Mobile Phones for Data Collection

Posted by MelissaLoudon on Feb 18, 2009

Author: 

Melissa Loudon

Abstract: 

Mobile data collection and reporting projects are abundant now that mobile use for development is taking off. Unlike bulk messaging and general information services that are targeting the general public as recipients of standardized messaging, mobile data collection tools are often used internally in an organization, customized to fit with existing organizational processes.

This may mean using services or applications that are not part of most people's day-to-day experience of mobile use. Add a liberal sprinkling of jargon (and the mobile world's plague of acronyms) and you have a recipe for much technical confusion!
This article looks at choosing a mobile data collection solution, from defining the information requirements to choosing the most appropriate technology strategy for a specific organizational context and communication environment.
We also review a selection of commercial and non-commercial tools.

Introduction

Mobile data collection and reporting projects are abundant now that mobile use for development is taking off.
Unlike bulk messaging and general information services that are targeting the general public as recipients of standardized messaging, mobile data collection tools are often used internally in an organization, customized to fit with existing organizational processes.
This may mean using services or applications that are not part of most people's day-to-day experience of mobile use. Add a liberal sprinkling of jargon (and the mobile world's plague of acronyms) and you have a recipe for much technical confusion!
This article looks at choosing a mobile data collection solution, from defining the information requirements to choosing the most appropriate technology strategy for a specific organizational context and communication environment.
We also review a selection of commercial and non-commercial tools.

Getting the process right: Designing/refining

Whether conducting a once-off study or developing a mobile solution for routine and ongoing data collection and reporting, collecting the right information from the start is critically important. A mobile solution can either replace an existing paper-based process or constitute an entirely new business process -- which means starting from scratch with a system design process.
Either way, it's important to involve all stakeholders, including those who will collect the data, those who will use or analyse it, and those who will manage the process. Some points to consider:

What data is to be collected?

Does the current system (if any) meet requirements? Is redundant data being collected, or is there something important missing? If data was to be available for analysis in a much shorter time-frame with the new mobile-based system, would it be useful to collect something that is not currently useful? Whether designing or redesigning data collection requirements, it may be helpful to create a paper form that represents the new data set. This can be a shared artifact agreed on by all stakeholders, as well as feeding into the system development process.

How will the system fit best with the work flow of data capturers?

Is it possible for data input to be done directly on the phone, or will it still be captured on paper first? For example, if a nurse is expected to capture the data while talking to a patient, would it be considered distracting and/or inappropriate for a phone to be used? Or, if fieldworkers are expected to work in potentially unsafe areas, would conspicuous phone use make them vulnerable to crime or surveillance in any way? In other words, be very clear about by whom and how the data will be collected and transmitted.

How will the data be analyzed?

It is important to consider the data requirements of external systems that will be used in analysis. If everyone at the central coordinating office uses Microsoft Excel, consider a solution that allows data to be exported to Excel unless you can convince everyone to switch. If data is to be analyzed and responded to in real-time, consider setting up an auto-response system, or having the system staffed at appropriate times by a human responder. How feasible this is really depends on the volume of data coming in, but it's an important point to get right. If the person sending in data is expecting a response and doesn't receive one, they will very quickly give up on the system.

How will the data collection process be managed?

Regardless of the technology used, successful data collection requires management. Responsibility for tasks such as initial training, provision of phones and airtime, ongoing management of data capturers and resolution of system problems should be decided upfront. This includes the financial responsibility for the system in the long term, something which many pilot studies fail to consider. To this end, it is important to know what the running costs of the system are likely to be in the long term, including replacement phones and monthly airtime bills. It may well be that costs exceeds the cost of an existing paper-based system, so all returns on investment (time savings and speed of transmission, increased accuracy of data, etc) need to be taken into consideration to justify the costs of a mobile data collection system.

Technologies

Mobile data collection systems typically have several components that communicate for data collection, transmission, storage and retrieval.
For each component and communication channel, there may be several technology options, appropriate for different situations. While many data collection systems are built from existing commercial or open source components, or even come packaged as an end-to-end solution, it's important to understand the options and limitations imposed by the technical system design. In this section, we look at the following components:

• The data collection client interface, which the user interacts with to accomplish data collection and transmission
• The data transfer method, which dictates how the information input on the phone is transmitted to a central server for storage and retrieval.
• Server-side components to receive and store the data, and allow users to display and manage the database.

The graphic below shows how these three components relate to each other

Data collection client

By now, you should have a good understanding of the people who'll be collecting data, and the environment in which they will work. You can now begin to design the data collection client application, which the data collectors will use to input data and submit it to the central system. In the table below, three of the most common types of data collection client application are compared. These are:

• Fixed format SMS. The 'client application' in this case is the phone's built-in SMS functionality. The user writes and SMS in a predefined format, representing answers to successive questions. For example, and SMS for the trip logging application, in the format (trip date,destination,reason for trip,start mileage reading,end mileage reading) might be input as '16/11/08,Entebbe, meeting,1250,3000'. RapidSMS is one system that uses this method.

• Java Micro Edition Platform (J2ME) application. A J2ME application is written in the Java programming language, and loaded onto the phone over bluetooth or by downloading the application from the Internet. To use the client application, the data collector navigates through questions in an application on the phone, which collects the answers and submits the completed form to a server. The questions can be hard-coded into the application, or read from forms downloaded to the phone. Mobile Researcher, Episurveyor and JavaRosa have client applications written in J2ME, as does the FrontlineSMS forms client.

• Web-based forms. The 'client application' for web-based forms is the phone's web browser. The user browses to a website, where the form is published in an optimized format for mobile browsers. The form is then filled out online, and saved directly from the web page. Mobile researcher offers this option.

There are many variations within theses three categories, as well as some less popular technologies for data collection client applications that may still be appropriate. Three interesting alternatives are voice-based data collection, Wireless Internet Gateway (WIG) menus and USSD.

• In voice-based data collection, the user dials a number and then chooses from options on a menu (“to record the answer to this question, press 1 for yes, 2 for no, 0 if you are unsure” etc). This is useful when there are low levels of literacy among data collectors, or when a system is needed that caters for both landline and mobile phones. Voxiva's system, described in more detail in the tools section, is an example.

