Top Banner
How to RapidSMS Verson 0.7 15 April 2010 written and edited by the RapidSMS community
48

Howtorapidsms20 april2010

Dec 18, 2014

Download

Documents

Erica Kochi

 
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

How to RapidSMS

Verson 0.715 April 2010

written and edited by the RapidSMS community

Page 2: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

AcknowledgementsThanks to UNICEF, Dimagi, Millennium Villages Project, ThoughtWorks, Tostan Inter-national, and the entire RapidSMS community.

Special thanks to IDEO, IDDS, and McKinsey & Co. for guidance and inspiration.

©2010 Evan Wheeler Some rights reserved

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

All photographs ©2009 Evan Wheeler unless otherwise notedSome rights reserved

Photographs are licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License.

Page 3: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

Introduction What is RapidSMS? 4 Coded in Country 4 Built to scale 5 Flexible for your needs 5 Free and open source 6

Getting Started When is RapidSMS appropriate? 7 When is RapidSMS not appropriate? 8 Milestones & Timelines 9

Factors for success Interrelated factors 12 Framework for thinking 14 RapidSMS Project Evaluation Worksheet 15 Agile planning 16

Factors in detail Context 19 Motivation 20 Behavior 21 Critical mass 22 Sustainability 23 Awareness 24 Expense 25 Usability 28 Quality 30 Support 31

Building a good team What to look for in programmers 33 What to look for in project managers 33

Topic Guides Documenting your project 34 Partnering with mobile service providers 38

More information 39

Annex 1: Example training materials 40 Annex 2: Equipment 47

Table of contents

Page 4: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

4

RapidSMS is a SMS-based (text message) framework that manages data collection, complex workflows, and group coordination using basic mobile phones -- and can present information on the internet as soon as it is received.

So far RapidSMS has been customized and deployed with diverse functionality: remote health diagnostics, nutrition surveillance, supply chain tracking, registering children in public health campaigns, and community discussion.

RapidSMS was designed to be customized for the challenges of governments, multilateral, international- and non-government organizations, and development practitioners: working effectively in spite of geographical remoteness of constituents, limited infrastructure (roads, electricity), and slow data collection (due to paper-based records, slow courier systems, etc).

What is RapidSMS? Coded in Country

RapidSMS framework was created by programmers working directly on actual project implementations with end users -- not by an isolated software firm working from specifications.

The resulting software is practical, flexible, and simple enough to meet real world needs.

RapidSMS is not constrained to any particular kind of mobile device: any mobile phone that can send and receive text messages can interact with RapidSMS.

End users never need a specific device or to install any software on their phone. RapidSMS is focused on commonly available, existing infrastructure to allow for replicability and scalability.

Page 5: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

5

RapidSMS is built for robustness and high availability. RapidSMS is designed for horizontal and vertical scalability.

‘Horizontal scalability’ is the ability to be easily replicated or expanded into other domains. The modular nature of RapidSMS functionality is designed to allow a single deployment to be used for a variety of purposes. For example, a system that initially collects nutrition indicators can easily add capabilities to collect food inventory data to give a more comprehensive view of a complex environment.

‘Vertical-scalability’ is the ability to effectively handle increasing workload. If a product cannot meet the demands of a growing population of users, it will be limited in its value and reliability. RapidSMS was designed to efficiently process vast amounts incoming and outgoing messages to large numbers of users. Projects successfully demonstrated at a local level can easily and confidently be deployed at a national or regional levels.

Built to scale Flexible for your needs

There is no single tool or mobile application that can be universally applied to fit all project and stakeholder needs. RapidSMS is designed for easy integration with existing workfows and other software systems. RapidSMS can easily export data to excel for further analysis, query existing databases, and communicate with other software systems.

The RapidSMS community strongly advocates for an atmosphere of collaboration with other effective platforms, and a concerted effort to ensure interoperability.

RapidSMS is the first platform to implement SPOMC, a standard protocol for the interoperability of SMS software developed by members of the Open Mobile Consortium.

Page 6: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

6

Free and open source

RapidSMS code is freely available under the New BSD license: anyone may modify and redistribute the code.

Software developers from Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Canada, UK, and USA have contributed to the growing codebase.

Nearly 200 software developers and implementers discuss RapidSMS on the RapidSMS mailing-list. The list’s online archives are a great way to become familiar with RapidSMS.

More information for software developers can be found on the project wiki and documentation site.

Page 7: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

7

When is RapidSMS appropriate?

