Paper presented at the International Conference on Using ICT, Social Media and Mobile Technologies to Foster Self-Organisation in Urban and Neighbourhood Governance. Delft, Netherlands. 16 May 2013

1. Ana Brandusescu, Renée E. Sieber and Sylvie Jochems
1
The Challenges of Integrating
Texting and Mapping for
Community Development in Canada

2. Community development &
mobile phones
 Community development: a process where community
members collaborate by means of an organized
intervention with the goal of empowering them vis-à-vis
circumstances that affect their lives (Lyndon 2011)
 Mobile phones are already in communities
 Case studies in developing world: mobile banking,
epidemiology, fishing & agriculture industries (e Silva et al.
2011; Tortora & Rheault 2011; Aker & Mbiti 2010; Bailard 2009; Molony 2009; Patnaik et al. 2008; Wong 2008;
Abraham 2007)
 Few North American case studies; even fewer that are
youth-based (Rice et al. 2008; Walsh et al. 2998; Campbell 2006; Ito 2005)
 Texting with online & mobile mapping combination
 Challenges: building and maintaining an ICT for
community development

3. Literature review
Sieber, Elwood,
Ghose, Goodchild
ICTs
(mobile tech)
Foth, Albert, Flournoy,
Lebrasseur, Loos,
Mante-Meijer, Haddon,
Marshall, Taylor, Yu
McKnight, Kretzmann,
Block, Lyndon,
Goodchild Katz, Donner, Proulx
Yzer & Southwell,
Hardey, Horst &
Miller, Aker & Mbiti,
e Silva (A.S), Sutko,
Salis, e Silva (C.S)
Community
Mapping
Lyndon, Burns,
Williams,
Windenbank,
Jones & Silva,
Shragge & Toye
Blackburn-Cabrera,
Kayne, Clement,
Gurstein, Longford,
Moll, Shade, Gov’t
of Canada
Zook, Graham, Shelton,
Gorman, Chiao, Roche,
Propeck-Zimmermann,
Mericskay, Forrest
Rice, Lee, Taitt,
Boone, Campbell,
Walsh, White,
Young, Ito
Community
Development
Participatory
GIS
Community
Informatics
Telecom
Youth &
Crisis ICTs
mapping

4. Methodology

5. Context: Lachine, Montreal
 Why is it generalizable?
 Inner-city neighbourhood of Montreal; 7,340 low-income
residents (18 % of Lachine pop.) (Statistics Canada 2007)
 Table de Concertation Jeunesse de Lachine
 Technology project for youth
15
2
3

6. Developing the mapping portion of
the application
Ushahidi:
 Technical expertise;
coding knowledge
 Web server-based
Crowdmap:
 Less technical version
of Ushahidi (no coding
knowledge required)
 Cloud-based
 For less-technical
experts
 Friendly user interface
4

7. Acquiring the hardware
 SIM card from mobile provider with GSM network
 Hardware must be compatible with software:
FrontlineSMS
 CDMA network vs. GSM network
 GSM modem
 ‘Unlocking’ modem procedure
5
6

8. Developing the texting portion of
the application
FrontlineSMS
Crowdmap Addon/Plugin
3 ways to enable SMSs on Crowdmap
5,6
SIM & GSM modem

9. Enabling messages sent to
Espaces Lachine
1. SMS
2. Smartphone app
3. Email
4. Twitter
5. Direct post on website
4
7

10. Diffusing the application
1. Storyboards (EN/FR)
2. SMS examples on poster
3. Manuals
8,9
2 10

11. Collecting geolocated texts
 Send emails
 Hand out flyers
 Create posters
Preliminary data
4

12. Findings

13. Becoming a system administrator
 Web 2.0 deployments: Ushahidi and Crowdmap
 Mashable tools for crises, with little time to develop
and deploy the system
 Ushahidi Setup vs. All the Other Stuff
 “Verification, documentation,
integration with other
systems, SMS debugging,
& taxonomy development”
9

14. Contending with resource
availability
1. Restrictions and lack of availability exist in telecom
hardware used to receive SMSs on Crowdmap
2. Cloud-based SMS gateway Clickatell offers no phone
numbers with area codes in Canada
3. Rogers mobile provider has a “Rogers One Number”
SMS gateway but does not provide integration APIs
4. FrontlineSMS is solely GSM network-based, limiting
interoperability with hardware from other telecom
networks (e.g., CDMA)

