healthy4u: Africa

Designing useful mobile services for Africa

Last week, we announced a suite of <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/extending-google-services-in-africa.html">SMS services in Uganda</a>, a country where someone's first experience of the Internet is far more likely to be on a mobile device rather than a PC. We are really excited about this project in part because it is the result of more than a year of true user-centered research and design. We knew we wanted to build useful mobile services tailored to the needs of people in sub-Saharan Africa, but how could we find out what people want from the Internet when they don't have access to it already? What would people who had never used search before want to search for if we gave them a mobile phone and said "Ask any question you like"? In early 2008 we set out with colleagues from <a href="http://google.org/">Google.org</a>, <a href="http://www.grameenfoundation.org/what_we_do/technology_programs/ict_innovation/application_laboratory/">Grameen Applab</a> and <a href="http://www.mtn.co.ug/">MTN</a> (a network carrier in Uganda) with this challenge in mind. Our research needed to be able to assess the feasibility of delivering information via mobile in Uganda as well as evaluate the content "appetites" of local people. Since no search engine existed for testing, we did the next best thing: We decided to mimic the experience of using a search engine using human experts. First, we trained a multilingual team to act as user researchers in 17 carefully selected locations across the country. In each place, they introduced themselves to a cross section of people they met and invited them to participate in a free study that would help create useful services for Ugandans. If the person agreed, the researcher handed them a mobile phone and encouraged them to write a text message containing a question they wanted to know the answer to. (If people had their own phone, we reimbursed them with phone credit.) The text message was then routed to a control room we'd set up in Kampala where a human expert read the text message, typed a response, and sent it back via SMS to the person who asked the question. In the meantime, the interviewer observed and recorded the participant's user experience. This allowed us to record rich qualitative data from hundreds of interviews in just a few days, and to collect quantitative data from hundreds of search queries. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjC1KbNUHLDux8Pyeq4kAauMaXYRmQCwIbO6CPdwvp6MjpDnTYmVkXrjaKrffNHWTcjqbMOLHYv4OrV0zAUQYR0WAkrVQfqlPSOP4jvfFz5-Av39NfnpEI5ZSgzbkpPHtw5oXqEwghy8S/s1600-h/africa+post.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356154253311404626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjC1KbNUHLDux8Pyeq4kAauMaXYRmQCwIbO6CPdwvp6MjpDnTYmVkXrjaKrffNHWTcjqbMOLHYv4OrV0zAUQYR0WAkrVQfqlPSOP4jvfFz5-Av39NfnpEI5ZSgzbkpPHtw5oXqEwghy8S/s400/africa+post.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Trying mobile search for the first time </div> Last week's launch of SMS services in Uganda is the direct result of this research — it's based on listening to what people want and finding a way to get it to them. Our research enabled us to observe first-hand how people instinctively wanted to interact with a mobile phone. We let people select the language they wanted to use. We gained deep insights into the way people formulate their questions and what questions really matter to them. On top of that, we saw the excitement on people's faces when they got their first-ever search results, and we realized that some of the information we could deliver to these users, such as health information, has the power to truly change lives. These new services in Uganda are just one step on the path to providing information to people who have little or no access to the web. This research will help us as we continue to develop more services to increase access to information all around the world. Posted by Sian Townsend, Mobile User Experience Researcher, and Charles Warren, Mobile User Experience Design Manager

Designing useful mobile services for Africa

Last week, we announced a suite of SMS services in Uganda , a country where someone's first experience of the Internet is far more likel...

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Extending Google services in Africa

