Publication: Advancing Development with Mobile Phone Locational Data: Improving the Effectiveness of Assistance
Loading...
Published
2015-01
ISSN
Date
2015-07-28
Editor(s)
Abstract
Mobile phones, and especially smartphones, are opening new ways to assess and improve assistance and the delivery of basic services in the developing world. Each year, developing countries see an annual gain of about 500 million new smartphones, virtually all of which generate not only call data records but also, with their GPS and Wi-Fi capabilities, a rich set of more precise data on location and movement. The rapid diffusion of the phones and the locational data they generate are helping fuel the science of delivery, the evidence-based, experimental approach to project assessment and improvement. The technology is finding an expanding variety of uses. Recent examples involving transport and logistics include: transit route mapping in Abidjan; supply chain management for community health workers in Malawi; transport planning in Cote d’Ivoire; and malaria tracking in Kenya. A notable and more impromptu use arose after a tsunami hit Japan in March 2011. Health care authorities used call data records (CDRs) generated by mobile phones to track the evacuation from the vicinity of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. They then meshed the CDRs with health records to optimize the delivery of needed emergency health treatment.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Haddad, Ryan; Kelly, Timothy; Leinonen, Teemu; Saarinen, Vesa. 2015. Advancing Development with Mobile Phone Locational Data: Improving the Effectiveness of Assistance. Transport and ICT connections,no. 4;. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22310 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Using Locational Data from Mobile Phones to Enhance the Science of Delivery(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-06)The objective of this report is to examine the potential of locational data for the 'science of delivery' in the field of development. The 'science of delivery' is a term popularized by the World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, and refers to using evidence-based experimentation to improve development outcomes (Walji, 2013). In this context, locational data is a new tool that is starting to be used in a variety of development fields including health, education, disaster risk management, traffic planning etc. this broad introduction to the topic in chapter one, the next chapter explores the technology behind locational data. Chapter three presents the methodology followed in this research and chapter four, which is the heart of this report, then presents a series of mini case studies of how it is actually being used in a representative sample of different development fields. This is the 'evidence-based experimentation' which can be harnessed to improve the 'science of delivery', and examples of both active and passive collection of locational data are presented. Finally, chapter five examines, in broader terms, the longer term potential of locational data as a development tool, once smartphone ownership becomes more widespread.Publication Connecting Green Technology Entrepreneurs(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016)In face of growing concern related to climate change, green technology entrepreneurs are critically needed to develop the businesses and ideas behind climate mitigation in developing countries - but they frequently collide with challenges endemic to such environments. The purpose of this study is to shed light on the role that connections can play in helping green technology entrepreneurs innovate and scale up in developing countries, so as to inform the design of new public sector programs. Green technology entrepreneurs in developing countries need connection platforms for people, ideas, business models, transactions, as well as membership of expert communities. This study shows how cheaper, quicker, and more efficient connections can be created among stakeholders of green technology innovation in developing countries. This is done through drawing insights from a variety of public and private programs that seek to promote connections between entrepreneurs in green technology and other sectors. The report is based on 14 case studies of different programs spanning more than 80 countries. The general findings are presented in part one and insights from the individual case studies can be found in part two.Publication Transit ITS Implementation Guidance : Part 1. Introduction to Transit ITS(Beijing, 2009-02)There has been increased interest throughout the world in improving transit services through the introduction of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). ITS can be defined as a set of technologies intended to improve the quality or efficiency of transit services primarily by providing the appropriate information at the appropriate time in an appropriate form to transit staff and transit customers. The World Bank has participated in the financing of several ITS systems in China. Given the complexity of these projects and their potential for dramatic transformation of transit operating agencies, it is worthwhile to provide some guidance to senior staff from transit systems contemplating ITS projects as well as decision-makers external to the transit operating organizations The World Bank commissioned a series of three papers to assist in this effort. This first paper is a description of the key ITS applications for transit operations and where they are most beneficial. This second paper reviews a number of previous installations and reports on lessons learned, both positive and negative, in the hope of maximizing the effectiveness of technology in improving transit services. The third is a set of Terms of Reference (TOR's) for professional services associated with ITS project management to assist in project implementation these papers focus more on the organizational and planning issues associated with ITS. This guidance is primarily directed to bus transit operators, including those with bus rapid transit (BRT) services. However, the sections on fare collection and traffic signal priority may have some application to streetcar or light rail transit. Vehicle location on such systems is usually accomplished by a signal system used to control switching between tracks. This note serves as an introduction to the topic of ITS for transit. In it, we introduce the various ITS technologies, identify their benefits, and the range of applications where their use is most appropriate. The interaction among technologies in providing information useful to transit system