When you need a large-scale (enterprise) solution• Collected data can be accessible to many people in many locations via the internet• Thousands of users can interact with your system simultaneously

When you need a customizable solution• Certain actions can be triggered in specific circumstances• RapidSMS can integrate with existing software tools and services

When you need a robust solution• Thousands of users can interact with your system simultaneously• Collected data is constantly available via the internet

When your end users only have very basic phones (text/voice)• End users do not need “smartphones” or Java-enabled phones or computers to interact

with RapidSMS

When you want a scalable solution• A single RapidSMS system can handle one village or one country• RapidSMS can use GSM modems for small volumes and can integrate with mobile

network operators or 3rd party solutions for large volumes

Page 8: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

8

When is RapidSMS not appropriate?

Implementing organization lacks technical and software development expertise• Experience with command line tools and server administration is necessary for installation and

configuration• Experience with object oriented programming is necessary for customization

Implementing organization cannot procure necessary equipment• In most cases, physical access to a low-end server is needed (can be an old desktop PC).

Internet connectivity for the server is necessary for email functionality and the website portion of RapidSMS (internet connection should not be behind a restrictive firewall so programmers can update remotely and so automatic backups of data can occur).

• A GSM modem (with a non-prepaid SIM card) or an arrangement with a mobile network operator or 3rd party vendor is necessary to send and receive text messages.

End users have data-enabled mobile phones and constant internet connectivity• Internet-based (rather than SMS-based) solutions may be more appropriate in these situations

Implementing organization does not have enough time for proper negotiations or planning• RapidSMS is designed for long-term large-scale projects with specialized needs, which

necessitate negotiations with mobile network operators and lots of planning.

Page 9: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

9

Milestones & Timelines Phase 1: planning & scoping

• Desk review - research similar initiatives and project context (network coverage, phone ownership)• Initial scoping & feasibility - technical and subject experts meet with partners, mobile providers, and end-

users to formulate management, expense, system, and training plans• Agreement with management, mobile providers and partners on timeline, budget and rollout• Secure necessary equipment

Phase 2: hiring & developing

• Assessment of local software developer/technical capacity• Identify local project manager and/or administrator• Establish partnerships with mobile operators (if necessary)• Collect baseline data• Hiring of local technical support/software developers• Software development/customization and testing cycles• Training of implementer and/or partner staff• Training of end users

Phase 3: launching & documenting

• Produce technical and non-technical project documentation (ongoing but should be finalized and shareable here)

• System improvements (additional features, improvements to website portion, optimization)• Assessment of how findings from phase 2 could improve phase 3 and beyond• System administration/upkeep

Page 10: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

10

Factors for success

Participation

Implementation

Concept design

A successful RapidSMS project requires excellence in concept design, implementation, and participation. These three elements are not mutually exclusive -- they all overlap one another.

Page 11: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

11

desireability

sustainability

feasibility

Excellence in concept design means the project is feasible; excellence in implementation means the project is sustainable; and excellence in participation means the project is desired by its intended users.

Each project has its own balance of desirability, sustainability, and feasibility. For example, low literacy (a component of feasibility) can be offset by a highly-motivating service such as an unprecedented way to stay in contact with their relatives (a component of desirability).

Page 12: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

12

desireability

sustainability

feasibility

Interrelated factors

Many factors influence a project’s sustainability, desirability, and feasibility.

motivation

usability

behavior

context

literacy

competency

training

expense

support

critical massqualityawareness

All of the interrelated factors must be considered. Each is described on the following page, and are arranged beginning with factors requiring mostly programmatic expertise (knowledge of project focus such as logistics or nutrition) and ending with factors requiring mostly technical expertise (whether from a software developer or nutrition expert, for example).

Please keep in mind that often each factor requires a combination of programmatic and technical input for success.

Page 13: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

13

programatic

context culturally appropriate, socially acceptable, exploits availabletechnologies, builds on existing relationships and practices

motivation provides a shortcut (saves time and/or effort), builds personal or professional reputation, encourages peer/community pressure

behavior similar to existing workflow/practices, easy to understand, or desirable enough to incentivize change. adequate training.

critical mass sufficient participation in order to get value from system. early adopters/influencers to promote peer learning

sustainability mechanisms to measure/evaluate usage and desired behaviors. adequate training and motivation to reinforce participation

awareness promotion by formal and informal channels,local training capacity and local project manager

expense ongoing costs are acceptable to users, implementer, and partners. local system administrator to maintain system

usability minimal training requirements, actions are as natural as possible. training materials are concise and appropriate for low literacy

quality functions reliably, gives constructive feedback to errors. local software developer(s) for bug fixes and new features

support help and supplementary training is readily available from formal (implementer) and informal (peer) channels

technical

Page 14: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

14

Framework for thinking

The previous page and following worksheet are intended as a thought exercise to help guide the development of your RapidSMS project. All of these factors are interrelated, but try to think about each separately -- this will help to identify weaknesses and areas that need more attention.

