on existing open standards and are supported by an open-source community that has contributed additional tools. We describe four deployments that demonstrate how the decisions made in the system architecture of ODK enable services that can both push and pull information in developing regions.
If you're interested in using mobiles and ICTs for data collection, the sheer number of tools and projects can be overwhelming. With so much out there, the need to highlight good projects and consolidate practical information is clear. Here is a handy reference guide to all the data collection information we've accumulated on MobileActive.org.
The Ultimate Resource Guide
We recently created the Ultimate Resource Guide, an easy-to-use spreadsheet that breaks down our data collection content into clear categories:
Web content: A compilation of blog posts, case studies, and regular posts that focuses on data collection.
Peer Reviewed Research: A collection of journal articles, research papers, and literature reviews related to mobile data collection.
Reports and Evaluations: A matrix of 20+ case studies, broken down by issue, area of practice, target country, and type of evaluation.
How-Tos: Instructions for setting up many of the most popular data collection tools, such as ODK, RapidSMS, and EpiCollect.
Inventory: An inventory of current data collection projects around the world, compiled through user submissions and MobileActive's research. Thanks to all who contributed!
Comparison Matrix
We developed a comparison matrix assessing ten different mobile data collection tools against a core set of metrics, both technical (platforms, data type collected, required operating systems, security, etc...) and non-technical (such as cost, language, and support). If you want to implement a data collection project, the comparison matrix can help you to determine which tool is best for your project.
Research
There is a great deal of academic and analytic research on mobile data collection. For example, check out these two practical pieces that examine how mobiles and ICTs are used in the field:
Our slidecast that examines the effectiveness of PDA-based questionnaires vs. paper questionnaires for collecting health data in Fiji.
A literature review that provides an overview of the components, approaches, and techniques used to build mobile phone-accessible, SMS applications for data collection and service delivery.
We recently developed a comparison of mobile data collection tools. Thank you to all of you who provided valuable feedback. Here's what's been added and changed from the draft version:
We added two tools: GeoChat and GATHERdata.
Added FrontlineForms to the FrontlineSMS description.
Three fields have been added to all tools: form question and logic overview, native data analysis/reports, and data export.
Integrated comments on existing material into the spreadsheet.
We'll add and revise tools regularly. Please comment and tell us what's missing!
Audience
The matrix is aimed at program managers, or those in similar roles, whose responsibility it is to choose the best mobile data collection technology for their project.
The PoiMapper application allows a user to create a case-specific questionnaire, collect data, and upload it to a database. PoiMapper also allows the user to take photographs of specific points of interest (POIs) being recorded and these images are also uploaded to the database. Another feature is that the system can be used to update existing data.
Tool Category:
App resides and runs on a mobile phone
Is a web-based application/web service
Key Features :
1. Define program specific point-of-interests (POIs), routes and areas with associated data to be collected. Data can be of multiple types: text, numbers, single and multi-choice alternatives, conditional sub-questions.
2. Capture pictures to be included for POIs.
3. Collect data with affordable mobile phones with GPS and camera.
4. Upload data directly to a central database over the cellular network or via an internet connected computer, edit existing data in the mobile device during follow-up visits.
5. Back-office reporting and analysis.
6. Visualize the collected data in different ways.
Acquee.com is a SaaS offering of survey/form designer + mobile portal where data can be collected online. No software installation is required on the desktop or mobile side. It is a web based mobile data collection service designed for use with modern mobile devices.
The Development and Evaluation of a PDA-based Method for Public Health Surveillance Data Collection in Developing Countries data sheet 1579 Views
Author:
Ping Yu, Maximilian de Courten, Elaine Pan, Gauden Galea, Jan Pryor
Publication Date:
Aug 2009
Publication Type:
Journal article
Abstract:
Epi Data and Epi Info are often used together by public health agencies around the world, particularly in developing countries, to meet their needs of low-cost public health data management; however, the current open source data management technology lacks a mobile component to meet the needs of mobile public health data collectors. The goal of this project is to explore the opportunity of filling this gap through developing and trial of a personal digital assistant (PDA) based data collection/entry system. It evaluated whether such a system could increase efficiency and reduce data transcription errors for public surveillance data collection in developing countries represented by Fiji.
120 participants were recruited from the Fiji School of Medicine were randomly assigned to be interviewed by one of six interviewers in one of the two ways: (1) paper-based survey followed by PDA survey and (2) PDA survey followed by paper-based survey. Data quality was measured by error rates (logical range errors/inconsistencies, skip errors, missing values, date or time field errors and incorrect data type). Work flow and cost were evaluated in three stages of the survey process: (1) preparation of data collection instrument, (2) data collection and (3) data entry, validation and cleaning. User acceptance was also evaluated in the two groups of participants: (1) data collectors and (2) survey participants.
None of the errors presented in 20.8% of the paper questionnaires was found in the data set collected using PDA. Sixty-two percent of the participants perceived that the PDA-based questionnaire took less time to complete. Data entry, validation and cleaning for the PDA-based data collection from 120 participants took a total of 1.5 h, a 93.26% reduction of time from 20.5h required using paper and pen. The cost is also significantly reduced with PDA-based protocol. Both data collectors and participants prefer to use PDA instead of paper for data collection. The trial results prove that eSTEPS is a feasible solution for public health surveillance data collection in the field. Several deficiencies of the softwarewere also identified and would be addressed in the next version.
eSTEPS offers the potential to meet the need for an effective mobile public health data collection tool for use in the field. The eSTEPS field trial proves that PDA was more efficient than paper for public health survey data collection. It also significantly reduced errors in data entry. The later benefit was derived from the software providing its users with the flexibility of building their own constraints to control the data type, range and logic of data entry.
