Empowering People through Mobile Technologies in Developing Regions

Empowering People
through Mobile Technologies
in Developing Regions

Joe McCarthy
Principal Instigator
Nokia Research Center Palo Alto

1 © 2007 Nokia Pop!Tech Joe McCarthy

Nokia’s commitment to social responsibility

http://www.nokia.com/A4126690


Our research vision for the coming years

Become the global leader
of open innovation
for human mobility systems
of the fused physical and digital world,
giving birth to the growth of businesses for Nokia.
http://research.nokia.com

Nokia’s commitment to mobilizing & sharing

http://forum.nokia.com


Nokia’s commitment to facilitating empowerment
• Three themes
• Partnership
• Sustainability
• Affordability
• Examples of enabling individuals & communities to
• Create & share connectivity
• Create & share content
• Create & share code


Village Phone for Economic Empowerment
Microfinancing enables individuals to buy and rent mobile phones in
rural communities. It helps local economies to grow, and brings families closer together.


5 billions connected 2015

1 billion internet users 2006

0.8B
>40$/day

1.5B 4-40$/day

1.3B 4$/day

1.4B 2$/day

1.3 B 1$/day

Source: Nokia WorldMap 2006
World Map - USD per capita per day

Nokia Siemens Network Village Connection

http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/global/IndustryThemes/new_growth_markets/village_connection.htm

http://research.nokia.com/research/projects/mobile-web-server
http://forum.nokia.com/mws

MobiSUS: Mobile Application for Health
• The MobiSUS application allows for more
efficient and accurate health-data
collection on the field compared to
traditional pen-and-paper based forms

• The application enables health
organizations to gather field data directly
on mobile phones, increasing data
accuracy, response time, and resource
management.


MobiSUS: Mobile Survey System


MobiSUS pilot in Brazil


Bridgeit
• Bridgeit uses mobile and satellite
technology to deliver multimedia
educational materials to the classroom
• A unique multi-sector collaboration
initiative between Nokia, UNDP, the
International Youth Foundation and
Pearson
• Active in the Philippines with plans to
expand to new countries


Bridgeit pilot / text2teach outcomes
Attendance and motivation have risen,
test results have improved,
and the students’ favorite subject is… science.

 Science Achievement Test scores
improved in both 5th and 6th grades
 Raised students' performance and
elicited more positive attitudes
toward science and technology
 Improved teacher competence and
attitudes towards using technology
 The community, school officials,
parents, and community leaders,
showed positive attitudes toward
using technology in science teaching
 The schools in the rural areas
benefited relatively more

Note: Outcomes based on an evaluation by the
University of Philippines National Institute for
Science and Mathematics Education
Development (NISMED) during the pilot phase.


Mobiledu for Mobile Language Learning
• The first mobile educational application
in China, integrating teaching material
from a variety of educational organizations

• Mobiledu makes interactive English
learning available anywhere and anytime.
• Great potential for the mobile
education market, as the demand for
English language programs continues
to increase in China

• Mobiledu is applicable for all Nokia
mid range and S60 platform based
mobile phones

http://www.mobiledu.cn

Mobiledu

• Easy to access and use • Client Software
• Rich content, • Symbian
always updated
• Java
• Fun learning experience
on the go

• All-dimensional • Internet
learning environment
• www.mobiledu.cn
• Learning community at
• wap.mobiledu.cn
your fingertips

• Supporting System
• Universal platform
• Content Management
• High manageability, expansibility and
deployability
• User Management
• High service quality, reliability,
• Operation Management
usability and security platform


Local Language Support
Malayalam Manorama: Dainik Bhaskar -
News Headlines in Malayalam News headlines in Hindi/Gujarati


* Social Media and Children
in Low Income Communities

( * “What's new?” in Swahili )


Mapya

• 14 Focus group interviews with children + 2 with parents on week 40
• Building research network in East-Africa. Visiting 3 major universities:
• University of Nairobi
• Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda
• University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Mapya protoforum implemented in Toijala. Ready for test use.
• Basic forum for research tool with basic forum features: chat, discussion, pictures,
audio clips, etc


Contributors in the forum:
Contributing expert Web page for global reach:
views and information
•Edited by journalists and experts based on
the material created in Mapya by children.
Community involvement supports
•Content targeted to audiences in all age
Child Line with Plan
groups.
•Forum for discussion, content sharing etc.
School class in Finland
Aleksanterin School
Tampere

News and other content
Child rights promotion,
help seeking

Communicational and
expressive content created by
children:
•Text: stories, dialogue
•Audio: music, chat, radio
Urban school class (Kawangare) Rural school class in Machakos
•Video: video call, storytelling
•Graphics: Drawings, comics
•Games and play

KENYA
+communities, families, friends…

opensource.nokia.com


Nokia N800 Internet Tablet

• High-resolution 800x480 display
• Internet calling (audio / video) and
messaging (email / IM)
• Access to Internet media in stereo
audio

• http://www.nseries.com/n800


Mobile Python

http://www.mobilenin.com/pys60/menu.htm

Thanks! Questions?
• Joe McCarthy
• joe.mccarthy@nokia.com
• research.nokia.com/people/joe_mccarthy
• gumption.typepad.com/blog/africa
• www.slideshare.net/gumption (tag: “poptech”)
• Other related resources
• www.nokia.com
• research.nokia.com
• forum.nokia.com
• mosh.nokia.com
• www.nseries.com/products/n95
• ShareIdeas.org


Discussion


Discussion

• What do you think?

• Possible topics:
• What features of your mobile phone do you personally find empowering today?
• What empowering features can you think of for the mobile phone in the next 10 years?
• What obstacles do you see in using mobile phones as more effective tools for empowerment?
• What positive societal changes do you believe mobile phones will bring about in the future?
• What negative societal changes do you believe mobile phones will bring about in the future?


Preview of The Nokia Interview


Empowering people @ Pop!Tech: The Nokia Interview

First-hand experiences with mobile citizen journalism at the conference.


Interviewing each other
• Optional: ask permission
• Suggested length: 1 minute (at most)
• Record with N95, upload at MOSH pit
• General questions (see pamphlet):
• What is the most underappreciated tool in making a better future?
• What longtime belief have you changed your mind about?
• Tell us something surprising about your background
• What is something that people should read, see or do in the next year?
• Specific questions:
• What features of your mobile phone do you personally find empowering today?
• What empowering features can you think of for the mobile phone in the next 10 years?
• What obstacles do you see in using mobile phones as more effective tools for empowerment?
• What positive societal changes do you believe mobile phones will bring about in the future?
• What negative societal changes do you believe mobile phones will bring about in the future?


Empowering People through Mobile Technologies in Developing Regions

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