NDItech has recently been doing a lot with a slick piece of software called FrontlineSMS. It's not new, but it's been a powerful solution for us of late, so I thought I'd share.
Frontline is a tool to allow people to do basic two-way SMS communications via standard laptops and cellphones (or, preferably, GSM modems). Frontline was designed by
Ken Banks to facilitate interactions within conservation groups in parts of Africa without internet access.
Given its heritage it's not surprising that Frontline really nails our mantra of "appropriate technology" in a number of ways.
- It doesn't have a steep learning curve. Our partners in Eastern Europe downloaded and got it working on their own before I even got to show it to them.
- It runs on very common technology
- It communicates with people where they are: text messaging. Across Africa, as we've mentioned, mobile phones are far and away the best way to reach people.
In the vast swaths of the world where only elites are on the internet, this is a great way to build connections between organizations and their members, whether civil society groups, political parties, or other groups.
We're now using Frontline in Haiti, where Katherine is involved with
getting local "Information Centers" connected with their constituents via Frontline.
But it's also valuable in another situation: where there may be internet access, but it's heavily filtered, censored, monitored or otherwise controlled by the government.
SMS texts can be monitored as well, of course, but it can be easier to fly under the radar if your volume is not too high or you're not using sensitive keywords.
The great flexibility of Frontline makes it easier to recover from blocking, too. If all you need is a normal phone, changing numbers - and making the censors find you again - can be as easy as swapping SIM cards.
It's not for every situation, though. If you need to communicate with large numbers of people - measured in hundreds rather than dozens - you might need a more robust solution. Also, sending texts from normal phones is typically more expensive than using an SMS gateway, though Frontline can be used with a gateway as well.
If you're gathering structured data, their Forms system is a simple java app (doesn't require a full-fledged smartphone, just a non-idiotic phone) that lets you capture survey data or, say, election monitoring information.
It's not a panacea, of course - tired of hearing that around here yet? - but Frontline fills a real need. Hats of the crew.
You can see its practicality by the number of associated projects which have sprung up -
FrontlineSMS:Credit,
Learn,
Legal, and
Medic.
If you're interested, you can follow Frontline on Twitter at
@frontlinesms and Ken Banks at
@kiwanja.
