Jul 09
Obsessed with SMS
I’ve recently become rather fixated on SMS services and applications in emerging markets. Here are some ways that SMS is being used:
Getting Information
There are a few companies providing standard commercial endeavoers with SMS customer surveys and customer service questionnaires. These seem to be more available in South Africa, but I’ve seen websites for similar services in India and Nigeria. On the right is an example from Surveys per SMS of South Africa. Populi.net’s Mobile Researcher uses SMS technology to provide field workers a tool to execute surveys and collect data without paper.
Providing Information
Several organizations are using SMS to provide information to cell-phone users. Most notably, Google is getting into the game with the Uganda launch of their AppLab mobile applications, co-developed with the Grameen Foundation. Users can get health advice, locate the nearest clinic, agricultural tips- even find a buyer for their agricultural commodity. Smaller startups are also getting in the game. For example, Nigerian web portal eNowNow has begun providing traffic information (obtained by sending out people with bikes and cell phones to key traffice areas) in Lagos, Nigeria using a Google maps mashup.
Open-Source Platforms
There are even free, open-source SMS data platforms being launched with the world of international development in mind. RapidSMS was used by six graduate students at Columbia School to create RapidSMS Child Malnutrition Surveillance, a system for health practitioners to share child treatment and nutrition information. The project recently won first place in the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge. Other RapidSMS projects include food management during famine in Ethiopia and monitoring bednet distribution in Nigeria. Ushahidi is another open-source SMS platform (and a runner-up in the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge), has more of a focus on empowering cell-phone users to share information, including Vote Report India, a citizen-led election monitoring campaign, and Unsung Peace Heroes, where anyone can nominate fellow citizens who provided help during the Kenyan election violence.
InSTEDD is a platform specifically for disaster and disease relief. SMS is particularly suited to disaster relief as SMS capability often remains available long after the phone systems are down. The core application is GeoChat, which uses SMS technology to share information and locations. To support these efforts are other applications for combining information from various systems (such as survivor databases) and analyzing large streams of information, including twitter feeds.
