A crowd-mapping strategy and application for digital content and media

1. Project 1
“Design a crowd-mapping strategy and application for digital content and media.”
Introduction
There are many areas of conflict in the world today, especially in the Middle East. Areas such as Yemen,
Iraq and Syria face continuous threats from brutal regimes and terrorist groups. Often, it’s very difficult
to get a clear picture of what’s going on in these areas due to the life threatening dangers posed to
journalists on the ground or because government forces have blocked any western media coverage of
the conflicts. These obstacles make it difficult for the outside world to assess the magnitude of the
atrocities in the cities, suburbs and remote villages. The absence of an objective stream of information
from within the areas of conflict to the international community hurts the innocent civilians heavily.
As such, health organizations, human rights organizations and NGO’s cannot evaluate with a healthy
degree of certainty the reality of the situation on the ground. The outside world wouldn’t be able to
estimate the civilian casualties and fatalities. Organizations also face difficulties in knowing which areas
are starving to death due to shortages in food supplies and which areas have lost power and have no
access to water and electricity. After a request from “Doctors without Borders” which faced difficulties
reaching out to innocent civilians hurt by the conflict in Iraq, we have devised a mobile app strategy that
reaches out to civilians hurt in Iraq’s conflict zones known as the “Distress Call” app. The scope of this
report will cover a multitude of aspects in relation to the app such as:
1. The concept of the “Distress Call” app
2. The strategy of the “Distress Call” app
3. The various challenges
4. The target audience
5. The media channels
6. The user journey funnel
The app will initially target only Iraq due to the limited resources and capabilities that we currently have.
However, the app will gradually expand to include Syria and Palestine once it successfully takes off in
Iraq and once its funding grows.
Market Background
According to data from the Worldbank.org Iraq has a population of 36.4 million with a GDP per capita of
$6,862 ranking it 4th
in the Levant area in terms of GDP per capita (Levant area consisting of Lebanon,
Syria, Iraq, Israel and Jordan).
According to a GSMA Intelligence report in 2015, Iraq ranked third globally in terms of countries with
displaced populations, after Syria and Colombia, with 4.9 million displaced people. Iraq is an unstable
country due to years of sectarian violence and proxy wars conducted on its territory. Fourteen years
after the US invasion in 2003, the country still faces many challenges as it is struggles to recover from
the aftermath of the war. The country suffers from many serious problems such as an unstable

2. government, a weak non-diversified economy, sectarian violence, corruption and a severely damaged
infrastructure. Mosul is a critical city in Iraq that has been severely damaged by the ongoing crisis. It will
be one of our focal areas in the project to aid the civilian population in Iraq
The ongoing crisis is a hindrance to the development of the telecommunications sector however there
are some positive signs for the country’s future once the crisis is over. Telecommunications operators
face serious threats with regards to their employees, equipment and the infrastructure.
Despite the many obstacles the country faces, it is still trying to gradually develop the infrastructure and
invest in its economy. The Iraqi government is well aware that the world is going through the digital age.
It has realized the importance of connectivity to stimulate economic growth and to develop its society.
As such there have been initiatives by the government to invest in the telecommunications sector and
develop its infrastructure. According to a GSMA Report (2016) “Zain Iraq for example invested $212
million in capex during the course of the year, mainly in network expansion in the northern region of the
country.”
Despite all the problems facing the country, the internet population has been steadily growing year on
year in Iraq. According to Internet World Stats, Iraq has 14 million internet users which is about 38% of
the total population. Iraq also has 14 million Facebook users. Facebook is the most social media network
in the country.
The Concept of the Project
Innocent civilians take the heaviest toll when wars break out. In many parts of war affected areas, they
are often left unaided, displaced and in dire need of supplies. Humanitarian groups often face many
difficulties in reaching out to the injured civilians in a timely manner. We have identified some of the
biggest challenges the humanitarian groups faced:
1. Humanitarian groups faced difficulties in identifying the exact locations of the civilians and in
figuring out the proper routes to take to reach them
2. At times it took “Doctors without Borders” days or even weeks to reach certain areas that were
in desperate need for immediate care since they had no way of knowing sooner. Information
sharing was weak and often lacked credibility
3. Oppressive government regimes made it more difficult for Humanitarian groups to deliver aid
by harassing the aid workers or by even by detaining them. Often governments in turbulent
areas in the middle east find western humanitarian groups to be untrustworthy, which slows
down and limits their ability to perform on the ground
The volatility in Iraq, due to the ongoing conflict between government forces and opposition groups,
made it very challenging for humanitarian organizations to carry out their work uninterrupted. As such,
“Doctors without Borders” approached us and asked us to come up with an innovative solution that
would enable them, and other similar humanitarian groups quickly reach out to helpless civilians stuck in
danger zones. Therefore, we created “The Distress Call” app, which is a crowd sourcing concept that will
facilitate humanitarian aid process between the groups and the conflict affected civilians.
The project aims to help the wounded and the displaced in Iraq by alerting the right organizations in a
timely manner about their locations and their needs. The app is essentially a crowd sourcing map,

