"State of the Art of mobile Information-Communication Technology" - presented at Save the Children Health conference at Norwalk, CT 30 June 2009 by David Isaak of Sixblue Data. http://www.sixbluedata.com

1. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Save the Children USA – June 2009

2. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Introduction - Personal
• Began as volunteer with SC in El Salvador CO after 2003 Boeing lay-off.
• Contracted as consultant since 2005.
• Conducted assessments and implementations in 19 of our CO’s.
(Last was Yemen and West Darfur in Feb. )

3. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Partnerships: Industry
• Microsoft (Win Mobile, Unlimited Potential)
• Google (Google Maps, Android)
• Nokia (Community Involvement)
• Global Relief Technologies.
• Numerous cell phone and PDA technology groups.

4. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Partnerships: Academic
Dartmouth College -Tuck School of Business, Center for Digital
Strategies
Penn State University - Information Sciences and Technology College
University of Waterloo – Management of Technology, Dr. Peter Carr

5. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Partnerships: NGO/NPO
• Nethope – member of I4D mobility working group
• Save the Children UK/Myanmar PDA and data management project
• Family Health International – Zambia PDA project (2008)
• MobileActive
• Non-Profit Technology Network
• Open Source Consortium

6. Mobile Information-Communication Technology (mICT)
1. What is the current state of mICT?
2. What our donors say about mICT.
3. How has SC used mICT?
4. Choosing the Appropriate mICT
5. Recommendations

7. What is the Current State of mICT?
ICT capabilities have moved to the mobile platform due to:
• Rapid advances and availability of hardware and software.
• Widespread connectivity options.
• Cell phones are experiencing unprecedented adoption

8. What is the Current State of mICT?
“Instead of bringing your work to the computer…
take your computer to your work”
“Mobile devices are the terminus of an information strategy”

9. What Is mICT?
An UN document published in 20072, described 129
mICT projects in 34 countries.
A May 2009 NetHope3 review of mICT in use by NGO’s
for Agriculture and Health listed 37 different tools used
in 34 separate projects.

10. What Is mICT?

11. What is the Current State of mICT?
Devices
Cell phone
Smart Phone
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
Netbook
Laptop

12. What Is mICT?
Cell Phone

13. Cell Phones
Cheap, ubiquitous, dominated by Nokia and Vodafone
Wide cost range from free cell phone (locked) to $500+
Multitude of devices/platform - “complex ecology”
Voice-only (usually with SMS)
Java-enabled
Web-enabled
Multitude of providers - constraints (“network access
not allowed”).
• Limited power (mitigate by solar, auxiliary power)
• Limited “off-line” data storage.

14. Cell Phone Software
• Rapidly emerging & competing software development.
Immature/unstable.
Poor support/documentation (typically user forum).

15. Cell Phone Software
Server-side (desktop)
Free/open source: user supported, poorly funded, risk of
non-sustainability (FrontlineSMS).
Mid-level: high IT skill level w/ assoc. costs (RapidResponse)
Enterprise: high cost, confidence of support (few)

16. Cell Phones
Cell Phone Interface
Fixed-format SMS: (comma-delimited) - SMS-only.
Java (J2ME) Forms: fixed field with defined data types - SMS or GPRS.
Web Forms: web-based form optimized for displaying on browser of cell
phone - GPRS-only.

17. Client-side (phone)
Fixed Format Short Message System (SMS)
• Data “bursts” (160 characters).
• Requires manual data delimiters (prone to user error).
• High cost.
• Risk of provider applying high volume fees.
• “Free form”.
simple linear data structure.
lacks pre-defined data types, field lengths).

18. Client-side (phone)
Java (J2ME, JavaRosa, OpenRosa)
Supports pre-defined field types/field lengths and low
complexity survey structure.
Programmable, uses SMS or GPRS.
May require dedicated provider for static cell phone
address.
Can use GPRS (lowest data transfer cost).
Dependable, can integrates with backend web apps (xml).

19. Client-side (phone)
Web
Back-end functionality.
GPRS data packet costs varies by provider.
May require dedicated provider for static web address.
Can integrates with enterprise.

20. What Is mICT?
Cell Phone

21. What Is mICT?
Cell Phone

22. PDA
Dominated by Windows Mobile (O/S), and HTC (device).
PDA’s will converge with cell phone platform; price will
remain stable as functionality increases.
Mid-cost ($300- $5,000) - high functionality.
O/S integrates with MS tools (SQL CE, .NET).
Modular – add GPS, GSM, Camera.
Enterprise extensible.
Can be ruggedized for severe environments.
No longer processor/memory/power limited

23. PDA Software
• Wide range of free to high cost off-the-shelf software.
scalable to enterprise (web), network or local client.
Good support/documentation (Pendragon).