At Google we seek to serve a broad base of people — not only those who can afford to access the Internet from the convenience of their workplace or with a computer at home. It's important to reach users wherever they are, with the information they need, in areas with the greatest information poverty. In many places around the world, people look to their phones, rather than their computers, to find information they need in their daily lives. This is especially true in Africa, which has <a href="http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2009/index.html">the world’s highest mobile growth rate</a> and where mobile phone penetration is six times Internet penetration. One-third of the population owns a mobile phone and many more have access to one. Most mobile devices in Africa only have voice and SMS capabilities, and so we are focusing our technological efforts in that continent on SMS. Today, we are announcing <a href="http://www.google.co.ug/sms">Google SMS</a>, a suite of mobile applications which will allow people to access information, via SMS, on a diverse number of topics including health and agriculture tips, news, local weather, sports, and more. The suite also includes <a href="http://www.google.co.ug/mobile/sms/#6007">Google Trader</a>, a SMS-based “marketplace” application that helps buyers and sellers find each other. People can find, "sell" or "buy" any type of product or service, from used cars and mobile phones to crops, livestock and jobs. We are particularly excited about <a href="http://www.google.co.ug/mobile/sms/#6001">Google SMS Tips</a>, an SMS-based query-and-answer service that enables a mobile phone user to have a web search-like experience. You enter a free form text query, and Google's algorithms restructure the query to identify keywords, search a database to identify relevant answers, and return the most relevant answer. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXAtDTNauvYKD2NPQw2zsRqRa7ylO2hiW6FXpJ8mDAsvBmoCyQdIXOk4Df2cMpLh5AuK_jF4Yfl9NgzYA9B7sqcA-nVf67jBc9G1B7MnL6jUxRC_e3lP4hgzeg3QQsTkZEiflp2hyLMMp/s1600-h/Africa_AgScreenShot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXAtDTNauvYKD2NPQw2zsRqRa7ylO2hiW6FXpJ8mDAsvBmoCyQdIXOk4Df2cMpLh5AuK_jF4Yfl9NgzYA9B7sqcA-nVf67jBc9G1B7MnL6jUxRC_e3lP4hgzeg3QQsTkZEiflp2hyLMMp/s200/Africa_AgScreenShot.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1xolUBtez6ezLk64SsD4FDmbGZHagbXmdULQZF4Tp2MLaseFLjJR768B9OnHHFMYhJta9eBEdG7Uzh14Dm07ir_HwyDyZFC6NjfTZWpaLEzgbOiy0f-UNifMQsnwnggANcG1akWrbazk/s1600-h/Africa_HealthScreenShot2+(2).gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1xolUBtez6ezLk64SsD4FDmbGZHagbXmdULQZF4Tp2MLaseFLjJR768B9OnHHFMYhJta9eBEdG7Uzh14Dm07ir_HwyDyZFC6NjfTZWpaLEzgbOiy0f-UNifMQsnwnggANcG1akWrbazk/s200/Africa_HealthScreenShot2+(2).gif" /></a></div> Both Google SMS Tips and Google Trader represent the fruits of unique partnerships among Google, the <a href="http://www.grameenfoundation.org/">Grameen Foundation</a>, <a href="http://www.mtn.co.ug/" title="MTN Uganda">MTN Uganda</a> and local organizations*. We worked closely together as part of Grameen Foundation's <a href="http://www.applab.org/" title="Applications Laboratory">Application Laboratory</a> to understand information needs and gaps, develop locally relevant and actionable content, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP7T-o9bGl8">rapidly test prototypes</a>, and conduct multi-month pilots with the people who will eventually use the applications have truly been a global effort, and created with Ugandans, for Ugandans. We're just beginning. We can do a lot more to improve search quality and the breadth — and depth — of content on Google SMS, especially on Tips and Trader. Google SMS is by no means a finished product, but that's what's both exciting and challenging about this endeavor. Meanwhile, if you're curious about what Google is doing in Africa, learn more at the <a href="http://google-africa.blogspot.com/">Google Africa Blog</a>. Update: Corrected link to YouTube video for "rapidly test prototypes". ____ *<a href="http://brosdi.or.ug/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1" title="BROSDI">BROSDI</a>, (Busoga Rural Open Source and Development Initiative), <a href="http://www.straight-talk.or.ug/">Straight Talk Foundation</a>, <a href="http://www.mariestopes.org.uk/ShowContent.aspx?id=40" title="Marie Stopes Uganda">Marie Stopes Uganda</a>. Posted by Joe Mucheru, Head of Google Sub-Saharan Africa, & Fiona Lee, Africa Project Manager

Extending Google services in Africa

At Google we seek to serve a broad base of people — not only those who can afford to access the Internet from the convenience of their workp...