3. whereby affected civilians or volunteer users alert the humanitarian groups about their location and
their needs almost instantly. Volunteer users are users who are not personally affected by conflict but
are within close proximity to the affected area and thus notify “Doctors without Borders” through the
app. Once the process is completed, the app will automatically drop a pin on a rendered map through
after a very simple and straight forward one step process of filling out a form. As such, the map gathers
and displays all the locations that need help in real time. Users can drop their pin from a crisis struck
location or from a remote location. It’s imperative that users can identify a crisis struck location from a
distance because at times it may be the only way of alerting the humanitarian groups. As such the
“Distress Call” app will aggregate all the affected areas and display their locations on a map with specific
details for the aid groups to act. This innovative approach would help organizations quickly identify the
most affected areas in the country and it will allow them to devise a strategy to approach those areas
from a logistical perspective.
The Concept of the Application
The Distress Call app is a crowd mapping application that allows civilians in areas of conflict to pinpoint
their exact location in real time on a digital map and request support from aid groups. The app will be
powered by Ushahidi, an open source project which allows users to crowd source critical information
and send it via mobile phones. Once utilized, the app will immediately highlight the areas on the map
where help is needed. Civilians will also have a list of options from a drop down menu to request food,
medicine, medical assistance or ambulances depending on the situation. Once their location is
pinpointed and their request is made, the appropriate organizations will be notified and accordingly will
mobilize to take action.
The Mobile Strategy
Mobile penetration in the Middle East is one of the highest in the world. According to a Buddecomm,
which is a global telecommunications and research company, mobile penetration in Iraq is around 81%
and growing. The smartphone market in Iraq is growing very rapidly as well, but there still is room for
improvement in the market in terms of retailers and stores. Also, despite the unstable market conditions
in Iraq, broadband growth is showing double digit growth year on year. Therefore, after research and
consideration we have decided to go for a mobile first strategy. We believe a mobile first strategy is the
ideal way in reaching out to the affected civilians throughout the country.
Our concept’s aim is to bridge the gap as close as possible between the helpless civilians and the
humanitarian groups. We also concluded that speed of the process is a major component in making sure
this process is successful. As such a mobile device was the ideal platform to initiate our project. We
realize that innocent lives are at stake and that their survival profoundly depends on the speed in which
humanitarian groups can be alerted and mobilized to deliver assistance. Mobile phones are small in size,
light in weight and easily carried regardless of the environment a civilian might find himself in. It is
imperative for our concept to work, that the user is able to log in to the app and signal his or her
location instantly and with ease. Therefore a mobile first approach was the ideal approach for our
project.
Media Channels Strategy

4. Facebook is the most popular social media platform in Iraq where civilians have regularly used it to send
out messages and requests of help to the outside world. Also, 86% of the platform’s users access the
mobile version of the app. As such, we will raise awareness of the app by promoting it through paid
social posts on the mobile version of Facebook. Facebook will be the optimal way to reach the affected
civilian populations due to its popularity and cost effectiveness. We will also promote the app in both
English and Arabic languages. The demographics criteria we will target on the platform will consist of the
following:
1. Age Group: 16+
2. Gender: Male & Female
3. Language: Arabic & English speakers
4. Cities: Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk and Fallujah
Besides Facebook, we will promote the app through YouTube. YouTube is the most popular online video
viewing platform in Iraq. As such we will leverage YouTube’s reach to promote the app and drive
downloads. Through YouTube we will be able promote a 30 seconds video that introduces the app and
explains how it works. The ads will be pre-roll video ads that will be displayed before a user watches the
intended video on YouTube. The promoted videos will be educational in nature and will also drive app
downloads through a call to action button that says “Download Now”. Similar to Facebook the
demographics criteria will consist of the following:
1. Age Group: 16+
2. Gender: Male & Female
3. Language: Arabic & English speakers
4. Cities: Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk and Fallujah
In parallel, we will create a YouTube channel that hosts a series of tutorial and explanatory videos
explaining the concept of the app and how to utilize the app. We will host the videos in both English and
Arabic languages so that users have the option of watching in their preferred language.
Target Audience
Iraq is the primary location we plan to target since it has been hurt severely for more than a decade by
the ongoing civil war. Initially, we plan to target specific locations within Iraq that have been mostly
affected. Therefore, in Iraq we will focus on Baghdad, Mosul and Fallujah. Once operations for these
areas have been established and taken off we plan to expand further into Syria and Palestine. However,
approaching Syria will come later in 2017 due to its very complex political and militant situation.
Application Features
The application will consist of a straight forward fill out form that consists of the below criteria:
1. Description Textbox: The user will be able to insert a description of the situation he or she is in.
The description will allow organizations get a better idea of the situation
2. Time and Date: The time and date of the post will be automatically updated by the application
3. Longitude and Latitude: Location details will be automatically updated by the application