24. What Is mICT?
PDA

25. What is the Current State of mICT?
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• GIS are the spatial (maps) integrated with data (database).
• Our work is spatially-distributed.
• Emerging as one of most significant information systems
across a broad range of users.

26. What is the Current State of mICT?
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Historically dominated by Environmental Systems
Research Institute (ESRI).
ESRI products are:
Mature
costly (software/training)
slow user/project adoption
broad user/support base
challenging to IT support
Wide range of interrelated software modules
many smaller GIS groups emerging (Google Maps)

27. What is the Current State of mICT?
Google Maps
• Server/mobile client GIS products.
• Free and low cost API’s customize for user/agency
customization.
• Partially open sourced.
• Broad developer/user community.
• Rapidly customizable (Georgia CO).

28. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
What are our Donors saying about mICT?
Mr. Adam Slote, MD, MPH USAID Senior Health Advisor
– June 6th 20095

29. What are our Donors saying about mICT?
ICT Parameters
Must have measurable impact on USAID’s health objectives.
Must demonstrate superior cost-effectiveness compared to
other interventions.
Must be sustainable

30. What are our Donors saying about mICT?
Recommended Best Practices:
Use technology that is simple, relevant, local.
Build on what is already being used.
Involve end-users in the design of the solution.
Strengthen local capacity to develop, use and maintain the solution.
Strengthen ICT monitoring and evaluation [M&E].
Learn from what works and [what] doesn’t, and share those
lessons.

31. mICT in Health
How Has SC Used mICT?
Early deployments were limited by:
Technical issues:
hardware - power/memory/processor.
software - complex, required high levels of support needs.
Non-technical issues:
• funding was often mis-directed in the “glitter and exuberance”
of new technology.
• Lack of prudent project management principles.

32. mICT in Health
How Has SC Used mICT?
El Salvador Vietnam
Bangladesh Haiti
Guatemala Mali
Bolivia Guinea
Tajikistan Armenia
Philippines Malawi
Egypt Myanmar
Uganda Jordan
Pakistan Yemen
Sudan

33. Bangladesh McAid Food Distribution Center

34. Bangladesh McAid

35. Bangladesh McAid

36. Bangladesh McAid

37. Sahel CO
Guinea Field Training – Child Trafficking

38. Bolivia – Maternal Health Clinic - Village of Milo in Bolivia

39. How Has SC Used mICT?
Challenges
Few technical issues – they can be solved/mitigated.
• Transfer from paper-based to mobile information systems.
Survey form structure and logic definition and agreement
- “We are building mobile databases”.
• Information management strategy – resource poor (DB
vs. spreadsheet culture – Myanmar case study).
• Field-level cultural/human context of mobile technology
use.

40. Survey Instrument Logic

41. Sponsorship Primary Education Program (SPEP)
Teacher Interview Form
Save the Children
Sponsorship Primary Education Program
2007 Standard 4 Data Collection
Headteacher Interview
School:___________________________ Name of Interviewer: _____________________________
Head’s Name: ________________ __________Sex: 0__Male /1 __Female: School Code: 19/__ __
Standard(s) teaching _____________
What is your highest academic qualification? 1) JCE/ 2) MSCE/ 3) "A” levels/ 4) Other (Specify): ___
What is your professional qualification? 0) TT/ 1) T4/ 2) T3/ 3) T2 /) Other (Specify): ___________
How many teachers are in this school? 1) Male_________2) Female_______ 3) Total_________
How many pupils are in this school? 1) Boys ________ 2) Girls _______ 3) Total__________
Out of the total enrolment that you have, how many of these are orphans vulnerable children (OVC)? 1)
Boys________ 2) Girls_______ 3)Total_______ (Allow the teacher to verify).
7. How many in-service training sessions have you attended this school session?
8. List the organizer and the month of each in-service session you have attended
9. How many school based in-service courses have you conducted this school year? ______
10.How many times has the PEA supervised your school this school session? _____
11. In the past month, have you observed any teachers’ lessons? 1) ___YES 0) __NO
12. How many times this year have you held staff meetings at this school? _______