As we are completing an inventory of mobile date collection projects around the world that are focused on vulnerable populations and early warning, we've come across a few efforts that are worth highlighting. One is the SMS and PDA-based surveying of the World Food Programme (WFP). WFP's food security monitoring systems are set up in many countries. While some countries are still submitting paper records, there is a push to incorporate PDAs or SMS data transmission for faster and more reliable monitoring of food security.
The data collected includes both food security baseline data and food insecurity indicators. The bulk of WFP's data collected focuses on nutritional indicators, market prices, import, cross border trades, socioeconomic indicators, and health indicators. The UN agency is trialing both FrontlineSMS and RapidSMS, two mobile data collection software tools, in its current projects, as well as PDAs but is likely going to standardize its operations using one of the two with some custom gateway software.
In the process of collecting data, WFP always collaborates with governments and other UN partners. WFP staff are involved with the supervision, training and coordination but but the people who conduct interviews and collect the data are usually government staff, university students, or NGO workers As one WFP staffer noted, "We have huge armies of data collectors."
The scope of the work is accordingly large. Some of the efforts cover an entire country. In Senegal, for example, WFP has 250 numerators covering the country – 22 teams of 11 people each who are collecting data for six weeks, visiting 2,000 villages.
The video below features George Muammar of the WFP Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping Unit. He describes rapid data collection in an Emergency Food Security Assessment in Goma, N. Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
A large amount of news and information is produced around various events and topics. Mapping and visualization can be useful ways to track this content. There is a need for tools that allow users to search and track news and information, and republish some of that news and information. Both the back-end and front-end systems allow for mapping and visualization of that information.
Managing News originated as a news aggregation and republishing platform heavily integrated with RSS/Atom. Users can track a diverse set of RSS/Atom feeds, visualize them, and republish selected reports on a platform that allows for mapping and pluggable visualizations. Managing News has subsequently added SMS functionality to the system. The system is based on Drupal, and integrates several open source projects including OpenLayers, SimplePie, and many Drupal plug-ins.
Tool Category:
App resides and runs on a server
Key Features :
Aggregate RSS/Atom news
Republish news as RSS/Atom in customizable channels, or directly to Facebook, Twitter, or email.
Show news as list, map, timeline graphs, or visualized in other ways.
Search news.
Integrate SMS input with SlingshotSMS.
Configurable location tagging and mapping.
Main Services:
Location-Specific Services and GIS
Information Resources/Information Databases
Tool Maturity:
Currently deployed
Platforms:
Linux/UNIX
Mac/Apple/iPhone
Windows
Current Version:
1
Program/Code Language:
PHP
Organizations Using the Tool:
United States federal government, National Democratic Institute, Drupal. See the examples page.
EMIT: Mobile Monitoring and Evaluation data sheet 4754 Views
System Description
EMIT is an application that allows facilitators to capture field data on cellphones and submit it via GPRS to a centralised database. Surveys are customised and data is monitored, verified and prepared for analysis in real time. Read more here.
From Pilot to National
The pilot was performed with the Community Media Trust (CMT), who used EMIT as a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tool to capture information on their HIV prevention and treatment literacy sessions in clinics, their training programme and open day events held in public spaces in communities where they work. CMT had been struggling with long turnaround times:
We will be blogging and twittering this week from a workshop we are co-hosting on Innovations in Mobile Data Collection for Social Action in Amman, Jordan.
Co-hosted by UNICEF’s country office in Iraq, UNICEF Innovation, and MobileActive.org, this three-day gathering is bringing invited experts from around the world together to explore some of the key issues related to using mobiles for data collection and analysis of some of the toughest social issues.
Why are we hosting this event?
With the ubiquity of mobile technology, data collection and monitoring of key indicators from the ground up by affected populations is now possible. Mobile technology in the hands of people can now be more than a person-to-person communication medium but can be used for capturing, classifying and transmitting image, audio, location and other data, interactively or autonomously.
We've been talking recently quite a lot about the many mobile apps available for data collection. We reviewed them, we featured them, we write about them. Some of you may be wondering why in the world there is such a relative plethora of tools for surveying and data gathering out there and why we keep writing about them. In short, gathering field data (and being able to analyze them in close-to-real time) allows organizations to respond quickly and accurately to need by constituents to then be able to deliver critical social services.
Here is a very short video, demonstrating Nokia's Data Gathering application, used by Amazonas' State Health Department in Brazil to monitor and treat outbreaks of dengue fever. The video is not specific to Nokia's tool -- the same benefits apply to any of the mobile tools we have reviewed. What the video does show nicely, though, is why mobile data collection matters greatly to the health and well-being of people around the world.
And if you are not convinced, take a look at this very short video about another tool, Episurveyor. It'll give you a glimpse why these tools are so critical.
Our field has discovered that mobile phones are useful tools for collecting data in the field. As a result, there is an abundance of mobile data collection applications and projects.
Unlike bulk messaging and general information services that are targeting the general public as recipients of standardized messaging, mobile data collection applications are often used internally in an organization, customized to fit with existing organizational processes.
This may mean using services or applications that are not part of most people's day-to-day experience of mobile use. Add a liberal sprinkling of jargon (and the mobile world's plague of acronyms) and you have a recipe for much technical confusion.
I wanted to share this article that I saw as a bit of a milestone. According to a report from Informa Telecoms & Media, worldwide mobile penetration has hit 50% today.
Informa estimates that mobile networks covered 90 per cent of the global population by mid-2007. This means that some 40 per cent of the world's inhabitants are covered by a network, but not connected, and leaves just 10 per cent with neither coverage nor connection.