Does your project plan and implementation strategy cover all of these factors? How well? Do you understand your project’s context and intended users well enough?

On the next page, consider each factor with respect to your current project plan and implementation strategy. Get your colleagues to do complete the page independently and then compare.

For each factor, assign a score (or weight) between 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest). Also add today’s date to the lower-right corner.

Page 15: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

15

score:

context culturally appropriate, socially acceptable, exploits availabletechnologies, builds on existing relationships and practices

motivation provides a shortcut (saves time and/or effort), builds personal or professional reputation, encourages peer/community pressure

behavior similar to existing workflow/practices, easy to understand, or desirable enough to incentivize change. adequate training.

critical mass sufficient participation in order to get value from system. early adopters/influencers to promote peer learning

sustainability mechanisms to measure/evaluate usage and desired behaviors. adequate training and motivation to reinforce participation

awareness promotion by formal and informal channels,local training capacity and local project manager

expense ongoing costs are acceptable to users, implementer, and partners. local system administrator to maintain system

usability minimal training requirements, actions are as natural as possible. training materials are concise and appropriate for low literacy

quality functions reliably, gives constructive feedback to errors. local software developer(s) for bug fixes and new features

support help and supplementary training is readily available from formal (implementer) and informal (peer) channels

date:

RapidSMS Project Evaluation Worksheet

Page 16: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

16

Agile planning

How can you adapt your project plan and implementation strategy to score higher? Who can you consult for advice regarding certain factors?

Are there certain factors that cannot be improved? Not all factors need to have a high score, but most should be three or above.

If a certain factor cannot be improved, can you improve other factors to promote overall success?

Each time you revise your project plan and implementation strategy (and at least every week) fill out another copy of the sheet without looking a previous scores. How much do your scores change? Why have they changed?

Page 17: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

17

Bags of blank paper forms for a bednet distribution capaign in Nigeria’s Kano state -- and two RapidSMS developers explaining the internet-accessible data sent to RapidSMS during the campaign.

Page 18: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

18

Factors in detail

The following pages describe factors in more detail, pose questions, and offer strategies for improving your project plan and implementation strategy.

Page 19: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

19

Context

Understand the cultural, social, and technological setting of your project -- and make sure your project is compatible. Do your intended users own or have access to mobile phones? If so, do they have regular access to electricity to charge their mobiles?

Be mindful and respectful of different frames of reference, local gender roles, traditional customs, and religious practices when designing your project.

This kind of understanding comes from relationships, real experiences, and empathy -- spend plenty of time observing, asking, talking, and trying. Better yet, your team should focus on co-creation by including individuals intimately familar with the project’s context.

Map existing relationships among people and organizations and take advantage of them. Think of how these relationships can be facilitated and strengthened by faster information flows.

Page 20: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

20

shortcut saves user time or money or reduces travel

recognition boosts users social standing among coworkers or community

competition peer or community pressure encourages participation

new skills users gain valuable skills, such as new phone, math, or language competencies

reward user is compensated (with money, airtime credits, or similar)

Motivation

Users must be motivated to participate in your RapidSMS project. Unfortunately, altruism is not enough to ensure adequate participation.

Strategies for designing a project that will provide additional incentives and motivation to your users are outlined on the next page.

Example

For an inventory survey project in Ethiopia, implementers sent a text message to all of the data collectors praising the individual data collector who had sent in the most text messages during the first week. The next week, data collectors sent many more messages containing valuable data -- as they competed to be “#1” for the week.

Page 21: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

21

BehaviorMinimize disruption and additional burden. Map existing workflows and dataflows to find the best opportunity for RapidSMS. Try to minimize any additional workload, especially for users that may already be overworked and underpaid.

The intended interactions your users will have with RapidSMS must be simple and easy to understand. If one user cannot easily explain ‘what to do’ and ‘why to do it’ to another user, the interaction is too complex. Think about the least amount of data that can be actionable.