• WIG (Wireless Internet Gateway) use a programming language (Wireless Markup Language, or WML) that is internal to almost all SIM cards. This means a Java phone is not required to use a WIG menu, although the fact that SMS is the only available data transfer service may negate any cost savings from this over time. The menu definition is easy to write, but the size limit is 1MB, making it difficult to support long menus or multiple languages. The other serious limitation of WIG menus is that they need to be sent to the phone (“pushed”) by the operator. As a result, WIG menus are only really feasible for organisations able to work closely with a cellular operator, and then only for relatively small-scale systems.

• USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) will be familiar to many people as the service you use to check airtime balance (for example, by dialing *111 and following the text prompts), or to request settings from the network operator. USSD is a real-time question-response service, where the user initiates a session and is then able to interact with the remote server by selecting numeric menu options. The main limitations of USSD for data collection are the requirement that the phone be continuously connected during the session (which means that it needs a good, consistent signal), and the limited length of USSD menus. Despite these, USSD is attractive as sending an USSD costs a fraction of that of an SMS. USSD services need the close cooperation of the carrier. We are currently aware only of banking services such as Wizzit in South Africa, for example, of using USSD for data transfer. If there are commercial or NGO services using USSD for data collection, we'd love to hear about it.

Data transfer method

Once data has been captured on the phone, the completed form generally needs to be submitted to a central back-end server. Data collection with PDAs typically requires synching with the server when the device is connected via bluetooth or a data cable, which requires that the data collection device be returned periodically to a central location.
(An exception is AED/Satellife's African Access Points, battery-operated units that contain a GSM cellular transceiver and a data cache; each access point can support up to 1,000 handheld units. The access point communicates with a server by making cellular phone calls, and with the handheld units via their infrared beam. When users "beam" to the access point, information is uploaded and downloaded.)
Mobile phone data collection systems usually leverage the GSM network for remote data collection, transmitting completed forms via SMS or GPRS.
There are some key differences between SMS and GPRS. First, SMS is available on almost all phones, while GPRS is a higher-end (although increasingly prevalent) technology. If you are unable to ensure that data capturers can use GPRS on their phones (for example, when you are relying on people using their personal phones), you may wish to choose SMS, or at least offer SMS as an additional option for form submission.
The major reasons for favouring GPRS are cost and data size. With SMS, you are limited to 160 characters of data (more if you use multiple messages for one form, and slightly more if you have a compression step prior to sending), whereas with GPRS there is no realistic limit to the size of the form you submit. Also, for the cost of one 160-character SMS, it is possible in most countries to send many times that amount of data via GPRS (in South Africa, R2.00 buys 1Mb of GPRS data, equivalent to 7200 SMS messages. One SMS message costs around 80c).
A final consideration, discussed in more detail in the next section, is what kind of system needs to be in place to receive the form sent. If using SMS, the form needs to be sent to a number recognized on the GSM network. This can be a normal phone number. If the data volumes are low, it is feasible to receive forms using a phone or GSM modem connected to a PC. FrontlineSMS in its basic form operates that way.
However, most systems with any realistic load will need to employ the services of a commercial SMS gateway provider, who will receive the incoming SMS and then submit them to your server over the Internet. This comes at a price, which needs to be factored in when choosing a data collection method. Conversely, with GPRS, the form can be submitted directly to your server over the Internet. This means you don't need additional hardware or third-party service providers.

Server-side components

Although your choice of data collection and data transfer method will partially determine what server-side components you require, you also have some scope for customization, particularly of the data reporting and management interface that will be presented to data users and/or external systems. Broadly, three components should be considered:

• A component that receives the submitted forms, checks for errors and then either rejects the form (with appropriate error message to the data collector) or initiates insertion of the data recorded into the database.

• A database system.

• A reporting interface, or several if you intend to cater for different types of users, or for access by both human users and external software systems.

When receiving the forms, choices differ depending on whether you are using SMS or GPRS as the data transfer method. Receiving forms over GPRS is simpler, as the data collection application is essentially submitting the form to a web application already. The task of this web application (which can be just a very simple verification script) is to verify the data collected and then to submit it to the database. There are some potential complications with the client side ending the session without waiting to see whether the form has been successfully received and stored, but theses are generally mitigated in the client side code.
For SMS, you can receive the message yourself using a phone or GSM modem, both of which will have a SIM card inside with a predefined phone number to which the message must be sent. Alternatively, you can contract a bulk SMS provider to receive the message for you and pass it to your server, in which case the message will be sent to a short code (e.g. 30080) owned and managed by the SMS provider. The first option is feasible for small systems and pilots, where uptime is not completely critical. However, even with a GSM modem you are only able to receive a few messages per minute. Using an SMS provider frees you from the responsibility of ensuring that the system is always available, and also introduces the possibility of cost saving and reverse-billed SMS, which is free for the sender. Once the SMS data has been received, it must still be verified and inserted in the same manner as GPRS submission, although because you are already set up to handle SMS, it may be easier to notify the user in case of a failed submission.
The choice of database management and reporting components is beyond the scope of this overview, and the choices are vast. Probably the most important factor to consider is whether you are able to use an existing off-the-shelf survey management system (for a nicely configurable open source example, check out [Lime Survey], for example), or whether you need a developer to customize a system for you, or even to build something from scratch. The latter is likely to be significantly more expensive, although there are open source components that can be used as is or customized to form part of the system. Two very popular database systems, MySQL and PostgreSQL, are open source, and may be a good choice for organizations with budget constraints who nevertheless want to build their own system.
Similarly, open source web application frameworks like [Ruby on Rails] or [CakePHP], both of which are designed for rapid development, can help to reduce cost and development time. In all cases, it's important that you have a clear understanding of your needs, as well as resources available, before you start. If you are getting developers to build a system, you should also require that the process be clearly documented, with high-quality specifications and regular feedback, and make yourself available to the development team for this purpose.
The graphic below consolidates all the technology components described in this article.

Tools

This section takes a look at some tools and components for mobile data collection. Some are full end-to-end systems, offering everything from the client application to the data management interface. Others are client application components only, and one (Kannel) is a dedicated SMS receiving component. What you choose depends on the specific needs of your situation, as well as the resources available and whether you have (or can buy in) the skills to do system customization or development.

