Grameen Foundation

SUMMARY Two student volunteers in Uganda are needed for a 3 month assignment to help with research and exploratory work for some of the technology needs that the Applab team Uganda has. General knowledge of computing and internet usage, as well as intermediate programming skills are required. The volunteer(s) will work full time for 3 months at the Grameen Foundation Uganda Office. BACKGROUND The Application Laboratory (Applab) is an initiative of the Grameen Foundation (GF). We work to promote innovation in the provision of services and information using mobile phones and other ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) to alleviate poverty in the developing world. Poor and rural populations often lack access to important information and knowledge that would enable them to improve their lives and livelihoods. By leveraging the power of information and communications technologies, AppLab seeks to overcome the barriers to accessing information that contribute to the poverty cycle. AppLab uses mobile technologies to both disseminate and gather relevant and actionable information. We develop mobile phone applications and services that allow people to access information on important topics like health and agriculture, among others. For example, through a simple text message a farmer can receive tips on treating crop diseases, learn local market prices, or get advice on preventing malaria. Our applications can also be used for collecting information. For example, surveys conducted by mobile phones can be used to collect information on access to health services or the types of crops being grown in a specific region. This information can provide a detailed understanding of the challenges poor communities face and equip service providers with the knowledge they need to better serve the poor. CHALLENGE There are a number of research areas that we currently cannot undertake due to a lack of resources within our team. We believe that using student volunteers would help us move our agenda. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND DELIVERABLES Over the course of three months, the volunteers will work with the technology team in GF Uganda in the following areas: ? Work on data visualization models for Community Knowledge Worker (CKW) data including graphing and mapping ? Develop web/online version of CKW search. ? Research about putting CKW search on the handset STK (Sim Tool Kit) menu. ? Explore how we can leverage Google maps on the android handsets. ? Map the location of the chilling hubs of a project. ? Map the location of the project warehouses on the mobile applications. ? Explore various low-cost methods of syncing multimedia with handsets (Dropbox, on-demand download). ? Import all old farmer registrations into the Salesforce database. ? Develop remote training tools on handsets. ? Blog, tweet, share CKW work and technology. VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS The Applab team is looking for a team of 2 volunteers. General knowledge of computing and internet usage, as well as intermediate programming skills is required. TIMELINE AND LOCATION The volunteer(s) will work full time for 3 months at the Grameen Foundation Uganda Office.