Applying mobile technology to help provide proper sanitation to 2.5 billion people who lack it makes sense given that globally 5 billion people are subscribed to mobile phone services, many of them in the developing world, according to the organisers of a two-day global brainstorming event.
The Sanitation Hackathon, which is taking place this weekend, has attracted software developers, designers, entrepreneurs and students to sites in at least 30 cities around the world.
We’re trying to find solutions by building on the massive penetration of mobile phones in the developing world and the availability of data that now makes it possible to improve services for many people, said Andy Narracott, deputy chief executive of Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), who inspired the London initiative.
“What we want to see happen is some useful business models centred around mobile phone usage and open data to try and pilot — and test out their ability to improve the level of service for low-income residents and overall improve their health,” Narracott told AlertNet at the Westminster Hub.
listen to ‘#SanHack – Andy Narracott of Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor’ on Audioboo
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