JavaRosa

[JavaRosa] is an open-source J2ME implementation of the [OpenRosa] standard for data collection on mobile devices. OpenRosa, in turn, is based on the [W3C Xforms] standard for the definition of data collection forms. What this means in practice is that the form design is completely separated from the application – you design the form you want data collectors to fill in and write it using the xforms syntax, and then the form can be loaded into JavaRosa (or, in future, implementations of the OpenRosa standard for other mobile platforms, such as Google's Android platform). JavaRosa handles everything on the client side (asking the user questions, saving the form, allowing the user to review and edit saved forms) as well as form submission over GPRS.
JavaRosa is still under development; although a relatively stable version is already available to developers. In the next few months, the group plans to add SMS functionality as well as support for more advanced form features such as question grouping and repeated questions. There are also plans to release an end-to-end system, probably in late 2009.
Good for: There is more detail about the phone specs required for JavaRosa in the table at the end of this section (at this stage, they're a bit higher than some of the other applications), but it's an exciting option for organizations who plan to build a data collection system with the help of an in-house or contracted development team. Recommended if you want standards compliance, solid architecture and an active and supportive development community.

RapidSMS

RapidSMS is a system for managing SMS and audio messaging campaigns, developed by UNICEF. MobileActive has previously published a full review of the system, but what's interesting from a data collection point of view is the SMS forms functionality. RapidSMS offers a straightforward implementation of the SMS forms concept, with no special software on the user's phone. Once the server-side setup is complete (currently a bit tricky, requiring some specialist Linux knowledge and a large number of software dependencies), activating the SMS form functionality is a matter of designing a form in the web interface, and then waiting for your data to come in.
Once you're up and running and data is coming in, RapidSMS also offers some basic analysis tolls. You can view and graph the data, or export it as an Excel spreadsheet. Also, the system is web-based, so if you have a distributed team that needs to access the data, all they need in an Internet connection.
One of the problems with any SMS form system is that quite a few of the messages that come in will be incorrectly formatted for automatic processing. RapidSMS has a message correction screen in the web interface where you can manully correct these. However, bear in mind that forms longer than a couple of questions will always have a high proportion of user errors.
Good for: RapidSMS is great as a quick solution for basic data collection (and in fact was designed for use in disasters and emergencies). You can use it with the most basic phones and, once you've negotiated the complicated setup process, it's an out-of-the-box end-to-end solution. Over time, you might want to consider replacing it with something more robust if your data collection needs get more complicated, or the mounting cost of SMS is becoming a concern.

FrontlineSMS

FrontlineSMS is a well-known bulk SMS application designed for the NGO sector. In a recent review of the application, we mentioned that the next release of the system will include form-based data collection functionality. This release has not yet happened, but once it does in early 2009, there is likely to be lots of interest in this new feature, especially from existing FrontlineSMS users who already have the system set up to send and receive SMS, and who are comfortable with the user interface. (See below for an update on the Forms client which was released in early March 2009)
It's hard to review a tool that hasn't yet been released, but from what we've been told the FrontlineSMS forms client will be a complete end-to-end system, with basic server side analysis and export functionality similar to that of RapidSMS. The difference is that, rather than sending in an SMS in a predefined format, data collectors will use a J2ME client application designed using FrontlineSMS's form designer. This should help reduce error rates. Collected data is transmitted via SMS (with associated costs). The FrontlineSMS forms client will compress and combine as many completed forms as possible into single messages and thus potentially reduce SMS costs. The effectiveness of this is, of course, determined by the complexity and size of the form.
Good for: If you are an existing FrontlineSMS user, the forms client may offer an easy and low-cost way to try out mobile data collection without committing resources. Even if you aren't, you may find the graphical form designer easier to play around with than some other systems. Definitely worth a look, and as soon as we've seen it, we'll let you know.
UPDATED March 8, 2009:

FrontlineSMS Forms

The FrontlineSMS forms client has been now released. It adds basic data collection functionality to the messaging tool. The forms client is a Java application, with all data transfer done via SMS.
The workflow for FrontlineSMS forms is as follows:

• Download and install the forms client on almost any Java phone. For phones with Internet access, the application can be downloaded directly on the phone. Alternatively, it can be download the forms client to a PC and send it to the phone using bluetooth or USB data cable.

• Create your forms in FrontlineSMS, using the drag-and-drop forms editor

• Send the forms( via SMS) to your data collection phones, and load them into the client

• Data collectors fill in forms, which are sent as an SMS to the FrontlineSMS server number

• You can now view the data in FrontlineSMS, or export to a text file (comma separated values - readable by Excel) for further analysis

Although we haven't yet tried out the full system, there are a number of nice features in the new client. There's a form designer included, as well as an Excel export for received forms. The mobile client will run on even very low-end Java phones (we tested on the Nokia 1680, which struggles to run many other Java applications). Integration with an established system may also smooth the learning curve for organisations already using FrontlineSMS for bulk messaging.
Use it: This is the simplest data collection system we've seen, and the client is the least resource-intensive. While it doesn't allow you to change the data collection workflow or add new data types, it has the basics, and it's a full end-to-end system.
Don't use it: Because the forms client isn't open source (the rest of FrontlineSMS is - see http://sourceforge.net/projects/frontlinesms/), you won't be able to customise or build on it. You're also limited to SMS for data transfer at this stage, which can be expensive.

Mobile Researcher

A recent entry into the mobile data collection market, Mobile Researcher is an end-to-end data collection service rather than a user-managed application. Mobile Researcher handles all the system configuration and data management - all you need to do is choose your options, train your data collectors and then sit back and wait until you have enough data to export for analysis. This software-as-service model means that you pay no setup costs, but instead are charged per completed form submitted to the system (using 'credits' bought from the company). You are also responsible for data transmission costs from the sender's phone, using either SMS or the much cheaper GPRS options.
Good for: Mobile researcher has a nice range of data collection clients, from an SMS option through to J2ME and web-based clients. Having seen a short demo of the J2ME client at MobileActive08, we can definitely recommend it as a mature and easy-to-use product. As an added bonus, it runs on some very low-end Java phones, often a limitation of J2ME client applications. Two factors count against the system: the cost, which would be prohibitive for a large or long-running data collection project, and the fact that your data is hosted on Mobile Researcher's servers rather than you own. This means you have to trust their privacy and security protection measures, which you might present problems if you work with sensitive data.