management is also discussed. Of equal importance, we have found that successful implementation of ITS depends not only on the technology but also on the institutional environment in which they are implemented. Since the introduction of technology fundamentally changes the nature of traditional managerial and staff processes, organizations which are able to embrace change and alter their methods of doing business will be more likely to fully benefit from these installations. Accordingly, this paper discusses some of the institutional and organizational factors associated with ITS implementation. From the outset, this note does not advocate for the implementation of specific ITS technologies.Publication Applications of Advanced Metering Infrastructure in Electricity Distribution(Washington, DC, 2011)In the second half of the 1980s, several electricity companies in developed countries incorporated the automation of the reads of the consumption meters installed in their customers' premises. Adoption of that approach was driven in all the cases by the need to lower the significant costs of in-site reading, reflecting high labor costs in rich countries. There are several AMI options potentially viable for each of the automated meter reading (AMI) applications, covering a wide range in terms of technical and functional specifications of hardware and software. However, the technical and economic feasibility of a specific option crucially depends on the current operational and financial performance of the involved utilities, as well as on other key characteristics (institutional, regulatory, development of communications infrastructure) of the environment in which they operate. It is very clear that, in AMI, one size does not fit all. The applicability and options for applying AMI or smart meters technology to a variety of customer management issues commonly found in public service utilities, in particular in electricity distribution companies, are described and analyzed in this report.Publication IT Based Innovation in Rural and Urban WSS : Sanitation Hackathon, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2012(Washington, DC, 2014-05-26)The need for innovative solutions to the chronic lack of sanitation worldwide is immense. Of those people who lack access to improved sanitation. 1.1 billion have no facilities at all and defecate in the open. These sanitation shortages account for thousands of deaths daily, especially among children. Additionally, poor sanitation costs billions of dollars in economic losses annually, as high as 7 percent of Gross Domestic Product, or GDP in some countries. 'That's billions of dollars that could educate poor children or help build infrastructure - like schools and roads,' said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. Conversely, more than 6 billion people worldwide have access to a mobile phone, including in rural and urban areas in developing countries. The surge in mobile phones in Africa, some 94 percent of urban Africans, for example, are near a GSM signal, is transforming the way people complete daily tasks, from knowing when to sell farm commodities, to finding easier ways to pay bills or send money to family and friends. With ever increasing mobile penetration and falling prices of smart phones, mobile applications provide a platform to address myriad critical issues and an opportunity to solve problems in the developing world.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication World Development Report 2011(World Bank, 2011)The 2011 World development report looks across disciplines and experiences drawn from around the world to offer some ideas and practical recommendations on how to move beyond conflict and fragility and secure development. The key messages are important for all countries-low, middle, and high income-as well as for regional and global institutions: first, institutional legitimacy is the key to stability. When state institutions do not adequately protect citizens, guard against corruption, or provide access to justice; when markets do not provide job opportunities; or when communities have lost social cohesion-the likelihood of violent conflict increases. Second, investing in citizen security, justice, and jobs is essential to reducing violence. But there are major structural gaps in our collective capabilities to support these areas. Third, confronting this challenge effectively means that institutions need to change. International agencies and partners from other countries must adapt procedures so they can respond with agility and speed, a longer-term perspective, and greater staying power. Fourth, need to adopt a layered approach. Some problems can be addressed at the country level, but others need to be addressed at a regional level, such as developing markets that integrate insecure areas and pooling resources for building capacity Fifth, in adopting these approaches, need to be aware that the global landscape is changing. Regional institutions and middle income countries are playing a larger role. This means should pay more attention to south-south and south-north exchanges, and to the recent transition experiences of middle income countries.Publication World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication Doing Business 2014 : Understanding Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises(Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2013-10-28)Eleventh in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 185 economies, Doing Business 2014 measures regulations affecting 11 areas of everyday business activity: Starting a business, Dealing with construction permits, Getting electricity, Registering property, Getting credit, Protecting investors, Paying taxes, Trading across borders, Enforcing contracts, Closing a business, Employing workers. The report updates all indicators as of June 1, 2013, ranks economies on their overall “ease of doing business”, and analyzes reforms to business regulation – identifying which economies are strengthening their business environment the most. The Doing Business reports illustrate how reforms in business regulations are being used to analyze economic outcomes for domestic entrepreneurs and for the wider economy. Doing Business is a flagship product by the World Bank and IFC that garners worldwide attention on regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship. More than 60 economies use the Doing Business indicators to shape reform agendas and monitor improvements on the ground. In addition, the Doing Business data has generated over 870 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals since its inception.Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.