Sensors, Empowerment, and Accountability in Tanzania (SEMA)

Coordinator: Dr. Y. Georgiadou (University of Twente, Enschede)
Co-applicant: Dr. J.H. Lungo (University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)

Programme outline
The quality and availability of public services directly impacts the lives of poor citizens. Traditionally, efforts to improve service delivery have focused on reforming government agencies. Because of the limited success of such efforts, attention is now shifting towards amplifying the voice of ordinary citizens, to improve their capacity to directly influence public service delivery. We believe that a single focus, either on citizens or on government, is too restrictive. Instead we examine how the relation between citizens and government can be improved via an innovative socio-technical system, a ?human sensor web.? In this research, a human sensor web (HSW) is an assembly of the following elements: geographic web services, citizens with mobile phones (?human sensors?) reporting & publicizing water and health problems in appropriate combinations of traditional and novel media (including Google Maps), public water points & clinics, and stakeholders & users.

The overall research question is ?to what extent can ordinary citizens in Tanzania directly exact accountability from water and public health providers with the human sensor web?? The PhD researchers will focus on modeling the physical and social environment of the ?human sensor?, and on studying citizens? reporting behavior & bureaucratic behavior in Tanzania related to water and health. In partnership with NGOs, a software developer will design prototype software and deploy it in iterative cycles to enable learning. The post-doc researcher will develop scalability strategies and manage the HSW as a boundary object, i.e. for multiple uses by multiple stakeholders. Senior staff will develop policy options regarding the feasibility, effectiveness and social acceptability of the human sensor web.

The development objective is to advance and disseminate knowledge on how human sensor webs can empower citizens to improve public service delivery. We build on insights of the applicant team from previous research in Zanzibar under the H2.O Monitoring Services to Inform and Empower program. We draw upon theoretical concepts developed within the Health Information Systems Program (HISP), a global network of action research of which the co-applicant is the Tanzanian node. We integrate expertise in (geo-) information science and social sciences. We will disseminate the findings through an international network of software engineers, social scientists and stakeholders in the monitoring of water and health services.