15. Obtaining a geolocation from an
SMS
1. Parsing of geolocations in the SMSs:
– Texting-mapping platform does not automatically geolocate
SMSs
– E.g., Chez Brandusescu
– 160 character SMS limit
2. Inferring location demands human intervention
– Description of place
– E.g., Weather, sculpture in (unnamed) park
3. Certain methods of sending messages were more effective
than others
– participants had to manually enter the URL to see their
messages: https://espaceslachine.crowdmap.com
– SMS > smartphone app

16. Confronting the nature of Canadian
mobile network providers
 Telecom environment in Canada
 Finding the right provider; GSM vs. CDMA
 Interoperability with FrontlineSMS
 Library of Congress, ‘unlocking’ of mobile phones
illegal in US (January 26, 2013)
 Restrictive attitude affects interoperability

17. Keeping pace with change
 Table struggled to keep pace with changes during
application development
 Application development and deployment will likely
exceed the time needed to acquire the actual texts;
Crowdmap platform was less generalizable than
expected
 From Classic Crowdmap to New Crowdmap (public
beta): ‘Map Anything’
 Upward compatibility is not assured

18. Conclusion
 Mobile phones for CD: Big data, texting-only, handset
access, sociological studies of phone use (e.g., e Silva et al. 2011)
 Small data focus & in-house texting application
 Promises of Web 2.0 and mobile technologies
 Should we even try?
 Mobile phones: Connection to physical community when
time limits the physical connection
 Value to be an early technological adapter
 Early adoption involves risk