For example, why ask for number of new patients and current stock level if only the stock level data is essential and actionable? Use only data from paper forms that are already being used -- but not every piece of data.

What data is most valuable when it is known by others rapidly -- and can be acted upon rapidly?

Example

For a nutrition surveillance project in Malawi, Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) in rural clinics sent data points to RapidSMS in the same order that the data points appear on the paper forms that the HSAs had been using -- which made the SMS format easy to understand and explain.

Example

For a bednet distribution project in Nigeria, door-to-door teams distributed vouchers that were redeemed the following week for bednets. A supervisor summed the total numbers of vouchers issued by all of the teams under his or her supervision and sent this data each day. If each team were to send their own data, the totals for individual neighborhoods would be known -- but dozens of additional people would require training. So, less-specific data was collected so that training time and coordination expenses could remain lower.

Page 22: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

22

Critical mass

How many users must participate for the implementer to gain value from the overall system? How can you design differently so your critical mass is smaller?

Do users depend on other users’ participation? Can these dependencies be avoided?

Minimize disruption to your users’ normal routine and avoid additional burden (workload, time, etc).

Identify ‘champions’ or ‘power users’ that are competent and enthusiastic. How can you reward and empower these users to encourage their peers to participate?

Page 23: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

23

Sustainability

How will you measure and evaluate usage?

If second-order effects are expected (behavior change, improved efficiency, etc), how can these be measured?

Training and motivation must be thorough enough so users will continue to participate after the ‘honeymoon’ phase following project deployment.

Training materials must be readily available and as simple as possible.

Page 24: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

24

Awareness

Expect users to forget everything from their training session.

Make supplementary materials easily available. Consider posters or laminated cards that explain how to use RapidSMS.

Provide a phone number for a local trainer or schedule supplementary training.

Send reminder messages when you are expecting data submissions to prompt participation.

Example

For a nutrition surveillance project in Malawi, implementers printed “cheat sheets” of instructions for each user. Cheat sheets were printed 4 per page and then laminated. Several weeks later, a surprising number of users still carried their “cheat sheets” -- because their size and durable lamination made them excellent fans!

Page 25: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

25

Expense

Out-of-pocket expenses for end users are a serious threat to motivation. Requiring users to maintain airtime balance and pay for each text message -- even if they are reimbursed -- will significantly affect participation.

Be sure to design a project with enough social or shortcut motivations to offset this disadvantage.

Better yet, arrange for reverse-billing or free/toll-free numbers so users never need to pay for using your service.

Page 26: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

26

solution description

pre-paid SIM basic consumer SIM

post-paid SIM (AKA contract SIM) consumer contract SIM, usually billed monthly for charges incurred during the previous month. may require a long-term subscription agreement

bulk-rate SIM special SIM optimized for bulk SMS, intended for commercial customers. may be available as pre-paid or post-paid. lacks ability to dial or receive voice calls, but incurs a discounted rate for sending and receiving SMS

reverse-billing SIM special SIM where all charges incurred sending to or dialing the SIM are billed to the SIM rather than the caller/texter. so, users sending messages to this SIM do not incur any charges on their own SIM -- these charges are billed to the reverse-billing SIM. depending on the network, users may need to maintain a minimum balance on their SIM, even though the balance is not debited when they send to the reverse-billing SIM

toll-free SIM same as above, except network operator absorbs all costs

shortcode unlike a normal phone number (‘longcode’) which is fully-qualified, a shortcode is a special number (usually 5 or 6 numbers long) unique within a particular network. for a large project, the same shortcode must be acquired on all of the major mobile networks you intend to support. often, a third-party vendor must be contracted to coordinate these shortcodes so they can be used seamlessly

Page 27: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

27

time/negotiation requirements

solution applicability who pays who to talk to

pre-paid SIM testing users and implementer normal retail channels

post-paid SIM short-term pilots, small scale projects

users and implementer normal retail channels

bulk-rate SIM small-to-medium scale projects

users and implementer network operator’s corporate sales department

reverse-billing SIM small-to-medium scale projects where users must not incurr charges

implementer network operator’s corporate sales department

toll-free SIM medium-to-large scale projects where users most not incurr charges

donated by network network operator’s CSR department or foundation

shortcode large scale projects implementer or donated by network

network operator’s CSR department, foundation, or senior management as well as a thrid party vendor

Page 28: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

28

Usability

Even though a user may own a phone, there are many levels of competency that affect how much interaction they may successfully perform with RapidSMS.

