ACIAR-ASEM 2006/130 Project Review, September 2010

CCPMP SMS Information System – towards a hubs and spokes model

Robert Fitzgerald

Stuart Brown

Nou Keosothea

Overview

• SMS information system first developed under previous ACIAR project (ASEM/2003/012).

• CCPMP - Established a local sms server in Pailin (2008-09).

• CCPMP SMS – SMS + webservice (2009-2010)

• Future – CCPMP Information System – a hubs and spokes model

NAMA SMS server

Introduction

• SMSIS will function primarily as a contact database to connect various actors in the value chain by SMS to information on agricultural commodities, inputs and advice

• SMSIS will progressively introduce other services such as weather, currency, alerts and announcements

• There are opportunities for project partners to explore ways they might integrate the SMSIS services within their own information and directory services projects

SMSIS Architecture

The system comprises:• A remote web database of information• A web service which facilitates access to the

database• A Frontline SMS server which receives

messages and uses the web service to create an SMS response for the user

• A web interface for administrators to monitor and update the system

CCPMP SMS INFORMATION SYSTEM

http://ccpmp.heroku.com/Farmers, traders, merchants

SMSIS user information needed

• Name + Role/s• Mobile phone number + Location (GPS)• Commodities/Inputs/Advice they need (i.e.

buy)• Commodities/Inputs/Advice they offer (i.e sell)• Privacy setting (e.g. private, friends, friend of

friends, public) – who do you want to see your information?

Queries

A farmer asks to find everyone nearby buying

maize

t MAName Price Phone Distance

Sopheap 90 092890890 47.5kms

Sothea 80 094564564 54.0kms

Pov 75 092890765 82.0kms

Queries

• A farmer asks for everyone nearby selling fertilizer

s AFZ

Dara 80 01223345616.3kms

Sopheap 40 0928908900 47.5kms

Sopheap 45 094564564 47.5kms

Pov 90 092890765482.0kms

Name Price Phone Distance

Dara 80 092890890 16.3kms

Sotheap 40 094564564 54.0kms

Tong 55 092890765 34.0kms

Monitoring

• Current phone use, credit used & personal/business use proportioned

• Price and contact sources – existing networks to be extended into a social network analysis

• Understanding user needs and their information ecology – working with CARE and MJP. Farmer & buyer surveys

• Most Significant Change Stories – “…document in the form of stories of who did what, when and why – and the reasons why the event was important”

• System backend statistics; System functionality and sustainability

Farmer Survey data (n=182)

Technology Use Yes No

Mobile 80% 20%

SMS 3% 97%

Phone for farm information

55% 45%

Computer 0% 100%

NB. Previous workshop in Pailin 2009 found 40% mobile ownership

Survey data

How important is your phone for your business

1.79 (1=very important)

How much do you spend per month?

$8.8 mean ($5 mode)

% Phone use for business 37

% Phone use for personal 63

The Future: Shift from prices to contacts - social information network

• New findings from field research indicate that users are more interested in finding contact information than unqualified market prices

• Social networking features maybe better received, and perhaps more useful to users than statistical tools or other "expert system" type services

• The new CCPMP design lays the groundwork for this by including user profiles and directory listings

• Drawing on the social network survey• Way forward: Need to consider a hub and spokes

model.

I-Booth: A way forward?

• The I-Booth Initiative – Using Mobile Phones for Business Networking

• Operators provide, simple and tailor-made information services for different types of clients even in remote rural locations

• These ‘information middleman’ connect people and provide access to information and services

• 10 I-Booths in Samlout (village phone, Yellow Pages, etc)

• Potential platform for CCPMP’s ‘information middlemen’

CCPMPIS: Hubs and spokes

Expanding the network

CCPMPIS

• Idea 1: a group of farmers, middle men, merchants and traders to take part in series of SMSIS workshops– Use CCPMP SMS (t mz)

– Ways of interacting - building a social network

• Idea 2: collaborate with GTZ on I-Booth– Develop ‘Information Middleman” kit. Laptop

with USB modem, webcam, software (opensource), FrontlineSMS server

Thankyou

2011 SMS communication update

Workshop introducing the concept of using SMS as a business tool was held in Pailin, January 2011. Preliminary responses from the participants were positive and testing during the workshop indicated users were seeking alternative sources for pricing. The workshop tested two SMS delivery mediums. One developed within the project using an FrontlineSMS which is an opensource platform. The other was through a partnership with a Cambodian technology company called 010XPRESS which is  independently developing an SMS information service. Workshop highlighted some key challenges specific to Cambodia, (1) limited availability of Khmer scripts on basic phones, (2) limited user understanding and daily use of SMS technology (3) young people driving the future use of the technology.