Global development: where “free” means “expensive”

Joel Selanikio ON 29 mayo 2013

  In global development, I often hear people talking about “free” technology, particularly free software.  Well, as part of the team that has created Magpi, I’m a great believer in free software.  But my definition of free — “doesn’t cost any money to use” —  seems to be very different from the definition used in global development discussions.  Which is odd since “free” seems like a pretty basic concept. So what part of “free” doesn’t global development understand?  As it turns out, quite a lot — because international development consultants…

Why’s mHealth Stuck in 1771? Magpi, Disruptive Innovation, and ICT4D

Joel Selanikio ON 08 abril 2013

Most of the money in mHealth and ICT4d gets spent on technology consultants and programmers, making most mHealth technology too expensive for most programs that need it. DataDyne’s Magpi mobile data collection system is a great example of “disruptive innovation” that is changing this model: by eliminating the need for programmers and tech consultants (and their salaries, per diem and travel) it is making mobile data collection affordable for ALL programs.

Magpi plus Ushahidi’s SMSSync makes setting up local SMS data collection super-easy!

Joel Selanikio ON 25 marzo 2013

We’ve had the ability to do SMS data entry within our Magpi mobile data collection system for a couple years now.  By “SMS data entry” I mean the ability to send simple data to Magpi from any phone at all, even very cheap phones, by means of the built-in SMS capabilities of the phone, and without using the Magpi mobile app. As I highlighted in my recent TEDx talk, this is extremely useful if you have a group of people, like community health workers or drug supply workers, that already have basic phones:…

Four Phases of Field Data: Tech Transforming Data Collection for Development

Joel Selanikio ON 21 marzo 2013

  Phase 1: In the Beginning There Was Paper Since the beginning of what we now call international development, we have relied on the collection of data using paper forms.  Today, because of the technologies available to us, the  field is beginning to undergo tremendous changes.  In a sense, paper-based data collection was “phase 1″: health workers carrying huge stacks of paper forms to the field in a process that was difficult and time-consuming. Not to mention environmentally disastrous: ever think about how many trees have been sacrificed to get…