IT for a better Pakistan: Brainstorm Session

[Counter-Errorist]

Inspired by this thread, I wanted to see if we could compile a list of IT ideas that, when implemented, will improve the lives of people of Pakistan.

Keep these in mind:

1. Loadshedding is abundant and expected to stay as such for the next 3-5 years
2. Internet connectivity is limited for most people
3. Just about everybody has a mobile phone

I'll start:

• Crime Alert
  • Get crime reports from the police
  • Users subscribe to their area, any crime in their area is sent to them by SMS so they can keep informed on criminal activity and stay safe.
• Food Rates
  • Maintain latest price rates of food items
  • Users can check the database before purchasing so they don't get ripped off by vendors
  • Can SMS for rates as well
  • SMS Aloo to XXXX - get return message Potata price [12/13/2013] Rs. 40/kilo. Can also be extended to allow for reporting price violators
• PakLiving Wiki
  • Build information about everything there is to know about living in Pakistan
  • Examples:
    • Victim of corruption, crime, rape, discrimination, etc - what to do, where to go, who to call, what to watch out for
    • Pothole in your area - who to call, how to fix yourself, etc
    • Interested in professional sports - here's a list of clubs / associations, etc
    • Phone numbers - PTCL customer care, mobile voucher recharge, police, ambulance, hospitals, schools, local administrations, etc
• PakStats
  • Latest statistics about everything Pakistani with relevant sources
  • GDP, school attendance, women in job sector, engineers v/s doctors, etc

 

[faisal6309]

IT will create a better Pakistan. I know it but implementing in different places is very difficult. But still it is not impossible. I like this one.

SMS Aloo to XXXX - get return message Potata price [12/13/2013] Rs. 40/kilo. Can also be extended to allow for reporting price violators

 

[Counter-Errorist]

IT will create a better Pakistan. I know it but implementing in different places is very difficult. But still it is not impossible. I like this one.

The difficulty lies in getting the right data, not in the implementation itself. This case for instance - the price of potatoes is not exactly fixed. It might be lower in Punjab and higher in Karachi, it might be higher in superstores and lower in thelas. It varies with quality and where it was farmed.

 

[faisal6309]

The difficulty lies in getting the right data, not in the implementation itself. This case for instance - the price of potatoes is not exactly fixed. It might be lower in Punjab and higher in Karachi, it might be higher in superstores and lower in thelas. It varies with quality and where it was farmed.

Difficulty lies in IMPLEMENTATION because the most of people working government sector are not used to computer. They don't want system to be changed. They want the same old paper system and here difficulty lies. That is what I was trying to say.
I don't have any problem with computerized system. I love computer but the place where I am posted have old employees (age more than 40). 3% of them want computerized system, all other don't want this system changed. I can't tell you the face expression of my director when they were directed by CM house to send and receive letters on internet.

 

[Counter-Errorist]

Difficulty lies in IMPLEMENTATION because the most of people working government sector are not used to computer. They don't want system to be changed. They want the same old paper system and here difficulty lies. That is what I was trying to say.
I don't have any problem with computerized system. I love computer but the place where I am posted have old employees (age more than 40). 3% of them want computerized system, all other don't want this system changed. I can't tell you the face expression of my director when they were directed by CM house to send and receive letters on internet.

True that, that's why we need to focus on services targeted to the younger generation. We cannot simply expect the older generation to get on board with this, and understably so. It's a completely new playing field for them.

Another factor is that automation replaces jobs of well-entrenched employees. So expect heavy internal resistance. It'll provide more jobs to the tech-savvy youngsters, but older people will be punished for not keeping up with the times.

 

[Counter-Errorist]

As remotely-controller drones become cheaper, expect them to be fielded in places other than the military. Existing ideas:

• Amazon's drones for quick deliveries
• Iranian lab ocean rescue drone

It'd great if we can start using them in Pakistan as well. Some ideas:

• Mobile surveillance by police
• Gunshot locator - acts as a radar against sound of gunshot
• Traffic monitoring
• Photographic damage assessment during earthquakes, floods, etc and in places where humans cannot go
• Drop medical kits / food / water in inaccessible disaster areas
• Drop first aid kid prior to ambulance arrival - ambulances are often stuck in traffic, drones can be dispatched immediately and reach their destination quickly
• Spray fertilizers, kill mosquitoes

Challenges:

• Rules / Regulations / CAA
• Power lines
• Kids slingshotting stones at drones
• Cheaper drones will have shorter range depending on fuel capacity and wireless signal strength
• Malicious use by criminals
• Drone crashes
• Operator training