EpiSurveyor

Episurveyor is a more complex data collection client application, targeted at PDAs and certain smartphones. It was originally not designed as a real-time system - data collectors would go out, work offline storing completed forms to the device memory, and then go back to the office and upload the completed forms using the device sync functionality. Alternatively, there is now a wireless version available, and you can use this to submit forms via email. EpiSurveyor also comes with a Windows-based form designer programme, which allows users to specify the forms to be used for data collection.
The project is fully open source (you can get the code on their Sourceforge project page) and has an open feature list and a community mailing list. This is always something to look for in an open source project, where community support can be the difference between success, and hours of fruitless hacking. Episurveyor works on all J2ME phones, and supports data analysis and export, as well asGPS tagging.
Good for: Of all the systems reviewed, EpiSurveyor is the most heavyweight. It supports some complex form features, and because it targets higher-end devices, it has good support for longer forms. It's not quite an end-to-end solution (when it comes to collating and analyzing your data, you're on your own) but the the form designer is a nice feature. If your data collection needs are complex and your budget permits you to consider high-end devices for your data collectors, EpiSurveyor is definitely worth considering.

Nokia Data Gathering

Nokia Data Gathering is another exciting new release in the mobile data collection space. Like FrontlineSMS, it aims to be an end-to-end system, comprising a form designer, a mobile client written in Java, a data server and data export. The system targets two specific higher-end Nokia smartphones (the E61 and E71). It should run on other Java phones too, but hasn't been tested for them.
Without getting too involved in the technical detail of the system (if you're interested, there's some detail on technologies used and the rationale for choosing them on the Nokia Data Gathering site), it's clear that it has been thoughtfully designed, with consideration given to scalability and future directions for development. Notable features include GPS co-ordinates for form submissions (using the E71's onboard GPS), transparent switching between GPRS and SMS for data transmission depending on availability, and the Connector API, which eases integration into existing databases.
Use it: If you're exploring options for a medium-to-large data collection programme, and are already planning to purchase handsets for your data capturers, Nokia Data Gathering is worth looking into. It isn't open source or available as a packaged download, but we're told that it's available at no cost to non-profits and developing world governments. Make contact through the Nokia Data Gathering site.
Don't use it: If you are targeting low-end handsets, or are not planning to buy new handsets for your data capturers, this probably isn't the system for you. Also, while it's scalable, you'll need some IT expertise to install the server-side components.

Comparison matrix

Case Studies And Other Resources

• Article on Mobile Researcher

• Mobile Data Collection for Fair Trade

Yael Schwartzmann is a social entrepreneur, a programmer, and a mobile innovator. She developed a mobile data collection application-- DigitalICS -- to monitor smallholder coffee farmers' compliance with organic, fair trade certifications and quality requirements at a rural coffee cooperative in Oaxaca, Mexico.

• Preventing Famine with Mobile Data - RapidSMS use in Ethopia

Ethiopia again this year has experienced crippling droughts. Faced with the possibility of famine, UNICEF Ethiopia launched a massive food distribution program to supply the high-protein food Plumpy'nut to under-nourished children using mobile phones for monitoring and delivering supplies its more than 1,8000 feeding centers in the country. To coordinate the distribution and maintain appropriate stocks, field monitors reported on supplies and number of children fed through an SMS reporting system using a UNICEF-built mobile data collection and monitoring software, RapidSMS.

• From a case study in the report Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use:

In 2002, Selanikio teamed up with computer scientist Rose Donna to form the DataDyne Group, a non-profit dedicated to increasing access to public health data through mobile software solutions. Inspired by an earlier CDC product called Epi Info, Selanikio created EpiSurveyor, a free, open-source, mobile data collection software tool. EpiSurveyor offers health data collection forms that can be downloaded at no cost and modified by anyone with basic computer skills. Selanikio and Donna believed that this technological innovation could empower developing country health officials with the tools needed to gather time-sensitive health data quickly, and without outside assistance.

• OpenMRS: From a case study in the report Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use:

The Open Medical Records System (OpenMRS) is a free and open source electronic medical record application for developing countries (www.openmrs.org). The application has been used to manage patient and treatment information associated with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis care in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

• Disease Surveillance in Uganada, using the African Access Point by AED Satellife. Interview with Berhane Gebru, Program Director at AED-SATELLIFE, an international organization which aims to strengthen health care in resource-poor countries by providing disease surveillance solutions and health information distribution to rural healthcare workers using mobile technology. He describes SATELLIFE's current project in Uganda which equips rural health workers with PDA's and GPRS wireless access points in order to transmit their health data collection to the ministry of health.

• Using Mobiles for Fight HIV Aids, an article about Cell-Life's work.

See also the case study in the report Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use:

Cell-Life, a non-governmental organization based in Cape Town, South Africa, created its “Aftercare” program to work with the public health system and its health workers to provide home-based care for HIV/AIDS patients receiving ART treatments. The mobile technology-based Aftercare program supports the effective treatment of HIV/AIDS patients, and covers other aspects such as voluntary counseling. Each Aftercare worker is assigned to monitor 15 to 20 patients. The worker visits the patient in his or her home, and in a one- on-one session discusses the patient’s current treatment. Using their mobile phones for data capture, Aftercare workers record information about patient medical status, drug adherence, and other factors that may affect a patient’s ART therapy.

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Tagged With:

• Advocacy
• Disaster & Humanitarian Relief
• Environment
• Health
• mobile datacollection

Mobile Phones for Data Collection data sheet 28083 Views

Author: 

Melissa Loudon

Abstract: 

Mobile data collection and reporting projects are abundant now that mobile use for development is taking off. Unlike bulk messaging and general information services that are targeting the general public as recipients of standardized messaging, mobile data collection tools are often used internally in an organization, customized to fit with existing organizational processes.

This may mean using services or applications that are not part of most people's day-to-day experience of mobile use. Add a liberal sprinkling of jargon (and the mobile world's plague of acronyms) and you have a recipe for much technical confusion!
This article looks at choosing a mobile data collection solution, from defining the information requirements to choosing the most appropriate technology strategy for a specific organizational context and communication environment.
We also review a selection of commercial and non-commercial tools.