19. Thank You!
Email: ana.brandusescu@mail.mcgill.ca
Twitter: @anab

20. References
Abraham, R. (2007). Mobile phones and economic development: Evidence from the fishing
industry in India. Information Technologies and International Development, 4(1), 5-17.
Aker, J., & Mbiti, I. (2010). Mobile phones and economic development in Africa. Center for
Global Development Working Paper (211).
Alamenciak, T. (2012). How the developing world is using cellphone technology to change lives.
The Toronto Star Online. Available at
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/03/24/how_the_developing_world_is_using_cellph
one_technology_to_change_lives.html
Albert, S., Flournoy, D., & LeBrasseur, R. (2008). Networked communities: Strategies for digital
collaboration: Information Science Reference-Imprint of: IGI Publishing.
Bailard, C.S. (2009). Mobile phone diffusion and corruption in Africa. Political Communication,
26(3), 333-353.
Blackburn–Cabrera, J.A. (2012). Cell Phone Freedom Act: a small step or a giant leap in Canadian
policy making? International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry, 5(1), 1-21.
Blow, C. (2010, May 19). Allocation of time: deploying Ushahidi. Available at
http://blog.ushahidi.com/2010/05/19/allocation-of-time-deploying-ushahidi/)
Boone, K. (2012). Cellphone Diaries: Mobile Technology and Self-Authored Digital Videos in Asset
Mapping. PRISM: A Journal of Regional Engagement, 1(2), 7.
Bradley, G. (2006). Social and community informatics: humans on the net: Routledge.
Budhathoki, N.R. (2010). Participants ‘motivations to contribute geographic information in an
online community.
Burns, DP, Williams, C., & Windebank, J. (2004). Community self-help: Palgrave Macmillan.
Campbell, S.W. (2006). Perceptions of mobile phones in college classrooms: ringing, cheating,
and classroom policies. Communication Education, 55(3), 280-294.
Centraide of Greater Montreal. (2012). Lachine: Territorial Analysis. Available at
http://www.centraide-mtl.org/en/communities-served/lachine/
Chiao, R. (2013). Harass Map. Available at http://harassmap.org/en/
Clement, A., Gurstein, M. Longford, G., Moll, M. & Shade, L.R. (2013). Connecting Canadians:
investigations in community informatics. Au Press.
Clickatell. (2013). Clickatell Bulk SMS Gateway. Available at http://americas.clickatell.com/
Coleman, D.J., Georgiadou, Y., & Labonte, J. (2009). Volunteered Geographic Information: the
nature and motivation of produsers. International Journal of Spatial Data Infrastructures
Research, 4(1), 332-358.
DC Unlocker.(2012). Data card unlocker: unlock phone, modem or data card with DC-unlocker
software. Available at https://www.dc-unlocker.com/
Dead Ushahidi. (2012). Why dead is dead. Available at
https://deadushahidi.crowdmap.com/page/
Dodson, L., Piatelli, D., & Schmalzbauer, L. (2007). Researching inequality through interpretive
collaborations shifting power and the unspoken contract. Qualitative Inquiry, 13(6), 821-843.
Donner, J., & Tellez, C.A. (2008). Mobile banking and economic development: linking adoption,
impact, and use. Asian Journal of Communication, 18(4), 318-332.
e Silva, A.S., Sutko, D.M., Salis, F.A., & e Silva, C.S. (2011). Mobile phone appropriation in the
favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. New Media & Society, 13(3), 411-426.
Elwood, S. and Ghose, R. (2004). PPGIS in community development planning: Framing the
organizational context. Cartographica 38(3/4): 19-33
Forrest, B. (2010). Technology Saves Lives In Haiti. Text messages and mapping tools are
helping victims of the earthquake. Forbes Online. Available at
http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/01/text-messages-maps-technology-breakthroughs-haiti.html
Foth, M. (2009). Handbook of research on urban informatics: the practice and promise of the
real-time city. Information Science Reference, IGI Global.
FrontlineSMS. (2013). FrontlineSMS: using technology to promote positive social change.
Available at http://www.frontlinesms.com/
Galman, S. (2009). The truthful messenger: visual methods and representation in qualitative
research in education. Qualitative Research 9(2), 197-217.
Geser, H. (2004). Towards a sociological theory of the mobile phone. Sociology of the mobile
phone. Zurich, Switzerland.
Goodchild, M. (2007). Citizens as sensors: the world of volunteered geography. GeoJournal
69(4), 211-221.
Government of Canada. 2011, August. Navigating convergence II: charting Canadian
communications change and regulatory implications. Convergence Policy, Policy Development
and Research. Available at
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/rp1108.htm#t45
Gowan, M. (2013). Unlocking cellphones becomes illegal Saturday. NBC News. Available
at http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/unlocking-cellphones-becomes-illegal-saturday-
1C8086503
Gurstein, M. (2007). What is community informatics (and why does it matter)? (Vol. 2):
Polimetrica Publishing Studies.
Hardey, M. (2007). The city in the age of web 2.0 a new synergistic relationship between place
and people. Information, Communication & Society, 10(6), 867-884.
Haralanova, C. 2012. Jailbreak me, possess me: mobile hacking practices. The Mobile Cultures
Issue. Journal of Mobile Media 6(3). Available at
http://wi.mobilities.ca/jailbreak-me-possess-me-mobile-hacking-practices/
Horst, H., & Miller, D. (2006). The cell phone: an anthropology of communication. Oxford & New
York: Oxford Interntional publishers.
Ito, M. (2005). Mobile phones, Japanese youth, and the re-placement of social contact Mobile
Communications (pp. 131-148): Springer.

