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The following two parted article examines the key features of mobile technology and how these features can be vital to those looking to use mobile devices for good causes; whether it be aid or health agencies employing them ‘in the field’ or charities rolling them out to disadvantaged individuals to improve their quality of life. Wireless Connectivity Perhaps the primary advantage of any portable device, in terms of its use for charities and aid agencies for example, is the factor that makes it portable in the first place - that is its wireless connectivity. There are a myriad of ways in which devices can connect with the rest of the world. When it comes to delivering basic communications, vast swathes of the developed and developing world are covered by mobile phone networks and, as the more basic mobile phones are becoming cheaper and cheaper, it has never been easier to make phone contact across disparate locations. Where mobile phone signals don’t exist yet (due to a lack of mobile phone base stations) there is still the option of using satellite phones which are potentially able to relay voice and simple data communications, using satellites, between any two locations across the planet. However, the real advances in the last decade have gone beyond sharing one-to-one conversations in opening up the internet, and therefore the ability to share vast amounts of information, to portable devices such as notebooks, tablets and smartphones. Such devices, when connected to wireless (WiFi) hotspots or 3G (and increasingly 4G) cellular data networks, can give users access to the internet when they are away from fixed (home or office) locations, in transit or in the field to allow data sharing and collaboration. For any aid worker or health professional working in the field for example, this can be a vital means of immediately sharing information about patients or environments, with colleagues - perhaps back at a base - for further analysis and diagnosis. Using the internet (on 3G for example) to carry data, mobile VPN (virtual private networks) can also provide a secure link between disparate locations so that any of this data/information which is private and sensitive can be shared with, and restricted to, trusted individuals and networks. Following on from the above example, but more specifically, health workers visiting patients off-site in their own homes can instantaneously update health records on secure centralised servers using mobile VPN technology, with no need to wait until they are back at base. GPS Most portable devices such as smartphones and tablets also come with GPS integrated within their connectivity options. GPS, or Global Positioning System, uses signals bounced from multiple satellites to identify where any device in the world is located. For individual consumers, it helps us to navigate maps and see what services and attractions are nearby, but for aid workers it can allow vital information concerning their context to be logged alongside other data they are sharing. If water samples, or photos are being captured for example, GPS functionality can add an automatic and accurate time (incorporating time zone) and place stamp, making the information far more complete, accurate and useful. What’s more, for those actually carrying a portable device, the GPS functionality can prove life saving as allows their position to be tracked and picked up when they are in need of assistance. Whether it's a lost walker or an elderly individual who’s had a fall, their support and rescue can locate them without delay where GPS is utilised. © Stuart Mitchell 2013 To find out more about how mobile devices are being used for good causes you can check out these videos from Vodafone's Mobile for Good Foundation, or get more information on the benefits of VPN.
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charity, aid work, healthcare, connectivity, networks, mobile, vpn,
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