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Mobile Phone Technology and Developing Nations

Posted by samzenpus on from the can-you-help-me-now dept.

angry tapir writes "Mobile Operator Tata Teleservices is testing technology that allows farmers to use their mobile phones to remotely monitor and switch on irrigation pump sets in far-flung locations. The technology, called Nano Ganesh, is being tested in two villages in the Indian state of Gujarat. In India, where the electricity supply is erratic, farmers often walk several kilometers to where their irrigation pumps are located, only to find that there is no electricity available. By dialing a code number from a mobile phone to a wireless device attached to the pump, farmers can now remotely monitor the electricity supply, and also switch the pump on and off. It's just the latest example of how mobile phone technology is being employed in novel ways to solve problems in developing nations. For example in Kenya, GSM technology has been used to help tame marauding elephants."

10 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. GSM tech tames marauding elephants? by tygerstripes · · Score: 3, Funny

    Anyone else put in mind of EM emissions deterring bats? Wonder how much you'd have to heat an elephant's skull to deter it...

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  2. Mobile phone + Developing Nations = Opportunity ! by prayag · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In most of the Developing economies mobile phones are the first and mostly the only computing devices people have. How much can they realize the potential of such devices is upto the developers and innovators. Having a computing device gives people a lot of leverage. The challenge to us as developers is, can we use it solve real world problems ? Can we make people's lives better with technology ? Or do we continue to waste time in iFarting and Pulling the Fingers ? Or in having a flame-war about OSes and Vi over Emacs ?

    Kudos to Tata Teleservices.

  3. Dial in to check...? by SharpFang · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My company currently produces what we call "potato stations" though they can be used in farming of other stuff.
    They monitor humidity of soil and some other factors like temperature, and send SMS when these exceed preset thresholds and require attention.
    The SMS can be either received on personal phone so the farmer just goes to start the sprinklers or whatever, or can be read by automated system that does it without human attention.

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  4. Coverage by Andr+T. · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Now the problem is covering all these poor countries areas with cell antennas.

    At least here in Brazil, that's a big problem in rural areas, much worse than electricity.

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    1. Re:Coverage by SharpFang · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It isn't as bad as you think with this kind of devices. Due to lacking size restrictions like normal cellphones, they can afford decently-sized antennas in place of the puny things put in the phones, and since you don't keep them to your head, they can emit stronger signal too.. That means the coverage is vastly better than in case of normal phones.

      The downside is the battery life - the battery should optimally last at least one farming season. Thus it is much better if the devices don't listen in to outside communications, but simply report their status periodically, waking up for a minute once a hour or so, collect overdue SMS config/request messages, collect data, then send out what is to be sent (if any). No interactive communication.

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    2. Re:Coverage by SharpFang · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Solar power is an expensive, luxury option.
      The default is a non-rechargeable battery of several Ah, replaced at beginning of the season.

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  5. nice. i have similar technology by siddesu · · Score: 3, Interesting

    i can receive images, switch lights on and off, open and close blinds and switch water heater on/off in my village home in a less developed part of the world via gsm ... from basically anywhere.

    all you need is a basic stamp module (or similar card), a second-hand phone, a serial cable, some simple electronic parts and a little patience.

    and I am sure someone here can do it with less and make it better than I have.

    1. Re:nice. i have similar technology by siddesu · · Score: 3, Insightful

      True, asterisk is powerful and convenient, but you need a whole computer to run it, and a computer in that area is a real magnet for thieves, unless you put it in a wall and cover it with bricks and mortar.

      A phone, on the other hand, can be powered by a solar cell and a charger, and takes time to find, especially if hidden well in a big place.

  6. Solar powered pumps by whoda · · Score: 2, Informative

    Since the switch would need a battery and charger of some sort to operate it and the radio link, just get a pump that runs on solar.
    They make anything from .25GPM up to like 50,000GPD.

    solar pumps

  7. Weather Alerts by CambodiaSam · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was in Cambodia last week, when I saw a weather alert sent to locals via a free SMS. It was warning people that a storm was spotted with dangerous lightning, so people should go indoors.

    In a place without the weather channel, I thought this was a rather inspired way to easily inform people of approaching danger.