Energy Branch, UNEP

Next-generation IT for project evaluation:

Can Africa log in with mobile phones?

Development and Energy in Africa: Regional Workshop

Arusha, Tanzania

16 - 19 October, 2007

Energy Branch, UNEP

CAM framework for village data collection, processing and distribution

Energy Branch, UNEP

Ajedi-ka, a human rights organization based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, distributes mobile phones to local teachers, elders and business leaders so that they can report incidents of children being drafted as soldiers. The phones make reporting faster and easier.

The component technologies are available NOW…!

TRACnet is an HIV/AIDS project in Rwanda developed in conjunction with Voxiva. Data on patients is entered into the system through the Internet, via voice, or using forms on mobile devices.

Health workers across the developing world have started using mobile phones to monitor disease outbreaks in real time.Epihandy is a survey tool for mobile devices. It addresses errors related to manual data entry and lack of validation by putting the data collection in an electronic form

Data collected using mobile phones in the Epihandy and TRACnet systems are either:Transmitted immediately if there is connectivity; orCached (saved) until the device has a connection to the Internet and can synchronize with a server.

Energy Branch, UNEP

The hardware (mobile phone) is user-friendly, gender-neutral and spreading

very fast

Energy Branch, UNEP

Matching software innovations make the CAM framework possible

Document interaction is specified using CamShell – a programming language that allows software developers to add interactive audio, data entry, validation, processing, and networking instructions to paper documents

The CAM client application, called the CAMBrowser, has already been implemented for Series 60 camera-equipped mobile phones.

CAMBrowser is designed to process specially designed CAMForm documents. CAMForms contain visual codes - two-dimensional data glyphs containing up to 76-bits of data that can be decoded from a camera image.

Energy Branch, UNEP

Field worker using a CAMBrowser-equipped mobile phone to extract micro-

finance data from a paper form in an Indian village.

Energy Branch, UNEP

Here’s a snapshot of a real CAMForm…

Energy Branch, UNEP

CAMBrowser – Mobile phone interaction

Energy Branch, UNEP

Captured data is transmitted to nearest server for processing and distribution

Energy Branch, UNEP

AA

BB CC

Disconnected nodeDisconnected node

Connected nodeConnected node

Internet serverInternet server

Potential pathPotential path

Successful pathSuccessful path

EE FF GG HH

HH

II JJ

Data moving from a disconnected field worker to a server

Source: DeRenzi et al, 2007

Energy Branch, UNEP

So, for M+E, next generation IT systems…

are technologically feasible, user-friendly and accessible;

can facilitate participatory data collection and processing at village level for leap-frogging to…

…dramatically improved quality, quantity and timeliness of data and information about development-focused energy interventions in Africa

Energy Branch, UNEP

How might NGIT work in practice for energy M+E?

Customize existing CAM framework to match specific information needs for energy M+E (based on ‘standard’ set of indicators):

Build a Development M+E CAMBrowser with embedded Energy Module

Modify standard questionnaires for village data gathering by adding a barcode next to specific boxes or sections where the field worker needs to fill in numbers.

Energy Branch, UNEP

After filling out the modified forms, the field worker takes a picture of each barcode with a mobile phone.

Here is a scenario of the system in action…

Software on the phone recognizes the barcode and a message appears on the screen, prompting field worker to enter the figures that have been entered in the section that corresponds to that barcode.

Using either the audio or text approach, the person doing the data entry simply scrolls through the whole form, taking snapshots of the barcodes and entering data via the phone's keypad.

The result is an electronic version of the completed village questionnaire, which is

initially stored on the phone and later uploaded to a central server when the

phone is near a mast.

Energy Branch, UNEP

Advantages of an NGIT system for energy M+E

It provides a cost-effective way to accessing household and community-level information routinely for monitoring and evaluation of projects.

Additional information, such as photos, videos, scanned reports, and the like can be attached to the electronic form that was saved, and stored on the central server as well.

Saving the information on a server makes accounting simpler as data can't easily be lost.

Energy Branch, UNEP

“Small is beautiful”The user interface with small and discrete

task spaces is more comprehensible to semi-literate rural users. It facilitates a sequence of mobile data entry tasks;

presenting one task at a time reduces the potential for confusion or indecision on the

part of novice or illiterate users.

What’s so special about mobile phones?

Audio feedbackVoice-based input can also improve the

accessibility of the system for semi-literate and illiterate rural users. A

microphone and speakers are integral parts of any mobile phone

CameraMost medium to high-end mobile phones

now come equipped with some kind of camera. Some may have several

cameras, with high resolution and video capabilities. A camera can also be used

to capture rich information and experiences without writing or typing.

Numeric KeypadThe numeric phone keypad is immediately

familiar to millions of users in Africa. Moreover, signicantly more people are

numerically literate then textually. Numeric input is accessible even for illiterate and

semi-literate rural users

MobilityFor the foreseeable future, most of the world's people will not be able to afford

their own digital device. Compared to the PC, a mobile phone is likely to be the

most affordable means of digitizing, storing and sharing information by rural

users. And, like other resources, mobile devices will be shared by the family or

community.

Energy Branch, UNEP

Local Data Service Providers (LDSPs) can deliver basic data within multi-tiered structures – Village Town World

An enterprise-based deployment model

Good quality information is in high demand by users willing to pay: Local and national governments Donors/multi – and bilateral agencies International Finance Institutions UN agencies

Energy Branch, UNEP

How much will a village level system cost?

Full-scale Pilot (10%)

Required number of LDSPs (est): 67,200 6,720

Business model (Grameen/nLogue/eCARE):

- Mobile camera phone $ 100 $ 100 - Software (Open-source) $ - $ -

Required investment/LDSP $ 100 $ 100

Operating costs/year for 3 years $ 15,120,000 $ 1,512,000

Total estimated investment $ 6,720,000 $ 672,000

Total required investment to plug Africa in $ 21,840,000 $ 2,184,000

Energy Branch, UNEP

So, can Africa log into the Global Energy M+E system with mobile

phones?

NO!…if you’re thinking inside the

BOX.

A big

YES!!…if you’re thinking OUTSIDE the

BOX.

Energy Branch, UNEP

Thank you!

Lawrence AgbemabieseEnergy Branch, UNEP DTIE, ParisTelephone: +33 (01) 44 37 30 03Email: lagbemabiese@unep.frBlog: http://agbe.typepad.com