Location

Global Regions: 

Sub-Saharan Africa

Asia

Australia and Oceania

Central America and the Caribbean

Europe

Middle East and North Africa

North America

South America

FrontlineSMS Forms

Yael Schwartzmann is a social entrepreneur, a programmer, and a mobile innovator. She developed a mobile data collection application-- DigitalICS -- to monitor smallholder coffee farmers' compliance with organic, fair trade certifications and quality requirements at a rural coffee cooperative in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Ethiopia again this year has experienced crippling droughts. Faced with the possibility of famine, UNICEF Ethiopia launched a massive food distribution program to supply the high-protein food Plumpy'nut to under-nourished children using mobile phones for monitoring and delivering supplies its more than 1,8000 feeding centers in the country. To coordinate the distribution and maintain appropriate stocks, field monitors reported on supplies and number of children fed through an SMS reporting system using a UNICEF-built mobile data collection and monitoring software, RapidSMS.

In 2002, Selanikio teamed up with computer scientist Rose Donna to form the DataDyne Group, a non-profit dedicated to increasing access to public health data through mobile software solutions. Inspired by an earlier CDC product called Epi Info, Selanikio created EpiSurveyor, a free, open-source, mobile data collection software tool. EpiSurveyor offers health data collection forms that can be downloaded at no cost and modified by anyone with basic computer skills. Selanikio and Donna believed that this technological innovation could empower developing country health officials with the tools needed to gather time-sensitive health data quickly, and without outside assistance.

The Open Medical Records System (OpenMRS) is a free and open source electronic medical record application for developing countries (www.openmrs.org). The application has been used to manage patient and treatment information associated with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis care in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Cell-Life, a non-governmental organization based in Cape Town, South Africa, created its “Aftercare” program to work with the public health system and its health workers to provide home-based care for HIV/AIDS patients receiving ART treatments. The mobile technology-based Aftercare program supports the effective treatment of HIV/AIDS patients, and covers other aspects such as voluntary counseling. Each Aftercare worker is assigned to monitor 15 to 20 patients. The worker visits the patient in his or her home, and in a one- on-one session discusses the patient’s current treatment. Using their mobile phones for data capture, Aftercare workers record information about patient medical status, drug adherence, and other factors that may affect a patient’s ART therapy.

Some Safe Browsing Tips For Internet

In 21st century, Internet is accessed by the people of all ages for their respective purposes either for education, work, entertainment and many more. You can get knowledge about everything which is existing or in research. But, now-a-days this option has become a reason of concern for the parents and teachers regarding their young children.
Parents can’t always keep an eye on their child’s internet activities so its better to use some precautions and safety measures to ensure a safe experience of internet. But most of the parents do not know how to do that.
In solution to this, Google has come up with some tools and advices for parents by which they can protect and educate their young children on using the internet.
Google has provided some tools and controls that help you manage your online experience.
There is an option of ‘Google Safe Search’ which is designed to remove sites that contains sexually explicit content from our search results. By default, Moderate Safe Search is ON but for more precautions you can select Strict Safe Search.
You can do this by going in the option of ‘Search Settings’ at the top-right of Google homepage and then in the option ‘SafeSearch Filtering’.

There is a possibility that your children knows about this setting and can do changes without your knowledge. For this, there is an option of saving your setting using a password by going in the option ‘Lock SafeSearch’.
After locking your search option, your Google search will appear with colored balls which will ensure you that your kids searches are safe even from a distance.

Also, you can work closely with the organisations such as charities, others in our industry and government bodies dedicated to protecting young people. There are some common issues that are of big concerns to parents which are:
1. Sexually explicit and violent material
2. Meeting strangers online
3. Sharing too much personal information
4. Cyber bullying
5. Exposure to vulgar language

6. Sites promoting inappropriate behaviours such as eating disorders and drug use
7. Malware
You can read the advices of these organisations on these topics on the given link:
Advice on Safety Issues
You can also report inappropriate content on YouTube, Buzz, Blogger and Picasa Web Albums.
For example, if you find any video on YouTube inappropriate then, you can report it by just clicking ‘Flag’ below the link which will show a list of reason why you want to report that video. Just select the appropriate one and click ‘Flag this video’.
The video will then be reviewed by a team and if found inappropriate, will be deleted.

Likewise, read how to report abuse to other sites in the given link:
Reporting Inappropriate Content
You can also watch videos of parents view on this topic on Thoughts From Parents.

Facebook privacy How to hide your Facebook friends list

Facebook last Wednesday announced new privacy settings that give users some additional control over what information they share, while taking away the ability to hide a few pieces of information from the general public. One particular piece of publicly available information–users’ friends lists–caused a bit of an uproar from a number of sectors, including business people who don’t necessarily want to expose their professional networks to the public and their competitors. It is also a concern to some parents who might not want their kids–or a list of their kids’ friends–to be widely available.
Facebook quickly backtracked. A day later, the company announced on its blog that users can now uncheck the “Show my friends on my profile” option in the Friends box on their profile so that your friend list won’t appear on your publicly viewable profile.
Unfortunately, they weren’t very clear on exactly how you make the change. You won’t find this checkbox in your Facebook privacy settings. Instead you have to follow these steps:
1. Click on Profile on the blue bar a the top of the screen:

2. Scroll down to the beginning of your Friends list and click on the pencil to the right of the word Friends:

3. Uncheck the box that says “Show Friend list to everyone”:

You can’t hide your friends from your friends and applications
Unchecking that box will hide your friends list when a non-Facebook friend views your public profile, but it will not hide your Facebook friends list from your friends when they look at your profile. Also, this information will be available to applications and application developers.
In addition, this procedure does not hide other publicly available information including your name, profile picture, gender, current city, networks you belong to, and pages you’re a fan of.
Double-check your privacy settings
Most Facebook users have by now gone through the mandatory privacy settings wizard, but you can revisit your settings at any time by hovering over settings in the tool bar on the top of the screen and selecting privacy settings. If you don’t do this, a fair amount of your information might be available to the public including the names of your kids and other family members (with links to their Facebook accounts), your relationship status, and where you work.

To find out how your Facebook profile looks to the public, click on Profile Information in privacy settings and then on Preview My Profile…on the upper right section of that page.

