Code, Camera, Action

In addition to the winning project, FrontlineSMS: Medic, the NetSquared Mobile Challenge had several projects that use FrontlineSMS software:FrontlineSMS Alerts and IJ Central were two other finalists.

Several more were centered around SMSmessaging, though it was not clear if FrontlineSMS was the software they intended to use.

So what is this FrontlineSMS stuff, exactly?FrontlineSMS software is a SMS switchboard made for the needs of NGOs.

By leveraging basic tools already available to most NGOs — computers and mobile phones — FrontlineSMS enables instantaneous two-way communication on a large scale. It’s easy to implement, simple to operate, and best of all, the software is free.

Being able to send lots of SMS messages without telecom carrier involvement sounds like a Very Good Thing in particular circumstances. Here’s one endorsement from the FrontlineSMS website:

Based in Africa in a country where broadcast technology is controlled by a dictatorial government, this software has enabled me to communicate with the public at large. I am able to run my project without drawing unnecessary attention to myself — a good thing in this neck of the woods. — Anonymous

The FrontlineSMS project is run by Ken Banks and the kiwanja Foundation, with funding by the Hewlett Foundation, MacArthur and the Open Society Institute.

It’s not clear to me whether FrontlineSMS is open source. The software is free to use — for NGOs at least - but one must fill out a form before download. -I’ve seen mention that the project would go open source sometime this spring, though I could find no indication that the code has been released just yet. The code seems to be written in Java.

Update 2 Jun: The source code is available at the FrontlineSMS project on sourceforge, licensed under the LGPL.

Here’s more about the software:

• FrontlineSMS user forums
• MobileActive reviews the software (blog post announcement)
• Software review by MobileActive

Many thanks to the funders and team behind FrontlineSMS. The software’s existence means that these NetSquared projects can focus on the task at hand — improving agriculture or medical care — not on taking apart cell phones. Opening up the FrontlineSMS source code should make the software that much more accessible — and let volunteers make it work on different types of phones.

I spent much of the week at the NetSquared N2Y4 conference in Silicon Valley. NetSquared brings together social entrepreneurs, whose tech projects compete for funds. Last year the projects were mashups. This year’s theme was mobile.

To see the sort of work the competition inspired, take a look at the 14 featured projects that made it to the finals, or see my notes about the projects that presented on Wednesday.

Want some cooperation with that competition?

But what best illustrates the spirit of cooperation that underlies the N2Y4 competition involves two projects that, as it happened, did not win big prizes at NetSquared.

• PublicStuff wants to be the craigslist of local government interaction. This is a big job. In part, the project team envisions itself as a replacement for 311 systems (where citizens report litter or building code violations), at least for smaller cities.
• SeeClickFix takes on one part of this: it allows people to report problems in neighborhoods (graffiti or litter, say). It lets folks watch a particular neighborhood, and can provide email notifications when problems are reported there.

PublicStuff is trying to solve a much bigger problem. At this point, they have a working demo. SeeClickFix in contrast, has already released a product, with a widget that enables it to be used elsewhere, and a preliminary API.

Hearing both teams pitch, I wondered about this overlap. It seemed a shame for two startup teams to spend their time building the same thing. So I asked Kam Lasater, SeeClickFix’s tech lead, about the overlaps. Had the teams been in touch?

They had been talking since early in the competition. And PublicStuff was most likely going to use SeeClickFix’s maps.

What if PublicStuff made their money connecting SeeClickFix’s maps with government help desks?

Fine by them, Kam said. “We don’t want to do content management.”

And that, in brief, is why NetSquared is my kind of competition. There were other examples:SMS agricultural and medical projects in different countries left NetSquared intending to collaborate across teams. Multiple projects used the same FrontLineSMS technology.

In the end, social problems are bigger than any one of us. It’s rewarding to support a competition that brings that sort of altruistic thinking out in its participants. I’m a fan of NetSquared.

Here’s a quick summary of the projects presented at NetSquared N2Y4 this morning. The complete list ofFeatured Projects is on NetSquared’s site.

Cell Alert

Cell Alert: SMS information to developing countries.

• Pilot projects in Pakistan and El Salvador. Preparing to expand in Sudan, Gabon and Sri Lanka.
• Uses Frontline SMS as an SMS gateway.
• Information could be used for everything from security/crisis alerting to telework job opportunities.
• N2Y4 project description

See Click Fix

Community reporting of 311 information. Anyone can report a problem, a pothole, graffiti, etc. The problems appear on a map, for corroboration and response.

• Quite successful in initial cities.
• Partnerships with media, incorporated into NYTimes and other community reporting initiatives.
• Provide a widget, so can be incorporated elsewhere. API forthcoming (works now, working to document and stabilize).
• N2Y4 project description

VozMob

VozMob: Community journalism by cell phone.

An example: citizen journalist reporting by day laborers in the Los Angeles area.

Mobile Voices is an academic-community partnership to research and design a digital networking platform for low wage immigrants in LA to publish stories about their lives and their communities directly from their mobile phones.

• Send MMS messages to n2y4@vozmob.net. See the results online at http://vozmob.net. Both photos and audio go online.
• Runs on Drupal. Code is available: http://code.vozmob.net. Drupal modules that support this to be released.
• Funding from a number of foundations right now. $200,000 raised, 20k spent so far.
• N2Y4 project description

Handheld Human Rights

Bringing SMS-based human rights reporting to Burma.

• Working to share information among groups on the ground.
• Next steps: On the ground development of communities of practice this summer.
• Uses INSEAD and Ushahidi’s SMS to mapping software. Frontline SMS is the gateway.
• N2Y4 project page

AMIS

Using SMS to help farmers in Cameroon gain access to markets, get crop pricing information, etc. A market information service relies on middlemen to relay market conditions to participating farmers.

• N2Y4 project description

Public Stuff

Connects people to public services. A replacement for 311 systems. Differentiator: addresses needs of both governments and citizen users.

• Web and mobile platform.
• A pilot program in 3-4 cities in the next couple of months.
• Business model: licensing fee for local government agencies.
• Project is in incubation by Good Company Ventures in Philadelphia.
• N2Y4 project description

What’s a multi-modal application? One that does phone, web, and perhaps Twitter, etc. One example is TwitterVoteReport, a Rails application that collected reports of waiting time at the polls for the 2008 US election. Produced in 3 weeks by Dave Troy. Input came from telephone, Twitter, SMS.

Here’s how Dave did it:

Open-source Software to do Voice

• Adhearsion Ruby library for easing call handling. Provides a domain language for doing voice in Ruby
• Asterisk actually talks to the phone system

Other Options

• Rhomobile Allows Ruby/HTML application to be deployed natively to iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Android. For front end.
• Mozes commercial alternative to phone/SMS/web applications
• Tropo.com hosts Adhearson and Asterisk in the cloud, so less work for you. Also supports languages beyond Ruby.

Jason Goecke @jsgoecke is a partner at Adhearsion.