Using Web Technologies and Mobile Phones for Social Development: W3C Approach

Stephane Boyera, Dr. Philipp Hoschka

1st International Conference on "M4D": Mobile Communication Technology For Development

Karlstad, Sweden, 11 December 2008

Outline

• W3C and Mobile Web Initiative
• Mobile Web for Social Development Interest Group
• Upcoming W3C Workshop
• Status Mobile Web in Developing Countries

W3C: Leading the Web to its Full Potential

• Consortium, 420 members (many universities and research institutes)
• Founded and directed by inventor of the Web, Tim Berners-Lee
• Standards: XML, HTML, Semantic Web, VoiceXML, Web Services, Accessibility Guidelines, Privacy …
• Cooperation between MIT, ERCIM, Keio
• World-wide offices, including Brazil, China, India, Morocco, South Africa, ...

W3C Mobile Web Initiative

Goal: bring Web to mobile Created in 2005 (early days for mobile Web) Results "Mobile Web Best Practices" W3C standard mobileOK W3C standard mobileOK checker tool Mobile Web for developing countries ...

Mobile Web for Social Development Interest Group

• From May 2008 to May 2009
• Chairs: Ken Banks (kiwanja.net), Stephane Boyera (W3C)
• Open to public participation
• Participants: IBM, Nokia, TNO, ...
• Home page: http://www.w3.org/2008/MW4D/
• Public Mailing-list: public-mw4d@w3.org archived at http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-mw4d/

Mission

• Not: Web access for the sake of Web access
• But: Web as means to deploy development-oriented services
• Aimed at low-income, "bottom of the pyramid" communities

Deliverables

• Technical guide: How to deploy and provide development-oriented services (for NGOs, ...)
• Roadmap: Challenges to overcome (for research, funding agencies, standardisation organisations, ...)
• Repository of resources
  • Information about mobile infrastructure and device characteristics
  • Links to existing tools and material
  • Relevant actors and stakeholders
  • ...

Premises

• Work with today's technologies
• Target device: Mobile phone, since most widely available to underserved communities
• Connectivity: GSM
• Target users: NGOs developing applications
• Access to Web content via browser, SMS, voice, ...

Technical Guide

• Considerations when choosing technology
• SMS: Widely available, predictable cost, .... but illiteracy issue, difficult development, ....
• Voice: Works for illiterate, predicable cost, ... but expensive to host, difficult development, ...
• Mobile Web: Easy to develop and deploy, graphics work for illiterate, ... but not widely available (yet), cost of access, ...
• Examples only!

Upcoming W3C Workshop

• Africa Perspective on the Role of Mobile Technologies in Fostering Social Development
• 1-2 April 2009, Maputo, Mozambique
• Chairs: Stephane Boyera (W3C), George Sadowsky
• Topics include
  • Analysis of use cases/ real-world projects
  • Usability and HCI challenges of mobile browsers and Web content
  • Mobile phones in eGovernmenet, eHealth, disaster management, ...
  • ....
• Deadline for position papers for presentation: January 12, 2009
• Deadline for statements of interest: February 12, 2009

About Digital World Forum

• An EU-FP7 Project - International Relation Unit
• From January 2008 until June 2009
• Area: ICT for Development
• 3 Topics:
  • Mobile phones
  • Low-cost laptops
  • Low-cost broadband access
• http://www.digitalworldforum.eu/

Status Mobile Web in Developing Countries

• Opera Mini: +1,120% page views in Philippines, +460% usage in Malaysia, +3,780% Libya, +59,000% Burkina Faso, ... ("State of the Web Mobile Web" report)
• Watch it live
  • Admob Live display of mobile ad requests
  • Bango Analytics live
• Widgets (Web applications)
• First time Web users on mobile
• "It's not all farmers sharing crop prices" (Trutap)
• Less regulation, more risk taking

What You Can Do

• Join the MW4D Interest Group
• Participate at the workshop

References

• Contact: Stephane Boyera (boyera@w3.org)
• MW4D Home Page: http://www.w3.org/2008/MW4D/
• MW4D Charter: http://www.w3.org/2007/12/MW4D/charter1.1.html
• Executive Summary of the W3C Workshop on the Role of Mobile Technologies in Fostering Social Development: http://www.w3.org/2008/02/MS4D_WS/exec_summary