Your Online Safety Video Could Win You $10,000

Everyone has a story to tell about safe and respectful use of technology, and those who tell it via video could win a $10,000 prize from Internet security company Trend Micro.
The What’s Your Story? contest, now in its third year, will award one $10,000 grand prize and six other cash category prizes to individuals and schools that submit winning videos.
Videos should be short (30 seconds to 2 minutes) and, as you create your video, you’re encouraged to “keep in mind that these videos will be used to help educate kids and families and promoted by members of the judging panel.” In other words, you’re not just entering a contest, you’re creating a video that could be used by some of the leading non-profit Internet safety organizations and media companies (including Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo) to educate other Internet users all over the world.
Categories for this year’s contest are:

• Take action against bullying
• Keep a good rep online
• Be cell smart

Eligibility
The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada (except Quebec) age 13 or older.  Youth are especially encouraged to submit a video and teachers can enter classroom video projects. The deadline is April 3rd, 2012. Contest rules are more details are here.
Judges this year will include representatives from several non-profit organizations and social media companies including ConnectSafely.org where I serve as co-director.
You can view all of last year’s winners here or just scroll down for last year’s grand prize winner.

Facebook isn’t addictive — it just makes people feel happy

A lot has been written about “Facebook addiction.” Indeed some press coverage of a recent study from the University of Chicago suggests that “Facebook and Twitter are more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol.”  But a new study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking puts a positive spin on the issue. Could it be that, just like eating chocolate, Facebook and Twitter are simply fun and pleasurable?
The word “addictive” doesn’t appear once in the report, Why Is Facebook So Successful? Psychophysiological Measures Describe a Core Flow State While Using Facebook,” (PDF) but it does point out that “ the successful spread of SNSs (social networking services)  might be associated with a specific positive affective state experienced by users when they use their SNSs account.”
The researchers analyzed users’ skin conductance, blood volume pulse, electroencephalogram (brain waves), respiratory activity and pupil dilation in 30 healthy subjects “during a 3-minute exposure to a slide show of natural panoramas (relaxation condition),” and “the subject’s personal Facebook account” and found that Facebook use correlated with responses from people who are in a positive emoitonal state.  The technical term, surprisingly, is “flow,” which according to the researchers occurs when “people in free-time activities that did not seem to follow the utility-centered motivational theories of the time” experienced “intense engagement and enjoyment.”
So, is this a bad thing? I suppose some people could interpret anthing positive that people return to often as addictive, but if “intense engagement and emotional enjoyment” is a bad, thing than we have to worry more than just Facebook, Twitter and chocolate. We would also have to include great works of art, beautiful music, great toys, award-winning movies, attractive people and anything else that brings us pleasure.
Disclosure: Larry Magid is co-director of ConnectSafely.org, a non-profit Internet safety organization that receives financial support from Facebook and other Internet companies.

Want to lose your privacy? There’s an app for that

OK, I’m going to say it — mobile phone apps are scary. Sure, they do a lot of very cool things, but when it comes to violating personal privacy, I’m afraid to say “there’s an app for that.”
This reality became incredibly clear a couple of weeks ago when it was revealed that a popular social networking app called Path was routinely uploading users’ address books to the company’s servers without informing the user or asking permission. Path quickly acknowledged the practice, apologized and issued a new version that asks for permission before uploading user data.
It’s impossible for me to know for sure whether forgetting to ask the user’s permission was an oversight or deliberate, and I question whether issuing an apology and fixing the problem after the fact is an adequate remedy. We don’t let bank robbers off the hook if they apologize for the crime and promise never to do it again. Should we afford that leniency to companies who steal our personal information?
Path isn’t the only company to upload user address book data, but most — including Facebook and Twitter — tell users in advance or give them a chance to opt in or out.
What scares me about mobile apps is that they’re kind of a black box. We install them, giving them all sorts of permissions, yet we have no way of peering under their hoods to see what they’re doing.
I’m not trying to spread paranoia. I really do believe that most companies try to play by the rules, but with more than 500,000 iOS (iPhone and iPad) apps and nearly 400,000 Android apps, it’s hard not to imagine that a few companies are going to be fast and loose with the rules. Even reputable companies can slip up, be hacked or otherwise leak our personal data.
I’m not suggesting we go backward, but there are some things you can do to protect yourself. For one, it’s a good idea to read reviews and ratings for any app you want to download. When you install an app, pay close attention to the permissions it asks you to give it. If it asks to know your location, make sure there is a good reason for it. If it lets you share that information with others, be careful who you’re sharing with and review it periodically to make sure that the friend is still a friend.
Finally, don’t forget to lock your phone.

How to Calculate How Much Money You Need for Retirement

 

Start saving for retirement young.

Many adult Americans have inadequate savings to meet the needs of their retirement years, and their savings plans are not always on track to catch up. Many may have their hands full just meeting regular monthly expenses. However, you might actually need less than you think you’ll need for your later years.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Decide when you plan to retire. Some adults work into their 70s. Others stop when they turn 65 or earlier. If you love your job and prefer to keep active, you may want to continue working a little longer. If you have health problems that make it difficult for you to go to your workplace every day, you might desire to retire as soon as possible.
   • 2
     Anticipate your likely income from all retirement sources when they begin paying out, such as Social Security, pensions, retirement plans and interest on investments. This will depend on how much longer you plan to work and how much you anticipate contributing to these funds by the time you retire. You can access a benefits calculator on the Social Security Administration's website. Find a link in the References section.
   • 3
     Examine your current monthly budget, then deduct the expenses that are likely to drop off by the time you retire. The expenses you can expect to lose by retirement age might add up to 40 to 60 percent of your current budget. For example, you might pay off your mortgage before you retire, so you would no longer have that payment, or you might decide to downsize to a less expensive home. Maybe you’ll pay your automobile off by then, too, and you don’t plan to replace it with a brand new model.
   • 4
     Add to your estimated budget any new expenses you can expect to take on as you age. For example, if you don't upgrade to a new car with a monthly payment, figure on spending more for repairs and maintenance. Keep in mind that Medicare is not likely to cover all your medical expenses either. If you’re already paying your own health insurance premiums, this won’t make much of a difference, as long as you don’t deduct that cost from your monthly budget because you think Medicare will take over this expense for you. But if you’re currently covered by a policy provided by your employer, you may lose that when you retire. You'd then need to pay for your own policy, which can be a significant monthly expense. Basic Medicare covers only the costs of hospitalization and some nursing home time, so most people buy supplemental Medicare insurance to cover such things as doctor visits and drugs.
   • 5
     Calculate the difference between what you’re likely to spend per month when you retire and how much of that your retirement plans and Social Security will probably cover. Ideally, your anticipated income will be equal to or slightly more than your anticipated budget. If there’s a shortfall, you'll need to save up the difference before you retire.
   • 6
     Estimate what you’ll need to cover the shortfall, if one exists. If it looks like you’ll be short by $500 per month, this adds up to $6,000 per year. Multiply the yearly deficit by the number of years you expect to live off your retirement plans and savings. According to Bank of America, the average man has a life expectancy of 82 years. If you retire at age 65, and if you live until age 82, you can expect to cover 17 years of retirement. Seventeen years times $6,000 per year comes out to $102,000. You'll need to save this to make up the difference between your estimated budget and your projected expenses.