Most mobile owners’ competency is being contactable -- if their phone rings, they will answer.

Not as many mobile owners are familiar with more complicated uses of their phone -- uses that require significant amounts of training to develop competency. For example, if your users have never sent a text message, it will require intensive training for them to become competent sending structured text messages containing data.

Tip

Usage of your RapidSMS system should be simple enough so that one user can explain it to another in a single sentence such as:“type the clinic number from this poster and then each of the numbers from this form in the same order”

Page 29: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

29

sending data in text

sending text

receiving text

flashing / beeping

making calls

contactable

competency /training needs

popularity / familiarity

Mobile phone competencies

Page 30: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

30

QualityBe sure to allow time for frequent, sufficient testing of your RapidSMS project throughout the development process. If the system does not behave or respond as anticipated, users may believe they made a mistake even if a software error or poor design is at fault.

Unexpected behavior will lower your users’ confidence in themselves and RapidSMS -- at a detriment to project participation.

Misspellings, unexpected words, and malformed data must be handled and responded to with descriptive, helpful messages -- and every message should receive a response.

misspellings locations and names may have many possible spellings -- especially if local languages are rarely written in print

free-form comments expect users to direct questions or say ‘thank you’ to RapidSMS

character substitutions numeral ‘1’ is often easier to type on a mobile handset than letter ‘l’

data order sometimes data points may be submitted out-of-order

arbitrary delimiters users may use unexpected characters to separate data fields

Page 31: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

31

Support

Readily available training materials must be concise and clear, with limited textual explanations. Use icons when possible so materials are easy to understand.

Resources for informal and formal help

System status inquiries - users should know what to do if the system is not responding promptly. Training material should include a phone number to call with questions or to report problems.

Local software developers and systems administrator are available for troubleshooting and/or improvements, if necessary.

Tip

If you are using a GSM modem, enable call forwarding on the SIM card to local training or support staff. Sometimes users may call the phone number intended for submitting SMS -- which may disrupt RapidSMS’s ability to send and receive text messages -- even if another phone number has been provided for inquiries. By enabling call forwarding for the SIM card in the modem, the risk of disrupted SMS functionality is avoided -- and confused users’ calls are answered by knowledgable staff.

Page 32: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

32

Building a good team

Page 33: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

33

What to look for in programmers

When evaluating candidates, experience working with RapidSMS in a similar context is by far the most important quality.

RapidSMS software is complicated and poorly documented. No amount of programming talent or mobile experience is more valuable than having experience programming, training, and/or deploying a RapidSMS project with similar requirements in a similar environment.

example Terms of Reference

What to look for in project managers

When evaluating candidates, experience working with RapidSMS in a similar context is by far the most important quality.

Also, look for experience working with private sector technologists (especially mobile operators), training end users, and documenting projects (photos, blogs, etc).

[link to example TOR]

Page 34: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

34

Documenting your project

Blogging -Try to document your project throughout the development and deployment process. This makes it easier for partners to stay abreast and build interest (it also helps to have material to draw from when writing a project report or summary).

examples:

http://www.jokkoinitiative.orghttp://projectmwana.posterous.comhttp://www.childcount.org/category/blog/

Link your blog to a photo site such as Flickr or Picasa - Visuals - whether photos or screenshots can be very powerful, so try to take plenty.

examples: RapidSMS Mauritania (nutrition)RapidSMS mapping in Uganda

Illustrate the challenges you are facing, your problem solving approach, and offer a forum to ask questions or get involved.

The following pages present a few examples of problem illustration, screen shots, and solution diagrams.

Page 35: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

35

Page 36: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

36

Page 37: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

37

Page 38: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

38

Partnering with mobile service providers

Meet early, meet often

Even with plenty of enthusiasm, delivery of operational technologies from mobile service providers can take a long time. Internal processes and discussions among a providers CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) staff, foundation staff, and technical staff may last for months. Allow plenty of time before your project goes into production and be persistent.

Don’t start a large-scale project without an agreement. Don’t set a launch date for a project until you have personally sent and received messages via the facilities defined in the agreement.

Link to example agreement?

