pons and pros of mobile phone s

Mobile-phone technology is a critical component of Project Surya's potential to mitigate climate change, improve public health, and contribute to economic uplift in the developing world. Project Surya proposes the use of mobile phones to measure climate mitigation and health outcomes in an unprecedented way. At present, most health data collection, and even much field-based scientific data collection in general, relies on sparse measurements that potentially miss important climate- and health-related events. The penetration and sophistication of mobile phones makes it possible to collect near-continuous, accurate datasets that were never possible before at large scale, allowing non-scientists to collect credible data. Top Over 4 billion people worldwide use mobile phones, and most newer models can record and transmit sound, images, location, and motion data. By combining these data with Web services to aggregate and interpret the assembled information, mobile phones can be Multi-media capabilities of mobile phones will be leveraged (graphic used with permission from UCLA Center for Embedded Networked Sensing. Background photo: Puck90 Flickr Photostream - [login to view URL]) powerful proxies for sensors. Given that mobile phones are now powerful multi-media devices with cameras and GPS capabilities in addition to voice and Internet access, mobile phones can transform scientific data collection without the need for the high bandwidth, rich sensor capabilities, or local processing infrastructure that had previously been barriers to collection of data in rural, developing regions. Top Measuring Black Carbon If data collection has traditionally been difficult in general in rural regions, it has been prohibitively expensive when it comes to measuring black carbon (BC) concentrations. Because BC was only recently identified as a key culprit in the global warming picture, an affordable digital sensor capable of measuring BC concentrations does not yet exist. However, working with our partners at the Center for Embedded Network Sensing (CENS) at UCLA and at Nexleaf Analytics, Project Surya will design a mobile phone platform to measure BC concentrations and collect the climate and public-health data that can make a difference. This transformation off-the-shelf mobile phones into leading-edge data collection instruments will enable residents to provide our scientists with data that will greatly enhance the ability to study climate and health impacts, and therefore to positively impact lives in the areas where Project Surya is implemented. Top How Climate Data Will be Collected Specially designed filters change color based on indoor BC levels