Africa Open Data Conference in Tanzania

The Inaugural Africa Open Data Conference was held in Dar es Salam, Tanzania between 2-5 September, 2015. The open data conference was a follow-up to a high level Conference held in Addis Ababa on 25-29 March, 2015, which gave birth to Africa Data Consensus. The consensus was created as an Africa Open Data revolution to empower and enlighten African citizenry, requesting more action from their government and a road map for Country-led Data Revolution recommendations.

The open data conference aimed to bring together stakeholders in the data industry in Africa from government to the private sectors, NGOs, international development agencies and citizens to discuss progress and achievements of open data, and to educate as well as determine the next line of actions. 

“Data is considered to be “open” if anyone can freely use, re-use and redistribute them, for any purpose, without restriction." World bank, Open Data in 60 Seconds

There were talks on strategies for the harmonization of actionable data in Africa, open data readiness assessment, and open data toolkits as well as training and empowerment with necessary support for the next generation of open data specialists in Africa.

Exploring Open Data 

Data is important, and open data deepens the link between policies and the impact they will have on the populace.

The pre-conference program schedule commenced on September 2nd with two full days of informative sessions. Topics covered include understanding open data, data revolution, and building data communities. There were sessions on education, business community, and open data in government. 

The conference proper started on September 4th with the highlight being the visit of the Tanzanian president, who delivered a speech on the importance of open data for Africa's development and how much it has been adopted by African heads of states. He made mention of the Africa Union Peer Review Committee whereby African heads of states' performances are independently reviewed to confirm if the progress and development reported conforms with what is truly happening on ground. He also made mention of Tanzanian government progress on open data, and explained why certain data or information cannot be made public for security reasons.

Other organizations, international development agencies, NGOs and government representatives had the opportunity to showcase their open data programs and portals, as well as the need for the populace to consume the data being made open for citizenry participation. It is not enough to make data open, it is more important that the data is used and consumed.

In addition to talks on various types of data including the importance of geospatial data, there were also debates on the importance of data format and putting data out in machine readable formats like CSV. Gone are the days when important information and actionable data are shared in PDF format, which makes it difficult to interact with. When you have data in machine readable formats and APIs, more actions and interaction can be inspired with developed apps.

There was an Open Data Expo and stands/booths from various organizations and players in the open data community. The exhibition ranged from various types of data, both numerical and geospatial data, to various technology and platforms to host, participate, collect and contribute to the data revolution drive going on around the world and in Africa.

Open Data Benefits and Next Steps

The benefits of open data are numerous, benefits of which the African continent stands to rediscover itself. These benefits include promoting accountability and transparency, translating to development and informed decisions in the private sector and helping create an inclusive society.

Key action areas discussed include the need for government to give access to more data for the sake of open government, and to strengthen the country National Statistical Offices. There must be more awareness for the citizen to access open data, and for the media to play a big role so that the Sustainable Development Goals can be achieved.

At eHealth Africa, we have already embraced the open data revolution with our open data portal, which gives free access for anyone to make use of our data for any reason.

Visit our Open Data Portal here: http://data.ehealthafrica.org/

An Intern's Experience On The Geographic Information Systems Team

My name is Samantha Tedford. I am an undergraduate student studying Geography and the Environment at the University of Texas, Austin in the United States. For the past two months I worked as an intern with the Geographic Information Systems team (GIS) at eHealth Africa (eHA) in Kano, Nigeria. 

Working with the eHA GIS team in Kano was a life changing experience for me professionally, academically, and personally. I learned more in two months than I could have from a full semester of GIS classes. The GIS team was patient with me when I was trying to understand the work that eHA does particularly with polio and vaccination tracking, and they were a great resource for me throughout the duration of my project. I loved working with the team who are all dedicated professionals, and I am lucky to be able to call them my friends. 

What is the Geographic Information System?

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is essentially a tool which allows its user to manipulate, visualize, analyze, and interpret spatial data. eHA’s GIS team, in collaboration with others, has created a highly robust GIS over the past three years from areas that were previously unknown. eHA’s GIS contains information about settlements, cities, roads, administrative boundaries, geological features, and points of interest such as health facilities, markets, and schools in eight project states across Northern Nigeria. The GIS of Northern Nigeria was built up through the years by a series of data collection techniques. 