5. 4. Photo: A photo is an optional choice. A photo will convey the complex situation much more
effectively than just a description. It will give a visual perspective for organizations to assess the
danger level of the situation
5. Video: A video will convey the complex situation with audio and visual parameters. A video will
give organizations more data to analyze
6. Drop down box: The dropdown box will include a list of issues civilians can be possibly facing.
Civilians will have the option to select between Food Supplies, Medicine, Ambulances, or
Medical Aid
7. Language: The app will be featured in English and Arabic. We wanted to make sure that users
are able to communicate in their preferred language
The application will give the users the option of whether they would like to post their request on
Facebook as well or not. We’ve kept this option at the discretion of the users.
Use Journey Funnel
The user journey funnel can be broken down into 6 steps: (Fig. 1.0)
(Fig. 1.0)
1. The user downloads the app from the Google store or Apple store and taps on the icon of the
app on the smartphone and a new window will open
2. The user will select the “Iraq Distress Call” map
3. A form fill out window will appear where the user will have to fill in all the necessary
information regarding his location, situation and type of help requested
4. A new window will appear with a map and a pin which indicates the location of the user. The
window will also include all the information filled out previously
5. Aid worker from “Doctors without Borders” responds to the user
6. As such the aid worker will contact the right humanitarian group according to the category
selected and the team will mobilize accordingly
Full User Journey Experience
Once the user downloads the app on his mobile device and taps the icon a window will appear (Fig 1.1
below). The window will have a plus sign at the bottom, once the user taps the plus sign he or she will
then have to select “Add Map by URL” upon which the user will have to select “Iraq Distress Call” map.
Our team has devised a specific map for the region that we have advised the users to select in our
promotional videos. All throughout the campaign we will inform the users to select the “Iraq Distress
Call” map in our messaging.
(Fig 1.1)

6. Once the user selects the map a new window will appear where the user will be required to fill out all
the information requested in the window (Fig 1.2 below). The questions are all straight forward data
entries. To make sure that the time spent on the app is as minimal as possible, the app will automatically
fill in the data for the time, date, location and coordinates.
(Fig 1.2)
However, the user will be obliged to fill in the information requested for the description and the type of
help needed. The type of help needed under the “Select a category” will give the users the option
between the following:
1. Food supplies
2. Medical assistance
3. Medicine
4. Ambulance request
We believe that the humanitarian group should have as much information as possible to assess the
gravity of the situation. Not all requests will be treated with the same sense of urgency, which is why as
much detail as possible is necessary for evaluation. The user has the option of inserting a photo or a
video if he or she would like to. We believe that it’s better to portray the complexity of the situation by