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Information poverty

Today is <a href="http://blogactionday.org/">Blog Action Day</a>, an annual event that rallies blogs around the world to post about a common cause. This year's issue up for discussion is poverty, so we wanted to take a look at the relationship between access to information and social and economic development. The right information at the right time in the hands of people has enormous power. As someone who works for Google, I see evidence of this everyday as people search and find information they need to create knowledge, grow their business, or access essential services. But that applies primarily to the rich world, where economies are built on knowledge and presume access to information. What about the poor and developing countries where people are offline more than online? How do they benefit from the power of information? In much of Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, rates of economic growth over the last decade have exceeded 5% every year. Despite this trend, poverty in many countries has remained constant. In Kenya, for example, the official poverty rate was 48% in 1981 (World Bank, June 2008). According to the <a href="http://www.hackenya.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_details&Itemid=254&gid=519">Kenya Poverty and Inequality Assessment</a> released by the World Bank this year, 17 million Kenyans or 47% of the population were unable to meet the costs of food sufficient to fulfill basic daily caloric requirements. The vast majority of these people live in rural areas and have even less access to the information that impacts their daily life. Data on water quality, education and health budgets, and agricultural prices are nearly impossible to access. Despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year on providing basic public services like primary education, health, water, and sanitation to poor communities, poverty in much of Sub-Saharan Africa persists. Where does this money go, who gets it, and what are the results of the resources invested? That’s where we find a big black hole of information and a lack of basic accountability. How do inputs (dollars spent) turn into outputs (schools, clinics, and wells), and, more importantly, how do outputs translate into results (literate and healthy children, clean water, etc.)? We simply don’t know the answers to most of these basic questions. But what if we could? What if a mother could find out how much money was budgeted for her daughter's school each year and how much of it was received? What if she and other parents could report how often teachers are absent from school or whether health clinics have the medicines they are supposed to carry? What if citizens could access and report on basic information to determine value for money as tax payers? The work of The Social Development Network (SODNET) in Kenya is illustrative. They are developing a simple budget-tracking tool that allows citizens to track the allocation, use, and ultimate result of government funds earmarked for infrastructure projects in their districts. The tool is intended to create transparency in the use of tax revenues and answer the simple question: Are resources reaching their intended beneficiaries? Using tools like maps, they are able to overlay information that begins to tell a compelling story. Google.org’s role, through <a href="http://www.google.org/projects.html">our partners</a> in East Africa and India, is to support, catalyze, and widely disseminate this kind of information to public, private, and civil society stakeholders that can use it to see more clearly what’s working, what’s broken and what are potential solutions. Leveraging platforms like Google Earth and Google Maps can help organizations disseminate their content widely and let people see and understand what was once invisible. Once information is visible, widely known, and easy to understand, we are betting that governments and citizens will pay more attention to leakages in the service delivery pipeline and feel empowered to propose solutions. You can’t change what you can’t see. The power to know plus the power to act on what you know is the surest way to achieve positive social change from the bottom up. And when we consider the magnitude of resources invested in delivering public services each year, a 10% improvement globally would exceed the value of all foreign aid. We believe that is a bet worth making. (Cross-posted from the <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://blog.google.org/2008/10/information-poverty.html">Google.org blog</a>) Posted by Aleem Walji, Head of Global Development Initiatives, Google.org

Information poverty

Today is Blog Action Day , an annual event that rallies blogs around the world to post about a common cause. This year's issue up for di...

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TechnoServe in Tanzania

Posted by Alex Mkindi, Tanzania Deputy Country Director, TechnoServe <a href="http://www.google.org/">Google.org</a> supports efforts to promote economic development in developing countries. From time to time we invite guest bloggers from grantee organizations to tell us about their work. Today in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, TechnoServe and Google.org launched a national business plan competition called "<a href="http://www.believe-begin-become.com/Tanzania/index.asp">Believe, Begin, Become</a>". The program is designed to help Tanzanian entrepreneurs develop skills, obtain seed or expansion capital and establish the networks that help transform their business ideas into successful enterprises that create jobs and other income sources that transform the lives of all Tanzanians. We know, from our experience in Latin America and other African countries, what this kind of program can provide to entrepreneurs, who gain not only immediate benefits but a crucial business network that carries on long after the competition ends. Our Organizing Committee colleague <a href="http://www.believe-begin-become.com/Tanzania/2_committee.asp">David Bulengo</a> puts it this way: “The network of professionals and business leaders involved with Believe Begin Become will allow a new generation of young entrepreneurs the chance to learn from their experience and to create wonderful business opportunities.” If you would like to get involved, please <a href="mailto:tzbpc@tnstanzania.org">get in touch</a>.

TechnoServe in Tanzania

Posted by Alex Mkindi, Tanzania Deputy Country Director, TechnoServe Google.org supports efforts to promote economic development in develop...