One of the first methods of gathering spatial data in this region was remote sensing (RS). The data gathered by the RS projects alongside other satellite imagery was used to feed a process of semi automatic feature extraction and classification. This involved a program reading the reflectance values given by the RS data collection and using predefined rules to sort the various areas of Northern Nigeria into their feature category (settlement, forested area, waterbody, road). This being a semi automatic process, it still required and continually requires quality checking and frequent updating by the GIS team. The RS results are supplemented by routine data collection campaigns in which teams of Data Collectors physically go into the field carrying GPS enabled devices and gather information about the specific coordinates of points of interest or settlements, names of settlement areas or wards, and any other information needed to strengthen the GIS. All of this data is integrated into the GIS by the GIS team and continually undergoes stages of quality checking, data cleaning and frequent updating. 

What is the practical application of GIS in Northern Nigeria?

The GIS of Northern Nigeria is used to support a number of projects within eHA by providing highly detailed and accurate maps, navigation and routing planning and support, and supplying the foundation for other projects such as the Vaccination Tracking System. eHA’s GIS data supports the polio program specifically through providing a variety of maps that can be used to assist in the micro planning process before a supplementary immunization campaign (SIA). These basemaps ensure that every SIA, know as an Immunization Plus Days (IPD) in Nigeria, is as efficient and effective as it can be. 

My internship project was to perform an evaluation of the Vaccination Tracking System in conjunction with the GIS data to determine what effects the program. I began by collecting data about Wild Poliovirus in Nigeria from a variety of external sources. After collecting and integrating that data, I created a variety of maps both static and animated to search for trends in WPV distribution both spatially and temporally. Then I gathered data from the Vaccination Tracking System which involved gathering data from 32 tracked SIA campaigns across three years. Once I had completed that process I created an interactive map in which both the WPV cases and the VTS coverage areas and quality of coverage in those areas was visualized simultaneously and controlled by time. I used my understanding of WPV in Nigeria, eHA’s GIS and VTS, and the data I had collected to explore the ways in which WPV, GIS, and the VTS impact one another. At the end of my project I gave a presentation on my analysis and results, and wrote a report on the topic of my observations and findings which included the 40 maps I produced. 

What I learned from the internship

The internship was valuable to me and my studies as a geography student with a focus in GIS and sustainability. I gained professional experience working alongside highly experienced and leading GIS specialists by learning more about the building and maintenance of a good GIS, as well as various data collection techniques, vaccine direct delivery, cartography, and technical writing. I now better understand concepts in GIS and GI science as I have seen how they can be practically applied in a workplace. 

Overall, I loved my experience as an intern with the GIS department and would recommend others to join eHA as an intern across their wide spectrum of work. Not only did I learn a great deal about the intersections of GIS and public health from my project, but I also learned a lot from my coworkers about kindness and respect for cultural diversity in the workplace. 

State Of The Map Conference at the United Nations

In June 2015, the United Nation's Headquarters in New York City hosted the State Of The Map conference. This annual conference is a place for OpenStreetMap (OSM) users and contributors to come together, share ideas, and explore the future of this powerful tool. Both veterans and new users attend, nurturing an environment of teamwork and working to perfect the OSM platform. 

OSM has been a big part of eHA's work, as eHA is a big contributor to the platform for mapping hard-to-reach settlements for vaccination and other public health needs. When the State Of The Map Conference was held from June 6-8 this year, eHA’s GIS Project Manager Dami Sonoiki submitted a presentation to the OSM forum. His presentation provided a brief summary to conference attendees about eHA’s contributions to OpenStreetMap, and discussed the wide uses on how eHA's GIS team utilizes the platform on a day-to-day basis. 

The presentation sparked many conversations with OSM users and potential GIS partners requesting more information and considering the benefits of working with our organization. 

eHA takes pride in our groundbreaking work with OSM and works hard to lead this work in the mapping and development community. As we continue to contribute and influence the development of the OpenStreetMap platform, we are grateful for our partners in the Open Geospatial Data community that have seen the benefits to public health and have encouraged and supported us along the way.

eHA partners with the Nigerian Government on a crucial IDP Needs Assessment Mission

Since 2009, many people from areas in northeast Nigeria have suffered terrible consequencesfrom brutal attacks by insurgents. Whole families have had to leave their livelihoods and their ancestral homes, leading to the mass displacement of whole villages and communities. The states most heavily affected by the unrest are Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. As a result of this situation, in November of 2012 the Government of Nigeria (GoN) declared a state of emergency in those states.