7. capturing an image or a video for the humanitarian group. But we also understand that often a user
might not have the time to do so, which is why we have kept this optional.
Once the user completes the form and submits the information, a new window will appear (Fig 1.3
below). The new window will display all the vital information such as the time, date and the type of
request. As such, the user journey is a one step process where the user fills out a form with as much
information as possible. Once the form is filled out a new window will appear with the information and a
pin on the map will appear displaying the location of the affected user.
(Fig 1.3)
Once the pin appears on the map, an aid worker from the response team within “Doctors without
Borders” will send a message back to the user notifying him or her that the location and details have
been well received. The aid worker will also assess the request and give the user an ETA of the
humanitarian group with the necessary aid. “Doctors without Borders” will then liaise with the other
humanitarian groups to dispatch a team. The right team will be sent according to the option chosen
under “Select a category”.
App Stores for Application Download:
Android is the most popular operating system in Iraq followed by iOS, as such we will develop the apps
for both operating systems. Thus, they’ll be available on both the Apple and Google app stores for
download.
On Ground Challenges
Right after the outbreak of the civil war the country’s telecommunications infrastructure became
threatened by the conflict in many areas of the country. One of the biggest challenges facing our project
would be the inability to reach out to civilians stranded in areas that have a damaged
telecommunications infrastructure or that are stranded in areas that are disconnected from the state
telecommunications grid. Also, due to the complex nature of the politics on the ground, the government
may oppose our activity in opposition controlled areas, which would limit our access to civilians in need
of our help there. As such, due to complexity of the war, with different fighting factions holding different
swaths of territory, it will be challenging to get through to some areas without getting approval from the
forces governing in those areas.

8. Another challenging issue would be the destroyed access routes to certain locations due to aerial or on
ground bombings by government and opposition forces. The destruction of accessible routes would
make it almost impossible to deliver the necessary resources to aid the civilians. As such the
organizations would have to either find new routes that can reach the civilians or deliver the aid by
aerial transport through helicopters for example. Finally, another challenge will be the high cost of
smartphone handsets for consumers in Iraq. Due to the weak purchasing power of the Iraqis,
smartphones may be considered too costly over regular mobile devices and that could hinder our
project from reaching out to very poor areas in the country.
Technical Challenges
Finding the appropriate location for storing the data is crucial to the success of the operation. The data
must be stored in a secure and safe environment away from any risk from the conflict. Ideally the data
should be stored on a cloud server in a safe location that is outside the country far from the conflict.
However, financial constraints will mean that the organization will have to store the information on
sight in the early stages instead of an offsite location through a cloud server. However, that will be
reevaluated within 2 months, once the project kicks off and is considered a success, it will receive
further funding.
Promoting the app would also be challenging due to the limited platforms available in the market and
also due to budget constraints. We will initially promote the app through Facebook and YouTube as they
are the most popular social media and online video networks. After four weeks, we will assess the
performance of the campaign, if we fall short from our target of 50 downloads a week we will have to
look for alternative ways to promote the app. We will have to further explore if there any local digital
platforms we can use. However, at the moment the local digital offering is considered weak.
Another challenge will be trying to make sure the user experience and the process is as simple and as
clear as possible for users despite the complexity of the project. We understand that many of the users
may not be tech savvy, so we will have to give brief instructions and numerous tutorials explaining what
needs to be done and how it needs to be done in a step by step process.
The design and development of the app will pose another challenge since different mobile devices have
different screen sizes, different operating systems and technologies. Initially, we will work on creating
the app to work on iOS and Android operating systems since they are the two most widely used
smartphone operating systems in the country.
The most difficult challenge will be to get the app ready on time for launch date. As such the
development team will have to test the app repeatedly and fix all the bugs detected on both operating
systems iOS and Android. We cannot risk launching the app with bugs since that will immediately tarnish
the app’s reputation and users will lose faith in its ability to deliver on its promises. As such, the
development team needs to ensure they can deliver a fully functional and bug-less app despite the tight
timeline that they have.
Communication Challenges
Reaching out to the local population will require that we communicate according to the local norms and
language. We will have to understand the local culture better so that we can communicate effectively in
their own language. The communication message will have to be clear and concise despite the complex

9. procedure involved in the project. We will communicate in English as well Arabic being the dominant
language in the country. The Arabic audio and visual communication must be expressed with an Iraqi
dialect in order not to alienate the local population from downloading the app. We will run A/B testing
after few weeks of app promotion to see which language is outperforming the other.
Training the Response Team
The team should be equipped with the proper equipment such as servers, computers, and backup
computers to ensure the success of the project. The team should be able to monitor and evaluate the
requests on a 24 hour basis. As such a continuous internet connection is crucial, coupled with an around
the clock team on standby monitoring the map and responding to the users is crucial. The response
team should be trained to send out requests to the appropriate humanitarian groups depending on the
nature of the request by the user. There are four options available on the list that consists of food
supplies, medical assistance, medicine or ambulance request. Every option has a specific humanitarian
group that should respond to it.
Closing thoughts
The “Distress Call” app is an innovative way of reaching out to civilians who have lost all but the will to
survive. The app will initiate a movement across the country to aid the affected by the crisis. As such
humanitarian groups will be able to deliver their work and save lives in Iraq
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