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Google Apps now south of the Sahara

Posted by Francoise Brougher, Business Operations Team Tens of thousands of university students in Rwanda and Kenya are now on their way to using <a href="http://www.google.com/a/edu/">Google Apps</a>. As a result of two separate partnerships that <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/apps_rwanda.html">we've signed today</a> with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure and the Kenya Education Network, nearly 20,000 students from the <a title="http://www.nur.ac.rw/" href="http://www.nur.ac.rw/">National University of Rwanda</a>, the <a title="http://www.kie.ac.rw/" href="http://www.kie.ac.rw/">Kigali Institute for Education</a> and the <a title="http://www.kist.ac.rw/index_2.html" href="http://www.kist.ac.rw/index_2.html">Kigali Institute for Science and Technology</a>, plus 50,000 more from Kenya's <a title="http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/" href="http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/">University of Nairobi</a>, are joining their colleagues at <a href="http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/02/google.html">Northwestern</a>, <a href="http://www.asu.edu/news/stories/200610/20061010_asugmail.htm">ASU</a> and <a href="http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/admins/customers.html">around the world</a> with access to Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, and Google Docs & Spreadsheets under their university's domain for free. Offering Google Apps in Africa means more to us than connecting students and teachers to conduct that special exchange of ideas, innovation and creativity so unique to universities (<a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/history.html">we should know</a>). In Africa and in the developing world, it also means doing our part to make sure that everyone has access to the same services wherever they live, whatever their language, and regardless of income. We can't be more delighted about our Google Apps partnerships with Rwanda and Kenya, and there are more to come.

Google Apps now south of the Sahara

Posted by Francoise Brougher, Business Operations Team Tens of thousands of university students in Rwanda and Kenya are now on their way to...

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Seeing RED

Posted by Sheryl Sandberg, VP You might have noticed from our homepage that today is <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=World+AIDS+Day">World AIDS Day</a>. We want to remember all those who have suffered from HIV/AIDS in the 25 years since it was first identified, and we want to support everyone working to eradicate this scourge: Today, there are about 40 million people living with HIV worldwide, and it is increasing in every region in the world. In Africa, it is the leading cause of death -- 5,500 Africans die each day from this insidious disease. One effort that is making a difference is <a href="http://www.joinred.com/manifesto.asp">(RED)</a>, a company founded this year by Bono and Bobby Shriver. A percentage of the profits from each (RED) product sold is given to <a href="http://www.joinred.com/globalfund.asp">The Global Fund</a>. We are supporting the (RED) effort by offering promotional support to (RED) and <a href="http://www.joinred.com/products.asp">(RED) products</a> on Google properties throughout the holiday season. We hope you choose to support them with your purchases. Companies offering (RED) products have committed to contribute a portion of profits from the sales of that product into Global Fund-financed AIDS programmes in Africa. Together, let's make a big difference. Read more at <a href="http://www.joinred.com/facts.asp">JoinRED.com</a> or visit the <a href="http://joinred.blogspot.com/">(RED) blog</a>.

Seeing RED

Posted by Sheryl Sandberg, VP You might have noticed from our homepage that today is World AIDS Day . We want to remember all those who have...

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Know where you are

Posted by Terry Garcia, Executive VP Mission Programs, National Geographic Welcome to <a href="http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/gaw.html">Geography Awareness Week 2006</a>. National Geographic has been exploring and inspiring people to care about the planet for more than a century. But today -- with new geo-technologies such as <a href="http://earth.google.com">Google Earth</a>, <a href="http://maps.google.com">Google Maps</a> and the National Geographic-ESRI <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine">MapMachine</a> — anyone hooked into the web can explore any place on Earth at the click of a mouse. Caring begins with seeing, and there’s no better way to see a place than to be there. So we know these new geographic tools mean better stewardship of our world’s extraordinary places, animals, and cultures. This year we’re celebrating Africa. <a href="http://www.mywonderfulworld.org">My Wonderful World</a> — the National Geographic-led campaign for geographic literacy — has teamed up with Google to create a new <a href="http://www.google.com/educators/gaw.html">Geography Awareness Quiz on Google Earth</a> that lets you test your global IQ as you tour the continent. All week, we’ll also highlight innovative projects that bring Africa to the rest of the world, such as Michael Fay’s <a href="http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/megaflyover/">Megaflyover</a>, National Geographic magazine’s coverage of Africa on Google Earth, and the <a href="http://www.kfrp.com">Koobi Fora Research Project</a> -- on our My Wonderful World <a href="http://mywonderfulworld.typepad.com/">blog</a>. We hope you’ll join us!

