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SMS vs WAP and Mobile Applications
SMS vs WAP and Mobile Applications
The use of mobile phones in Monitoring and Evaluation is compelling because the technology provides a format and vehicle to gather metrics. Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging is the most universal data application, is supported on almost any mobile device, and is the most accessible phone channel to reach people in rural areas. However, SMS as a channel to send and receive M&E data is limited in that it allows for short text messages (up to 160 characters) to be sent back and forth. Most service providers small charge per message or have a bulk rate applied to SMS messages. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is an alternative channel for mobile to mobile messaging, and it provides web capabilities (email, access to websites, etc). WAP M&E solutions provide more flexibility in survey design because data can be passed along the mobile network, essentially allowing the user to access the internet from their phone, and do not require the downloading or installation of applications on a phone. Most mobile devices support WAP, but it requires that users have a data service plan with their service provider. Most providers charge by data transferred, and since most surveys require minimal data, the cost to the user is still nominal.
Additionally, M&E surveys can be delivered via the Mobile Application Channel, which requires an application to be downloaded and installed on the hand-held device (like downloading a ring-tone). This channel typically requires mobiles that supports the java platform, so the device can utilize more interactive applications or tools. Most feature phones do support java, but they are often very limited in its capabilities. Smart phones - phones that have an operating system - can more easily adopt to robust features and applications.
With an expected 6 billion mobile phones connections by 2012 (BBC), it can be expected that evolving mobile capabilities will soon be reaching more and more rural developing areas. The use of mobile technology in M&E goes beyond SMS functionality. WAP and Mobile Applications allow for more interactivity with the user and the data. SMS will remain the optimal channel for pushing information or alerts, but for collecting data and soliciting more qualitative data, M&E designers should look to building thoughtful WAP and Applications. According to estimates from ITU World Telecommunication/ICT, developing countries surpasses developed countries, with nearly 75% of mobile subscriptions coming from less developed countries.
Enhanced Survey Tools
Enhanced Survey Tools
There are a number of mobile data collection resources available today, on different platforms, for different types of data (SMS, Audio, Video, etc) with varying levels of customization. Selecting the right application for a monitoring and evaluation purposes can be a challenge, and our friends at MobileActive.org have laid the groundwork for comparing the key tools available today. The openly available spreadsheet provides a matrix that compares the different tools against technical (security, data export capabilities, customization capabilities, operating system requirements, etc) and non-technical (usage costs, implementation costs, internationalization capabilities, support options, etc) categories. This is an on-going analysis open to the development community, and can be found here.
Technologies for Internet Access
Technologies for Internet Access
Much like the new generation of mobile technology, internet access is also widely available in emerging countries and some rural areas.Specifically in developing countries and rural areas, access to internet, however, is often non-existent or unreliable. Mobile broadband cards are widely recognized as an alternative, which uses the mobile network to provide internet to computers and laptops (like WAP technology for phones). These connections are often slow, depending on location and service provider availability, but provide a much needed an alternative. UNICEF has developed a prototype mobile communications device, called "Bee" that can be solar powered or even powered by conventional battery source like a car battery. The Bee can connect to satellites and mobiles to provide WiFi access in areas that might otherwise not have internet capabilities.
Much like the new generation of mobile technology, internet access is also widely available in emerging countries and some rural areas.Specifically in developing countries and rural areas, access to internet, however, is often non-existent or unreliable. Mobile broadband cards are widely recognized as an alternative, which uses the mobile network to provide internet to computers and laptops (like WAP technology for phones). These connections are often slow, depending on location and service provider availability, but provide a much needed an alternative. UNICEF has developed a prototype mobile communications device, called "Bee" that can be solar powered or even powered by conventional battery source like a car battery. The Bee can connect to satellites and mobiles to provide WiFi access in areas that might otherwise not have internet capabilities.
Open Source and API
Open Source and API
Open Source technology allows free access for developers to the source code for a given application. This allows any developer to take a solution, and customize it to their needs – useful especially for developing countries. This collaborative model is particularly cost-effective for development practitioners since it provides a cost-effective platform to build a customized application for specific purposes, such as a monitoring and evaluation tool.
The illustration on the left, for example, is Mobile Researcher's depiction of the their open platform. It demonstrates how their platform works with an open Application Programming Interface (API) to work with other open source consoles to collaboratively build mobile solutions. APIs are slightly different from open source, in that the base code is not open to developers, but it provides a basic framework that allows software to interact with other software.
Datadyne, for example, built a monitoring and evaluation health tool from EpiSurveyor – a free, open source, mobile phone data collection tool. Working off the EpiSurveyor platform, Datadyne partnered with the open source software tool to pilot and eventually implement a solution in Kenya and Zambia to track health data and conduct surveys for evaluation purposes.Check out MobileActive's full case study on the project here.
The biggest benefit to using a open source, is the time to production, since implementers do not have to build a custom solution from scratch, but can build off a pre-existing application. The challenge, however, is that implementers may be constrained by the original framework that the open source solution is built on. Understanding the open source limitations and flexibility of customization, therefore is critical before engaging in an open source project.
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing
Service provider technology companies, like Google and Salesforce.com are trying to evolve their private sector-products to encompass the needs of the public sector. These web solutions are dependent on a stable internet connection, so for developing countries that are still in the process of trying to establish basic electricity grids for rural outreach, web-services effectiveness is questionable as it applies to the extreme poor, but is potentially useful for emerging urban markets.
That said, it is estimated that in the next 10 years, “the spread of affordable data-enabled phones in developing countries will increasingly enable consumers to have direct access to the Internet. This is made possible by a dramatic fall in the price of mobile devices with basic Internet browsing and falling prices of data services, which are also available on a prepaid basis,” according to the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP). The chart below, from ITU World Telecommunication/ICT, illustrates how quickly internet access is quickly becoming prevalent in developing countries.
The next wave of monitoring and evaluation tools will certainly look to the internet, and the more cost-effective solutions will be found in the Cloud:
What: The “Cloud” is used to describe a multi-tenant model the uses shared resources, infrastructure to provide services, software and information over the internet.
Why: Economics of the equity in infrastructure. Using technology that is in the cloud is much more cost effective for developing/emerging countries because they do not need to invest in the infrastructure that developed countries have, but can jump straight to using the cloud.
Challenges: Lot of developing countries don’t have reliable internet access – but that will be changing in the next decade. Additionally, companies like Google are looking at improving their “Offline” capabilities – so making their applications more accessible to users who have less reliable internet access (ie: refresh data when you have access, but you can still work on your computer/laptop when you don’t have access)
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