mWASH: Mobile Phone Applications for the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sector

(Executive Summary)

Pacific Institute (pacinst.org) and Nexleaf Analytics (nexleaf.org) are currently developing an open-source communication and tracking mechanism called WASH SMS, which uses messages from mobile phones to develop crowd-sourced data on the status of water and sanitation services, water resources, and related issues. The data is provided publicly in the form of maps, data sets, and reports for use by communities, utilities, government agencies, NGOs, and the media. The key difference between this system and others is the focus not just on information for short-term problem resolution, but long-term information tracking to assist in risk management and planning.

The project partners have conducted a study on current mobile phone for development (M4D) applications to identify best practices and help inform future implementation for current and potential implementers, especially those of mobile phone for water, sanitation, and hygiene (mWASH) applications. They surveyed existing projects, including those in the WASH sector and in the region of the first WASH SMS pilot, as well as reviewed current design trends and lessons learned. The resulting report provides an overview to help inform our own pilot project in Indonesia, as well as others interested in implementing similar projects in the WASH sector. The full report can be found at:

http://www.pacinst.org/reports/mwash/index.htm