42. SPEP Teacher Interview Form

43. SPEP Teacher Interview Form

44. SPEP Teacher Interview Form

45. SPEP Teacher Interview Form

46. SPEP Teacher Interview Form

47. SPEP Teacher Interview Form
if answer == Y then
goto [ProfQual]
Else
show [OtherQual]
goto [OtherQual]
endif

48. Data Management vs.Spreadsheets

49. Cultural

50. Usability

51. Usability

52. Usability

53. Usability

54. Usability

55. Technical

56. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Choosing the Appropriate mICT
Choose the “tool” last…
"A vendor came to me and showed me a really neat mICT tool that
I want to use!"...
Do the hard work (requirements) first, or else you will HAVE to do
the hard work later.
If you do choose the tool first, then:
Best scenario: added cost, delay and poor quality to program
Worst scenario: resulting failure costing beneficiary lives.

57. Guatemala
Results Framework Indicator Definition – Database Development

58. Data Management
Alternative Alternative
Publication Subscription Publication Subscription
NOTE: All DB Servers are Publishers.
NOTE: PDAs are not Publishers.
NOTE: Servers are the Publishers for next Lower level DB locations.
NOTE: Subscriptions should be conducted to the immediate higher level DB Servers.
Database
Central MIS Server
District DB Server
Upazilla DB Server
PDA

59. Which mICT should I use for my program?
This is Difficult! mICT “Tool” Determinants

60. Choosing the Appropriate mICT
mICT “Tool” Determinants
This is more
Difficult!

61. Choosing the Appropriate mICT
Helping our customers choose the appropriate mICT
mICT “Tool” Determinants
Evaluate the Terms and factors (zero -> 10) for program needs.
(T1f1) + (T2f2) + (T3f3) + (T4f4) + (T5f5) +…. = Solution

62. Choosing the Appropriate mICT
mICT “Tool” Determinants
T1 data quality X f1: not important  important
T2 survey structure X f2: simple  complex (branching)
T3 Information complexity X f3: text-only  data/spatial/image
T4 data security X f4: low  high
T5 data transfer method X f5: USB  GPRS  SMS VPN
T6 power availability X f6: low (car battery/solar)  high

63. Choosing the Appropriate mICT
mICT “Tool” Determinants - Others
T7 connectivity X f7: not important  important
T8 environmental X f8: mild  severe
T9 technical support X f9: low risk  high risk

64. Choosing the Appropriate mICT
mICT “Tool” Determinants
Terms and factors define the “tools”
(T1f1) + (T2f2) + …. + (T10f10) = Device/Software/Connectivity

65. Choosing the Appropriate mICT
Solution Providers
Internal (Westport IT)
• High quality
• Stable
Replicable as common standard across sector/agency.
Extended development cycle.
Significant Risk: CO level development: contextually valid,
but dilutes CO mission.

66. Choosing the Appropriate mICT
Solution Providers
External
• "turn key" solution.
• rapid deployment.
• support and development costs transferred to vendor.
• prone to not being adaptable to program/sector/CO
context.
• Evaluate on cost/"fit".

67. What Is mICT?

68. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Recommendations
1. Build CO capacity with locally-sustainable solutions.
3. Don’t jump right in – assessment “need” & “fit”
5. Small scale pilots paralleling existing systems articulate value to
customer.
7. “If it doesn’t work in the field, then it doesn’t work”
9. Develop common set of hardware/software and support tools
11. emphasize “tool last” design (M&E indicators, data management)

69. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Recommendations
1. Collaborate with partners; donors (USAID), other NGO’s (seed into
Nethope), service providers. Develop a presence -listen/respond.
3. Align/ lead alliance mICT strategies and efforts.
5. Include CO stakeholders – program mangers, IT, M&E, field
personnel.
7. Incorporate mICT strategy into sector/CO program "birth" culture
(proposal-> on).
9. Develop/integrate information management strategy agency-wide.

70. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Recommendations
Discourage local software development by CO’s - distracts
energy/funds from prime mission.
Evaluate "best value" business model, agency-wide enterprise-
scalable (e.g. M&E common indicators).
Evaluate our own “Barriers to Innovation” – address in respect to our
mission/ business plan.
Evaluate/Adopt Social Media as an element of our business strategy.
• watch for the paradigm shift.
• listen/learn/participate/change/adapt.
• Facebook, Twitter, Second Life (Permits Dept. exp.)

71. State of the Art of Mobile Technology (mICT)
Questions…