How to Live on 80% of Your Income

 

It's never too early to begin planning for retirement.

When you begin to research retirement planning, the number 80 percent pops up frequently. Nearly every website and retirement expert suggests that you need about 80 percent of your current income to maintain your standard of living in retirement. For many people, this figure is also very close to what they should be living on now to save enough for retirement. Whether you're close to retirement or just beginning to think about what happens when you stop working, follow these simple steps to live comfortably with less.

Related Searches:

• Retirement Estimate
• Investment Planner

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. • 1
     Track your cash flows. You’ll have a hard time spending less if you don’t know what you’re spending in the first place. Pick a method for recording your incoming and outgoing cash and make a habit of using it. Your tracking method doesn’t have to be fancy – just make sure the method you choose is something you’ll use consistently, whether it’s pen and paper or a smartphone app.
   • 2
     Make a budget. After you’ve tracked your cash flows for a month and before you transition into retirement, decide how much money you have to spend, and how you’d like to spend it. It’s very helpful to write down your goals – traveling, a retirement home on the beach or even just a worry-free retirement – so you remember why you’re being careful with your money.
   • 3
     Don’t bring the money home. If you’re still working, arrange to have your savings automatically deducted from your paycheck and deposited into your 401(k), IRA and bank savings accounts. If you’re retired, keep most of your money in your investments and savings accounts and set up monthly automated cash transfers into your main spending account. Make it as difficult as possible to spend your savings, so you think twice before going over your budget.
   • 4
     Analyze your purchases. Make sure you understand the difference between what you need to live and what you want to have to be comfortable. You can certainly have things you want, but consider any cost to your goals and make sure you make purchases that fit into your long term plans and truly enhance your quality of life.
   • 5
     Invest your savings. Your savings should be working on your behalf, both before and after retirement, even if it’s just earning interest in a savings account. Develop an investment plan – websites like Morningstar.com, SmartMoney.com, and the Motley Fool offer good investment strategy tools for do-it-yourselfers, or you can schedule a session with a financial planner. Whatever your method, make sure you review it regularly, on at least an annual basis.

Preparing for Pregnancy

Getting Your Body Baby-Ready

By Nina Peacock, Contributor

|

Getting a healthy start on your pregnancy is a good option for you and your baby.(photo: Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images)

If you’re trying to get pregnant, [that] might be a good window [in which] to really turn around and get healthy, so that you’re preparing the body for the baby and you, and also setting a pattern for lifelong health.

— Vandana Sheth, registered dietitian, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association

Heather Stott of Charlotte, North Carolina, holds a master's degree in public heath, but she cares about her own health, too. So, “when it came time to try to get pregnant, I did take some extra precautions,” she said.

She lowered her caffeine intake and limited her alcohol intake to one glass of wine per week. She stuck with her regular workout routine, running or cycling five or six days each week, to maintain a healthy weight. She added fresh vegetables and prenatal vitamins to her diet, along with calcium and fish oil supplements. She safely stopped taking her anxiety medication, Lexapro, and sought natural ways to relieve anxiety, because she found no studies on the drug's effects on pregnant women.

"I did not want to chance anything," Stott said.

Her diligence paid off. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl in 2011.

“One of the biggest concerns that we in OB/GYN worry about is that people start to think about pregnancy only when they’re already pregnant,” said Dr. Robert Atlas, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. “There are things that we wish people did prior to pregnancy that would help them reduce the risk of complications.”

You don't have to have a health degree to prepare for pregnancy. You can change your nutrition, fitness and lifestyle habits to benefit your body and your future baby's wellness.

Eating for Optimal Nutrition

When planning to conceive, it is a good idea to get your diet on a healthy track. (photo: Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images)

Registered dietitian Vandana Sheth, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, said healthy eating is the foundation for a healthy pregnancy.

This means getting whole grains from products such as cereal, bread or crackers; eating seasonal fruits for optimal nutritional benefits; getting three servings of low-fat, calcium-rich foods daily; eating plenty of green, leafy vegetables; getting protein from lean meats or tofu; and consuming dried lentils, beans and legumes.

“In fact, if you’re trying to get pregnant, [that] might be a good window [in which] to really turn around and get healthy, so that you’re preparing the body for the baby and you, and also setting a pattern for lifelong health,” Sheth said.

Before pregnancy you should also add certain vitamins and minerals to your diet. Get 400 micrograms of folic acid and 425 milligrams of choline daily, both of which are important for a baby’s neural development. Increase your calcium and iron intake, because pregnant women have increased needs of both. Get 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day and increase iron absorption by eating a food rich in iron, such as dark, leafy greens, with a food that has vitamin C, such as citrus.

A multivitamin can also help you get all these essential nutrients if you are expecting to become expecting.

“The biggest thing that someone can do is, in fact, take a vitamin -- a daily vitamin,” Atlas said.

