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Sometimes, small ideas can bring about a huge difference. With a vision of
making life easier for the rural community, Tapan Parikh has developed a
mobile-based software application, CAM (from camera-based mobile application)
making the ubiquitous mobile phone an instrument of change for those living in
the rural areas of Tamil Nadu. Parikh was looking at making it easier for
business owners to manage their own operations in an efficient and transparent
manner. He did this through mobile phones that are now becoming very affordable
and user friendly.
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The idea of developing CAM stemmed from the increasing popularity of mobile
phones and their familiarity to many users. The information system was tailored
for small businesses in the developing world, systems with mobile phones at the
core rather than PCs, says Tapan Parikh. He has recently found a place in MITs
prestigious Technology Reviews list of 100 innovators (under 35 years), and has
also been adjudged as Technologys humanitarian of the year.
An Empowering Technology
The CAM is a toolkit that makes it simple to use phones to capture images,
scan documents, enter and process data, and run interactive audio and video.
This mobile phone-based application toolkit also allows users to capture data
from existing paper-based manual processes common in India. By providing an
easier and more efficient way to collect and disseminate information in rural
areas, people in these areas can connect in a more empowered way to the formal
economy, says Parikh.
He also built a software system on top of CAM to assist self-help groups (SHG)
in managing their information and operations. Without requiring users to change
their style of working or reliance on paper, this software uses a CAM-based
application for entering and processing data, a text-messaging tool for
uploading data to online databases, and a package of Web-based software for
managing data and reporting it to any institution that has lent money to the SHG.
Parikh further adds that in CAM, barcodes are used to activate functions on the
mobile. By using an image processing technique, the two-dimensional barcode is
decoded and the phone is able to decipher the type and content of the form.
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| Tapan Parikh, the developer of
CAM, considers it to be one of the first attempts at an integrated mobile
phone framework for delivering a variety of services in rural areas of the
developing world, that seek to be accessible to all categories of users
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Parikh considers CAM to be one of the first attempts at an integrated mobile
phone framework for delivering a variety of services in rural areas of the
developing world, that seek to be accessible to all categories of users
(including illiterate and semi-literate). The software also enables the SHGs to
bring greater efficiency and transparency to their internal operations, thus
making them more stable. It could also link informal SHGs to the formal
financial sector, enabling them to get capital on better terms.
For instance, in Microfinance, this system helps SHGs document their internal
operations, allowing them to make informed decisions and access more sources of
capital. Similarly, in agriculture, this system helps small farming cooperatives
maintain strict standards enforcing quality and various certification
requirements.
Overcoming Challenges
The technology allows groups to overcome two major challenges. Firstly, it
enables them to run their internal operations in a fair and transparent way,
ensuring that their loans make economic sense. In these groups, things are
often done in a somewhat ad hoc manner, using informal documentation which can
lead to impermanence, and contribute to the kind of tensions that lead small
groups to fall apart, says Parikh. His software gives groups a more systematic
method of documenting decisions, tracking financial performance, and collecting
information.
The software, launched in Tamil Nadu in October 2006, saw collaboration from
Ekgaon Technologies, a company co-founded by Parikh himself. Ekgaon is currently
commercially deploying the MIS system for SHGs. I am also continuing to
collaborate with several NGOs, most notably Jataan in Baroda, Gujarat and CCD in
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, on new applications for agriculture, health, supply chain,
and other vertical markets, he adds. Incidentally, NABARD has been involved in
advising on the technology and connecting them with potential partners.
The software is currently being offered free to the end users wherein the
costs are borne by the supporting institution, such as a bank or NGO. However,
Parikh is quick to clarify that in future, we may charge a nominal fee to
microfinance groups or farmers for availing services using the technology.
Stuti Das
stutid@cybermedia.co.in Page(s) 1
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