November 14, 2011― Mobile and mapping applications, SMS texting, and GPS-enabled mobile phones are becoming increasingly popular and have the potential of transforming the lives of the urban poor, many of whom live in slums. Lack of secure tenure, crime, violence, and absence of basic services are the reality of their lives. “ICT for Development,” or "ICT4D," could help address these issues through better information and communication.

"For the one billion people living in slums, new technologies offer much promise to improving living conditions," said Judy Baker, Lead Economist of the World Bank Institute Urban Practice. “Tools such as mobile phones can be used to empower citizens through mapping their communities, providing feedback on service delivery, and gaining access to information on jobs, markets, and hazard conditions.”

The majority of information and communications (ICT) applications are linked to mobile phones, with the number of users reaching some 3.9 billion in 2010. Africa is the fastest growing mobile market. Mobile penetration in Africa has reached 649 million connections, second only to Asia. Various studies show that in developing countries, for every 10 percent increase in mobile penetration there is a 0.81 percent increase in GDP.

Internet use is still well behind with only 21 percent of those in developing countries having access but the connectivity is rapidly improving.

Mobile Apps to Help Citizens

Applications in the health and banking sectors through Mobile Health (mHealth) and Mobile Banking (mBanking) are likely the most prevalent uses of mobile applications. mHealth approaches include using SMS(s) to ‘broadcast’ important health information  (for example, Project Masiluleke in South Africa), collect information and register patients (ChildCount+), and facilitate access to medical advice (Afridoctor in South Africa).  mBanking applications, such as M-PESA in Kenya, are used to transfer money (often from urban to rural areas), making it easier, safer and cheaper.

Mapping applications have also become increasingly popular through projects such as Map Kibera (Kenya), Wikimapa (Brazil), and Solo Kota Kita (Indonesia).  The technology is used to map services, locations of health and education centers, and important landmarks in informal settlements thereby providing baseline or ongoing information in these communities.  Such information can be used for street addressing projects, formalization of land tenure, and informing governments and utilities on needs related to the provision of  basic services. Tools such as mobile phones can be used to empower citizens through mapping their communities, providing feedback on service delivery, and gaining access to information on jobs, markets, and hazard conditions.Judy Baker, Lead Economist of the World Bank Institute Urban Practice

SMS texting and GPS-enabled mobile phones have also been used quite effectively to collect real-time data in disaster situations or for monitoring services such as water delivery or solid waste collection.  One example is the Haiti 2010 earthquake where the platform developed by the NGO Ushahidi was used to help aid workers quickly locate individuals in need of water, food and medical assistance. These mapping initiatives typically use platforms developed by OpenStreetMap, Ushahidi, GoogleMaps, and wikis.

Taking Stock of ICT Activities

Organization such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ashoka, Grameen Foundation, Intel, Microsoft Research, Rockefeller Foundation, UN (UNDP, UNESCO, UNHABITAT), USAID, and the World Bank have been involved in the ICT4D work for some time now.

The World Bank has recognized the value of ICT as an important tool for development. Approximately 75 percent of all World Bank projects between 2003 and 2010 included ICT components- equivalent to about 1,300 projects.

As part of these efforts, the World Bank Institute (WBI) has launched a stocktaking of global experiences using ICT to empower the urban poor. This summary of experiences is intended to share knowledge and elicit feedback from practitioners on lessons learned, and general knowledge sharing on ICT solutions in low income urban areas.

"Through this work we hope to identify some of the best approaches, innovate and pilot in our client countries, with a focus on lessons learned for knowledge sharing," said Baker.

“This stocktaking comes at an opportune moment of increased interest in the use of technology in urban issues, constituting an important resource for those who may consider using technology in their work,” said Tiago Peixoto, ICT4Gov Program of WBI .

Please send your feedback to WBINews@worldbank.org or join the discussion at Inclusive Cities.