Conceptual Framework of Community Based Location Specific Services for Improved Service Delivery

Community Based Location Service (CBLS) provides information about services, based on the geographical location of subscriber’s mobile phone, towards the development of the user’s community.. With the increase in mobile phone penetration, citizens can participate actively in assisting the service provisions and infrastructure in the country by providing relevant information through their mobile devices. This paper proposes a framework for improving services and providing better infrastructure for developing countries. The framework hinges on four major technologies: location-based information, crowdsourcing, mobile communication devices and volunteerism. It also considers the importance of motivating the crowd to participate in the crowdsourcing platform. Therefore, the paper further investigates the willingness of the crowd to participate in the proposed CBLS crowdsourcing drive. The survey carried out indicates that 89% of the respondents want such location-based community services while 84% are willing to participate in CBLS, once deployed. The most important services to the respondents are electricity and education, while their major motivational factor is their ability to solve the problems and challenges in their community and to develop a sense of responsibility. Three prototype mobile applications for the proposed CBLS platform are also presented.