Page 39: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

39

For more information or guidanceLinks to projects, downloads, and more:http://rapidsms.org

Technical / Implementation: Evan Wheeler: [email protected]

Management / Partnership / Organizational:Erica Kochi: [email protected] and Christopher Fabian: [email protected]

Further reading

Human-Centered Design Toolkit : A Free Toolkit for NGOs and Social Enterprise.Developed by IDEO with IDE and Gates Foundation

Getting Real : The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application. By 37Signals

Shared Phone UseBy Jan Chipchase and Indri Tulusan

Page 40: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

40

Annex 1: Example training materials

Page 41: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

41

Page 42: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

42

Page 43: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

43

Example of location codes

State: 01 - 37

LGA: 01 - 44

Ward: 01 - 15

Distribution point: 1, 2, or 3

Mobilization team: 1, 2, 3 or 4

20

2027

202708

2027082

20270823

Kano

Kura

Kurun Sumau

D. Point 2

M. Team 3

Page 44: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

44

Distribution example

llin nets 2035071 926 74 68 60

Leni (203507)

In the evening , after the day's distribution, the DP supervisor of distribution point 1 finalizes form I-7a and texts:

Automatic confirmation SMS to DP supervisor:

Thanks, Abimbola. We confirm nets distribution data for Leni ward, DP 1: distributed=926 nets, expected=74 nets, actual=68 nets, discrepancy=60.

DP supervisor

Page 45: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

45

Kano (20) Kura (2037)

Once waybill 11111 is on truck and warehouse stock sheet entry is written, state warehouse manager texts:

200

Automatic confirmation SMS to state warehouse manager:

Thanks, Abimbola. We confirm issuing of 200 bales from Kano to Kura, waybill=11111, Kano stock balance=1800 bales

Automatic SMS to LGA warehouse:

Notice: 200 bales LLIN are enroute to Kura from Kano (waybill 11111).

Upon arrival once warehouse stock sheet entry is written, LGA warehouse manager texts:

Automatic confirmation SMS to LGA warehouse manager:

Thanks, Evan. We confirm receipt of 200 bales from Kano to Kura, waybill=11111, Takai stock balance=317 bales

Automatic SMS to state warehouse:

Notice: 200 bales LLIN are have been received at Kura (waybill 11111).

Waybill (11111)

Example stock transaction

2000 - 200 = 1800 117 + 200 = 317

llin receive from 20 to 2037 11111 200 317

llin issue from 20 to 2037 11111 200 1800

Page 46: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

46

Net card example

llin net cards 20300513 10 5783 621Kuru (203005)

Ward supervisor verifies & signs form I-4a (atfer the mobilization team leader from team 3 of distribution point 1 arrives in the evening), and texts:

Automatic confirmation SMS to ward supervisor.

Thanks, Abimbola. We confirm net card distribution data for Kuru ward, DP 1, MT 3: settlements=10, people=5783, netcards=621.

llin net cards 20300521 13 6459 684

Automatic confirmation SMS to ward supervisor.

Thanks, Abimbola. We confirm net card distribution data for Kuru ward, DP 2, MT 1: settlements=13, people=6459, netcards=684.

Repeat for remaining mobilization teams

Ward supervisorWard supervisor verifies & signs form I-4a (atfer the mobilization team leader from team 1 of distribution point 2 arrives in the evening), and texts:

Page 47: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

Annex 2: Equipment

There are many different ways and combinations of equipment that can be used to deploy a RapidSMS project -- and the wide variety of requirements and contexts of different projects means that there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation.

The two most popular scenarios are presented in this section, as well as the specific components that must be procured.

Page 48: Howtorapidsms20 april2010

GSM modem(s)Server• Securely hosted with reliable electricity (or connected to a UPS unit). You

will need physical access to the machine to install the modems.• Server does not need to be a recent or powerful computer (can be a low-

end desktop workstation)• Internet connection to allow remote access for updating, troubleshooting,

etc. Ensure that ports 22 (ssh), 9418 (git), and 80 (http) are not blocked by a firewall. When possible, a static IP is more desireable than a dynamic IP address.

• Linux operating system (latest version of Ubuntu is recommended)

GSM modem(s)• one for each major mobile network• model that is compatible with RapidSMS (see http://wiki.github.com/

adammck/pygsm/). Multitech MTCBA-G-U-F4 is recommended.• SIM card for each modem -- may need to place a call from a handset to

activate the card, depending on the network.

Tip

Often it is cheaper to send text messages to numbers on the same mobile network than sending from one mobile network to another. RapidSMS can have multiple GSM modems attached to the same software system. Although additional modems are an additional expense, users may be more inclined to participate if they are able to send within their own mobile network.