using mobile phones to improve understanding of climate change projects in the pacific dr. adam...
TRANSCRIPT
Using mobile phones to improve understanding of climate change projects in
the Pacific
Dr. Adam BumpusAssistant Professor, University of MelbourneCo-Founder, ApidaeTw: @adambumpus
• The story
• Cases
• Key issues
• Explanations
• Conclusions
Funded by:Early Career Researcher Grant at the University of Melbourne
In collaboration with Government of Fiji, UNDP, UNESCO, Apidae
What are the barriers and opportunities for using ICTs, such as mobile phones, to source data from
communities to improve the effectiveness and accountability of climate change projects?
Conclusions:1.Technology must be social
2.Perceptions matter3.Coordination is key
Issues
• Preferential spending on ICTs
• Money going back to developed countries
• Inequities in location, age, gender, education and income
• Need to consider all aspects on the trend line (i.e. digital divide still present)
Opportunities
• Estimated by 2013, 90% of Africa to be covered by mobile
• Women report more empowerment after ICT training
• Sen’s capabilities and choice approach: to what extent are ICTs opening this up?
ICT4d issues and opportunities
ICT4D exists, but limited on climate change and development
Centre to periphery (e.g. cyclone alerts) exists the most
Less of this at the moment: crowdsourcing data back in (although peer to peer is happening)
$
Peer-to-peer exists: Public-Private Partnerships
Mobile phone use high, internet catching
Potential:
•Information communication technologies (ICTs) have the potential to be a useful tool assisting the monitoring and evaluation of low-emission climate
resilient development, scaling up awareness and participation of communities, assisting in the implementation of national priorities within
emerging international climate finance architectures.
CASES: Action research
UNDP: Pacific Solutions Exchange
Pacific wide virtual conversation with practitioners
Lots happening in the space, but most is core to periphery (e.g. disaster warning) and less on crowdsourcing data for effectiveness
UNESCO: Mobile survey with communities, media and teachers in Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu
People like the mobiles, “its like a game”, but awareness raising is key to improving adoption
Key Issues
Some infrastructure barriers exist, but mostly technically feasible
Key issues: social and cultural issues are crucial
Key issues1. Its still social and cultural
• Some infrastructure barriers exist, but mostly technically feasible
• The need for good social and cultural interaction
• Understanding of the goals and benefits of the project, incentives are needed but can skew results
Community preferences for information transfer:
1.Face-to-face discussion with project implementers2.Mobile text messages
3.Internet
Key issues1. Its still social and cultural
Key issues1. Its still social and cultural
• Some infrastructure barriers exist, but mostly technically feasible
• The need for good social and cultural interaction
• Understanding of the goals and benefits of the project, incentives are needed but can skew results
• Need to understand
• The demand side for the project• How it can fit within local governance structures (i.e.
local hierarchy and traditional power)
Potential lack of interest in subject matter of climate change, or need different business model
But there is interest in using mobiles for the game
BUT:Democratisation and local governance structuresAccess differentiated by vulnerability, gender, age? Needs more work
2. Perceptions Matter
Key issues2. institutional Perceptions: Ict is a desktop pc
“But most people are not connected to mobile phone networks” - Regional donor representative
“But most people are not connected to mobile phone networks” - Regional donor representative
“ICT is not about a computer; it’s about a tool to assist your work. Its
not a threat, but an opportunity.” - Regional IGO Official
“ICT is not about a computer; it’s about a tool to assist your work. Its
not a threat, but an opportunity.” - Regional IGO Official
3: Coordination is Key
Key issues3. Policy and data coordination
• Need coordination vertically (informational governance up and down between communities, projects, donors, markets)
• Need coordination and sharing horizontally (between communities, projects)
• Data management and sharing is key barrier at the moment• Capacity for data collection hindered by cash allocation,
capabilities and continuity
• But:• Data ≠ knowledge• there needs to be structure, shaping, sharing and ongoing resourcing to
harness use of mobiles for climate change
How can we explain some of this?
Opportunities for spaces and scales of innovation
ICTs as a tool to integrate useful data
ICTs and climate change as mutually supportive
cross-cutting policy issues
Clim
ate
finan
ce
Dat
a fo
r ac
coun
tabi
lity
Effective interaction with communities
MNRE Min Comms and IT Min Health
Telco 1 Telco 2
Gaps and disjunct in vertical finance and data flows
Competition and piggybacking business models
Local participation and innovation on
communication
Horizontal coordination in policy and practice
Scales of innovation
National Govm’t
SPC UNDPAusAID PIFS SPREP
Donors / IGOs
Polic
y innovati
on
Public-private innovationPolicy innovation
Global
Local Local interests
Opportunity for ICTs in improving climate change projects
Enablers
• Economics: growth in mobile market
• Governance: climate change increasingly multi-actor, scalar
• Technology: Cheap SMS and growing mobile internet
• Culture: enthusiasm of youth and growth in peer-to-peer ICT
inhibitors
• Economics: Infrastructure and cost of internet
• Policy and scale dimensions: Lack of policy and data coordination
• Experience: small (but growing) baseline of knowledge on what ICT solutions work
• Vulnerably groups may have difficulty in participation
Conclusions
• Pacific is a small place, specific but opportunities exist
• ICT is seen as a possible and popular tool for impact
• Local dynamics of access
• Normative ideals vs. local need (supply vs. demand)
• ICT as progressive, transformative or regressive?
• Possibilities to link to other areas of focus e.g. World Bank work in Africa on this
Next steps
• New research on human-computer interfaces for reporting on climate change project effectiveness using mobile devices: mobile, smart, tablet
• Funding proposals in for collaboration with UNDP MCO, Fiji Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, housing and Environment, Vodafone Fiji, Apidae Development Innovations
• Scalable innovation using mobile tech for climate development
