Crowdsourcing clean water

The decay of water pipes in cities can lead to the release of contaminants in the water, often causing cities to face water shortages (eg: Flint, Michigan). An app-based way to address this issue is to educate urban dweller about these dangers and provide a way to report them.

I am proposing an mobile app based solution to facilitate the diffusion of information regarding decaying water pipes and the water/health related issues caused by this infrastructural decay along with a easy way to report such infrastructural shortcomings to a central authority. This app would be a crowd-sourced way of monitoring the quality of water around the world and would allow humanitarian agencies (WHO, Red Cross, etc.) to intervene in a location before the local population is harmed for good. If scaled, this technology has the potential to reach millions of urban dwellers around the world and spread awareness about the dangers of unclean water transported through decaying pipes. When scaled, this app idea addresses the plight of millions of city dwellers around the world who live in regions without access to water beyond tap water. 

Additionally, this idea takes advantage of the power of the crowd. Governments, especially in the less developed world are often unaware of or unable to address immediate issues faced by poor urban dwellers. This app gives all city dwellers the opportunity to recognize the issues caused by the decay of water pipes in their community and unite to bring this issue to the highest levels of their government in an attempt to bring about a permanent solution. 

It is important to note that this infrastructural issue is not solely faced by urban denizens in the developing world, but even by cities such as Flint, Michigan in the United States which faced a severe water shortage following lead contamination. However, adequate knowledge and a rapid information diffusion system can prevent another Flint-like issue anywhere around the world.

This solution allows for a crowd-based monitoring system of water and pipe quality around the world. This addresses the issue of low oversight in the infrastructure used to transport water to urban neighborhoods.

Access to contaminated water is just as bad as not having access to water at all as contaminated water causes a host of health issues that negatively affects the lives of city dwellers. However, this simple solution can address this issue through the spread of information and allow users of the app to take ownership of their own health and their access to clean and safe water.

1) There is an issue with decaying pipes in cities

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

2) This infrastructural gap has many potential negative impacts on human health

http://www.sciencedirect.com/s...

http://www.halton.ca/living_in...

3) Societal health issues can, and have been solved in the past with the right media and public exposure

http://nbc25news.com/news/loca...

http://www.pewresearch.org/fac...

4) This app can provide the right media and public exposure needed to address the lack of upkeep of water pipes globally.

My solution is primarily aimed towards low income urban dwellers who may not otherwise have the political capital needed to draw attention to their lack of access to clean water. Often, the needs and voices of the marginalized goes unheard, especially in cities with high levels of economic disparity (eg: Austin, Los Angeles). 

As this solution will initially be launched as an Android mobile app, the 1.4 Billion people using an Android device will be able to access the technology needed to gain the information and transmit relevant information back to the central authority. 

Track downloads per country - Number of users in developing countries

Track user engagement with the app (how many times it is opened a day) - Active reporting of water/pipe quality

coverage of app data by local/national news, policy effected on the basis of information transmitted through the app - Actual change achieved

While it is commonly accepted that lack of clean water is a global issue, it is less commonly recognized that even regions with access to water face the issue of contaminated water due to infrastructural gaps. This solution is unique as it a) addresses a significant issue in an attempt to prevent a graver crisis in the future and b) makes use of the democratic process by making the voice of every app user heard in an attempt to revamp water transportation infrastructure. 

This app revolves around the very idea of human engagement. Without people from these very communities taking the initiative and reporting infrastructure issues, this solution will fail. The technology relies heavily on the people it helps and not the other way around, providing the framework for a healthy and respectful dialogue about the real issues that urban dwellers face. 

This solution will be deployed free of cost on the Google Play Store, allowing all city dwellers with an interest in making their water clean and safe access to a global network of other concerned city dwellers. Android is currently the most popular mobile OS in the world and has a very high adoption rate in developing countries, making this platform the most accessible for the at-risk communities this solution targets.

As the app achieves scale, the product can sustain itself through in-app advertisements to minimally finance the server cost. Other costs (such as advertising, marketing, etc) would come from outside donors (as this is primarily intended to be a not for profit idea that will better the world. 

Technical skill (I'm only a high schooler) in building the minimally viable product and creating the global network of concerned city dwellers

Marketing this app to gain downloads and active users to achieve greater traction, allowing for large scale political activism

I want to tap into the potential of the Solve network in an attempt to bring not only this, but other ideas to life. The Solve community typically consists of the best and brightest mentors and experts in the world, who, to be frank, are the ideal people to guide me in bringing this idea from the drawing board into the real world.  

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