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“THIS APP ALLOWED US TO DELIVER HIGHLY TECHNICAL INFORMATION FROM STATE-OF-THE-ART NASA SATELLITES DIRECTLY TO REMOTE GRASSROOT POPULATIONS IN VULNERABLE REGIONS OF THE WORLD USING THE POWER OF SMARTPHONES.”

can be deployed on a much larger scale.

“The team would show graphics to the villagers weekly and ask what they understood from the graphics, whether the text is legible, if they could interpret the maps,” Akanda explains. “In the end, we found out that about 70% of our users were women, and the message of the app was well received by them.” Akanda and his team deployed the app in 1,500 households, 750 for a control app and 750 with an app with the interactive maps.” THE TEST The team conducted a one-year trial of the app to capture the annual cycle of water scarcity and monsoon rainfall on cholera. Villagers received monthly updates on whether they were in a high-risk zone and whether they should boil their water before using, along with other tips on proper sanitation and hygiene. The URI students maintained daily data collections to keep the outbreak predictions accurate. Users received a text message every time new maps were published. Based on the data collected on app usage, water practices and health outcomes during the trial period, they found the app reduced environmental water usage by 23% in men and 25% in women. “At times of high risk, we found that fewer people were using natural water sources like the ponds, rivers, and streams,” Akanda explains. “Users were more likely to safeguard themselves from exposure to cholera.” The next phase will include introducing the app to more villages for additional testing from different regions. Akanda also wants to see how the app can be made more effective and whether the technology “We found out that about 70% of our users were women, and the message of the app was well received by them.”

“There is a tremendous opportunity where this could be expanded — population growth and climate change are factors to water security,” Akanda says. “This app allowed us to deliver highly technical information from state-of-the-art NASA satellites directly to remote grassroot populations in vulnerable regions of the world using the power of smartphones.”

- ALI SHAFQAT AKANDA

- Ali Shafqat Akanda

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