About a billion new smartphones will be sold in 2014, the majority in developing countries. This expanding network offers profound opportunities to solve global problems in entirely new ways.
Here are a few examples of innovative uses of smartphones — which admittedly just scratch the surface of what is possible:
1) Use Smartphones to Track Mosquitoes
Public officials in Lahore use photos and GPS information from smartphones to better target anti-mosquito programs. Dengue Fever has dropped significantly. http://econ.st/178vcmf
2) Track, Report Noise Pollution via Mobile Phone
NoiseTube and NoiseMap are two projects that allow crowdsourced collection and reporting of noise pollution data. On MobileActive.org http://bit.ly/cMx5RC
3) Inexpensive Eye Exams via Smartphone
MIT researchers have developed a small device that when combined with a smartphone can offer eye exams in developing countries. Fast Company http://bit.ly/9bWBXJ
4) Map Transit Routes Using Cell Phones
Students at the University of Nairoibi and MIT have mapped Nairobi’s informal transit network through studying cell phone data. Atlantic http://bit.ly/1k593ev
Crowdsourcing, a smartphone app, satellite images and data analysis combine to tell farmers which fields to flood and when to help migratory birds. NY Times http://nyti.ms/1kYcIbt
To comment or vote on these (or other) ideas – or add your own! – visit Good Ideas.