21. References (Image URLs)
Katz, J. (2011). Mobile communication: dimensions of social policy. Transaction Pub.
Kayne, R. (n.d.). What is the difference between GSM and CDMA. Conjecture Corporation.
Foster, N (ed). Available at
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-difference-between-gsm-and-cdma.htm
Keeble, L., & Loader, B. (2001). Community informatics: Routledge London.
Keller, C., Fleury, J, Perez, A. Ainsworth, B., & Vaughan, L. (2008). Using visual methods to uncover context.
Qualitative Health Research, 18(3), 428-436.
Kretzmann, J., & McKnight, J. (1993). Building communities from the inside out: A path toward finding and
mobilizing a community’s assets.
Lyndon, N. (2011). Native Understanding of Participation and Empowerment in Community Development.
Journal of Social Sciences, 7(4).
McClendon, S., & Robinson, A.C. (2012). Leveraging Geospatially-Oriented Social Media Communications in
Disaster Response Geospatial Social Media in Disaster Response: Vancouver, BC.
McIver Jr, W. (2003). A community informatics for the information society. Communicating in the information
society, 33-64.
McKnight, J., & Block, P. (2010). The abundant community: Awakening the power of families and
neighborhoods: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Molony, T. (2009). Carving a niche: ICT, social capital, and trust in the shift from personal to impersonal trading
in Tanzania. Information technology for development, 15(4), 283-301.
O’Neil, D. (2002). Assessing community informatics: A review of methodological approaches for evaluating
community networks and community technology centers. Internet Research, 12(1), 76-102.
O'Reilly, T. (2005). What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software.
Blog by Tim O'Reilly. Available at http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html
Patnaik, S., Brunskill, E., & Thies, W. (2009). Evaluating the accuracy of data collection on mobile phones: A
study of forms, SMS, and voice. Paper presented at the Information and Communication Technologies and
Development (ICTD), 2009 International Conference on.
Pitkin, B. (2001). Community informatics: hope or hype? Paper presented at the System Sciences, 2001.
Proceedings of the 34th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.
Rice, E., Lee, A., & Taitt, S. (2011). Cell phone use among homeless youth: potential for new health
interventions and research. Journal of Urban Health, 88(6), 1175-1182.
Rideout, V. N, & Reddick, A. J. (2005). Sustaining community access to technology: who should pay and why.
The Journal of Community Informatics, 1(2).
Roche, S., Propeck-Zimmermann, E., & Mericskay, B. (2011). GeoWeb and crisis management: issues and
perspectives of volunteered geographic information. GeoJournal, 1-20.
Rogers, E. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations, 5th edition. NY: Free Press.
Rogers Wireless. (2013). Rogers One Number. Available at
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless_ron#,Tabset--0,
Shilton, K. (2009). Four billion little brothers?: Privacy, mobile phones, and ubiquitous data collection.
Communications of the ACM, 52(11), 48-53.
Shragge, E. (1993). Community economic development: in search of empowerment and alternatives. Montreal,
Canada: Black Rose Books.
Sieber. R. E. (2006). Public Participation Geographic Information Systems: A Literature Review
and Framework. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 96(3), 491-507.
SMSSync. (2013). The free and open source gateway for Android. Available at
http://smssync.ushahidi.com/
Statistics Canada. 2007. Lachine, Quebec (Code2466057) (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census.
Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Released March 13, 2007. Available at
http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E
Stoecker, R. (2005). Is community informatics good for communities? Questions confronting an
emerging field. The Journal of Community Informatics, 1(3), 13-26.
Tortora B. & Rheault, M. (2011, September 16). Mobile phone access varies widely in sub-Saharan Africa:
average phone owner is more likely to be male, educated, and urban. Gallup News. Available at
http://www.gallup.com/poll/149519/mobile-phone-access-varies-widely-sub-saharan-africa.aspx
Tudge, P. 2010. WORKSHOP REPORT. Connecting Rural and Remote Communities through the GeoWeb.
November 18-20th, 2010, McGill University, Montreal, QC.
Ushahidi. (2013).Ushahidi platform. Available at http://www.ushahidi.com/
Ushahidi Team. (2013, April 23). New Crowdmap coming May 6th. Available at
http://blog.ushahidi.com/2013/04/23/new-crowdmap-coming-may-6th/
Walsh, S.P., White, K.M., & Young, R.M. (2008). Over-connected? A qualitative exploration of the relationship
between Australian youth and their mobile phones. Journal of Adolescence, 31(1), 77-92.
Wong, A. (2008). The Impact of Mobile Phones on the New Urban Poor: Leaving an Urban Footprint? Journal of
Urban Technology, 15(3), 25-38.
Yzer, M.C., & Southwell, B.G. (2008). New communication technologies, old questions. American Behavioral
Scientist, 52(1), 8-20.
Zook, M., Graham, M., Shelton, T., & Gorman, S. (2012). Volunteered geographic information and
crowdsourcing disaster relief: a case study of the Haitian earthquake. World Medical & Health Policy, 2(2), 7-
33.
[1] http://www.conferencecenterblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/social_media_clutter1.jpg
[2] www.openstreetmap.org
[3] http://goo.gl/maps/0uW5D
[4] espaceslachine.crowdmap.com
[5] http://www.fido.ca/web/page/portal/Fido/SmartCard&lang=en
[6] http://windywindycitytech.wordpress.com/category/modem/
[7] www.ushahidi.com
[8] http://www.frontlinesms.com/ for FrontlineSMS symbol (o/)
[9] http://www.ushahidi.com/ for Ushahidi symbol (globe))
[10] http://blog.ushahidi.com/2010/05/19/allocation-of-time-deploying-ushahidi/