Know where you are

Posted by Terry Garcia, Executive VP Mission Programs, National Geographic Welcome to Geography Awareness Week 2006 . National Geographic ha...

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TechnoServe comes to Google

Posted by Posted by Bruce McNamer, President and CEO, TechnoServe.org The <a href="http://www.google.org">Google Foundation</a> supports select organizations whose work addresses the challenge of global poverty in ways that are effective, sustainable, and scalable. From time to time we invite guest bloggers from grantee organizations to tell their story. <a href="http://www.technoserve.org">TechnoServe</a> helps entrepreneurs in developing countries build successful small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that benefit the world’s poor. (<a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4076888387511209325&q=technoserve&pl=true">Watch our video here</a>.) We provide a hand up, rather than a handout. Recently, I spent several hours with Googlers who wanted to know more about what TechnoServe is doing in West Africa. I couldn’t help but notice the great, positive energy among Google employees -- a sense that motivated, imaginative, smart people can change the world. TechnoServe’s engagement with Google involves using business to improve the lives of the world’s poor. SMEs are a major driver of sustained economic growth, creating a ripple effect that creates jobs, boosts incomes and leads to improved social services. But even though they can help reduce poverty, SMEs are precisely what the developing world lacks. These countries are home to many visionary entrepreneurs who are capable of launching and growing successful businesses. But they need help – to make sure their business ideas make sense, to plan and manage their enterprises, to find markets and financing, and to overcome technical challenges. That’s where TechnoServe comes in. Since its founding, we have helped to create or improve more than 1,200 businesses, benefiting millions of people in 23 countries. We identify entrepreneurial men and women and then guide them in planning, marketing, operating and expanding businesses that are likely to succeed and help the poor. We then leverage these lead entrepreneurs to replicate and/or scale up their businesses and grow competitive, self-sustaining industries. Where necessary, we also tackle constraints in the industries’ enabling environments. To complement all of this, we also run programs that promote a culture of entrepreneurship. One activity is business plan competitions, which help entrepreneurs turn good ideas into solid businesses. We have run these in Latin America and are now launching them in Africa. And that’s where the Google Foundation comes in: it’s helping us run a <a href="http://www.technoserve.org/news/Google102005.htm">business plan competition in Ghana</a> this year. All qualified entrants will come away with valuable business training. The winners will also receive vouchers for aftercare services to help them launch or expand their businesses, and 10 winners will also receive cash. We’re looking forward to having Googlers actively engaged in this project. Our two entrepreneurially-focused organizations have joined forces, which we believe will lead to sustainable solutions for poverty alleviation.

TechnoServe comes to Google

Posted by Posted by Bruce McNamer, President and CEO, TechnoServe.org The Google Foundation supports select organizations whose work addres...

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The illuminated continent

Posted by Michael Jones, Google Earth CTO Have you ever dreamed of Africa while reading National Geographic? The exotic photographs and thoughtful articles take you there with a magical sense of place. Today we embraced that magic by releasing Google Earth data layers that index National Geographic stories, images, journals, and even a live webcam in Africa. Just start <a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a>, enable the National Geographic layers, and begin exploring. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/uploaded_images/ge-balloon-727757.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/uploaded_images/ge-balloon-726752.JPG" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a> Across Africa, you will see the familiar yellow National Geographic logo. Zoom in to see the title of each feature article or photograph. Click the icon and a pop-up balloon shows a photo and description along with links to the content. Follow those links to read the entire story right where it happened. Not only will you learn about Jane Goodall's Fifi, you'll see her home. Joining the stories and images are layers for National Geographic Sights & Sounds multimedia resources, a live WildCam in Botswana, and a collection of Mike Fay's Megaflyover images. The Megaflyover images are stunning. Mike spent more than a year taking 92,000 high resolution photographs of the continent. That project is described in Tracing the Human Footprint, an article in the September 2005 National Geographic. He selected 500 of his favorite scenes of people, animals, geological formations, and signs of human presence and annotated them in Google Earth. Look for the red airplane icons as you fly over Africa. Each of these marks a spot where a high resolution image awaits your own personal voyage. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/uploaded_images/ge-herd-779023.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/uploaded_images/ge-herd-778065.JPG" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>

The illuminated continent

Posted by Michael Jones, Google Earth CTO Have you ever dreamed of Africa while reading National Geographic ? The exotic photographs and tho...

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