 

Four Movements for Pre-Pregnancy Fitness

Ilene Bergelson of Lifemoves Health in New York City shares four exercises that mimic the moments of prenatal women and mothers. Before pregnancy, spend one to two minutes working continuously on each exercise to strengthen large muscle groups used during pregnancy and postpartum.
Medicine Ball Roll
Position your body over your knees on a mat. Lean forward and engage the pelvic floor and core muscles. Roll the ball away from you, toward you and side to side. Advance by lifting it. Alternately, use a heavy object from your household such as a bag of rice, a stone from your garden or a jar from your kitchen.
Bird Dog
Build spine stability by positioning yourself on all fours on a floor mat. Lift one arm and your opposite leg simultaneously while keeping your torso stable. Stay as still as you can from a few seconds to a full minute, then alternate sides.
Sumo Deadlifts
Practice lifting a baby from a playpen by standing like a sumo wrestler with your feet in a wide stance and knees and toes pointed slightly out. Engage your core and pelvic floor muscles as you bend your knees and reach down to the floor to grasp a weight with both hands. Keep your knees in line with your toes and the weight close to your body; push up through your heels.
Step-ups
Hold a medicine ball, gallon of milk or other weighted object to mimic a baby's weight as you walk up and down a set of stairs. Move the weight from one side to the other as if shifting a baby’s position. Spend more time on the side that's more difficult to avoid creating imbalances later.

Watching the Way We Consume

The glass of wine can wait. Alcohol is the No. 1 thing to avoid. (photo: Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images)

While it’s important to consume healthy food and nutrients, it’s just as important to know what to avoid. For women considering pregnancy, the list is long.

For example, meats cooked raw to medium raw and seafood that may be high in mercury could be risky for a fetus. However, for women not yet pregnant, “If you have one serving a week, that should not increase the risk of complications in pregnancy,” Atlas said. “Moderation is the key.”

Then there are caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.

“Caffeine has been shown in an eloquent study to ... increase the risk of miscarriage,” Atlas said. He recommends limiting caffeine consumption to 200 milligrams per day -- about one 12-ounce cup of coffee.

“Alcohol is the No. 1 preventable cause of mental retardation,” Atlas explained. Pre-pregnancy, alcohol consumption is acceptable, but once pregnant, “there is no known safe amount of alcohol consumption," he said, so it's best to habitually limit alcohol intake if you're trying to conceive. Seek help for binge drinking or other alcoholism symptoms before becoming pregnant. The same goes for smoking, Atlas said; smoking while pregnant can cause serious damage to your child, including heart disease, cancer and blindness.

Women also should consult a doctor about any vitamins or herbal supplements they're taking, Sheth said. Consuming more than the recommended daily dose of vitamin A, for example, can harm a fetus. Herbal supplements are not always dangerous, but they're unregulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Finally, a host of medications are known teratogens, or agents that can cause harm to a fetus, Atlas said. Examples include Depakote, a drug used to treat bipolar disorder and seizures; Paxil, used to treat anxiety or depression; ACE inhibitors, used to treat hypertension; and Accutane, used to treat acne. If you're on medication, consult with your doctor before trying to conceive.

Practicing Healthy Habits for a Healthy Pregnancy

A healthy weight range will help you throughout your pregnancy. (photo: Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images)

"Motherhood is a sport. ... It’s the longest marathon you’re ever going to run," said Ilene Bergelson, a fitness trainer and founder of Lifemoves Health in New York City. Bergelson trains women before and during pregnancy.

It’s important to be in a healthy weight range when planning to conceive, she said.

Atlas agreed. “Patients who are in the obese category ... are increasing their risk of pregnancy complications. The heavier you are, the higher the risk,” he said.

A normal body mass index for a woman is between 18.5 and 24.9; a woman is in the obese category when her BMI is 30 or above.

Exercise also relieves stress, which may play a role in fertility. In a May 2000 study, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health could not prove a link between workplace stress and fertility, but "studies among couples going through infertility treatments have found that those who have the highest success rate maintained lower levels of stress," wrote registered dietitian Amy Ogle and Dr. Lisa Mazzullo, an OB/GYN, in their book, "Before Your Pregnancy: A 90-Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception."

Ogle and Mazzullo recommended spending time outdoors, sleeping for seven or eight hours each night, developing an optimistic attitude, and practicing restorative habits, such as taking an hour before bed to relax with your spouse each night, as ways to reduce stress.

By learning healthy habits, women can approach pregnancy with confidence knowing they’ve done everything they can to prepare.

Stott said her frustrations rose each month as she and her husband tried to conceive. "We went through a great deal of heartache [and] ups and downs to create this special girl," she said. "Education prepared me ... in managing my health pre-, during and after pregnancy."

Modern Philosophy Breakthroughs - Where Are They Now?

May I ask how it is possible with all the bright minds in this nation and all those in college right now, why on Earth they cannot come up with a breakthrough in philosophy - why it's as if their minds are trapped, but how can this be in the information age, where we should be at a point of unlimited thought? Did everyone stop thinking? Not long ago, I was having this conversation with a brilliant future philosopher, John Altmann.
What I reasoned was that those who wish to study and come up with something new in philosophy should attend college, however, college can also adversely affect your brain if you let it, you have to keep "thinking" while filing away all that information. Just studying the categories of philosophy and memorizing the names isn't going to do it, nor is continuing to hash out old circular arguments. Further, I'd say;
"Remember all those so-called "Ten-Foot Tall" men in history were only humans, and today you shouldn't call them "Giants" to stand on their shoulders, just call them mile-markers, and when you see one accelerate towards it, and then shift gears, hit the gas, and leave that head bust in the proverbial dust, don't look back, keep your eyes focused on what's in front of you, lest it rust" - Lance 2012.
My advice to those who want to become the next great philosopher of our time, sure, I have some thoughts on that, here is my advice; all their philosophy and greatness are only challenging you - take that challenge. Don't let them become a false ceiling, they are merely the beginning, they are the ground, it's time to boldly go - they are only a starting point, even the greatest merely mile-markers. Think of it that way.
You see, if you want to be a great future philosopher as John Altmann will become then you must realize that; "YOU" can do anything in this world you want too, you own it, it's yours, every individual is the highest power. Write your own ticket, know no limits.
Lastly to all you college students out there who wish to make a breakthrough; continued Success in your College Classes, send me any thoughts or ideas you have whenever you feel like it, I'll be around. You see, I am kind of counting on all of you to make a breakthrough, come up with something big, and give humanity a real run for their money. Indeed, I hope you will consider all this and think on it.