With the recapturing of some of these territories by the military and other security forces, some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have started returning to their homes and communities. Insurgency is still a problem, but Adamawa State has so far recorded the highest number of returnees, due to significant security improvements.

Once IDPs began returning home, they faced huge challenges to resume normal life. Insurgents often burn down houses and destroy long established schools and health centers, which can be traumatic for the returnees. 

A comprehensive needs assessment was undertaken by the GoN to find out the experiences of the IDPs,  measure community needs, and to work out required levels of humanitarian assistance to the IDPs in camps and host communities. eHA saw opportunities to partner with the GoN and other humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to IDPs in three thematic areas: WASH, Health, and Nutrition. 

NEMA, on behalf of the GoN and the Humanitarian Country Team conducted a joint rapid assessment in areas where IDPs were returning home within Adamawa State from July 1-10, 2015. The assessment determined humanitarian needs within returning populations: the availability of food, livelihood opportunities, health, education, water, sanitation, hygiene, food security, nutrition, protection, shelter and NFIs. Once these needs were measured, the assessment identified gaps in the services and relief being provided.

The Assessment Process

The assessment used Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), by bringing experts from the mainthematic areas of the mission to the field. The KI’s provided questions for the communities on their area of competence. For example a nurse working in a health facility led on the nutrition and health questions, while a principal or school teacher led on education. KIIs were facility based, and GPS records of the site were taken. eHA preloaded assessment questions onto smartphones which were directly inputted .  At the conclusion of each interview, assessment data was uploaded in near real-time for faster processing.

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) took place using a cross-section of the community, namely LGA and community leaders, women, men, and youths. FGD questions were embedded in the assessment protocol which had been circulated earlier to the assessment teams.

The assessment found that many of the IDP’s on their return had experienced issues with extortion by security operatives at checkpoints, further attacks by insurgents, had limited access to construction materials, and lack of clean water. They couldn’t find jobs, there was often no schools close by they could send their children to, and they did not have enough of a balanced diet. 

eHA's Recommendations

- Provide urgent food assistance, livelihoods support and capacity building in the form of agricultural supports through provision of farm inputs and seeds for planting. 

- Support for shelter and NFIs to assist households in rebuilding their homes using available local resources within the communities.

- Advocacy for improved security in the affected areas.

- Provision of medical services and commodities construction and rehabilitation of boreholes 

- Provision and advocacy of personal hygiene materials 

- Education facilities are overstretched in peaceful areas. More functioning and accessible schools need to be built and teaching and learning materials need to be provided.

At the end of the 10 day assessment, seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa state were covered: Maiha, Gombi, Mubi North, Mubi South, Hong, Michika, and Madagali. Within those seven LGAs, approximately thirty communities in the seven LGAs were reached. 

eHA was honored to work on such a vital and important mission to improve isolated peoples’ lives, and is now exploring other opportunities to partner with the GoN and help bring back normal life to people in the northern region of Nigeria. 

Continuing The Fight Against Ebola In Liberia

In Liberia, the eHealth Africa (eHA) team provides vital ongoing support to the important work undertaken by the Government of Liberia and partners to contain the latest outbreak of Ebola in Magribi province.

eHA has a permanent team of health workers stationed there, who are backed by other rapid response teams that visit the province each day to support and relieve the hard working permanent staff members.

eHA provides four Ebola Case Investigators to the local Ebola Treatment Center around the clock, seven days a week. Contact tracing of Ebola and patient communication has reached new levels of efficiency through the use of applications developed earlier this year by eHA. These applications are called Sense Ebola Followup and Tag And Go (TAG).

High level visit to the TAG programme

In early July, the Liberian government’s chairman for Ebola case management Dr. Massaquoi and the Head of UNICEF,  Mr. Sheldon Yett visited the TAG project. Both men were impressed with the efficiency of operations provided by the programme. They explored the results  from the programme and verified that every patient in the Ebola Treatment Unit was successfully reached and entered into the TAG system in a timely fashion.

The Sense Ebola programme

Two members from eHA’s Information Systems Team work in the team,  and manage the deployment of 22 team members as Contact Tracers in the region. They use mobile data capturing devices such as smartphones and tablets to track the spread of Ebola from the source person.

We also provide training in the use of eHA’s Sense Followup application. Currently, there are 140 people registered for contact tracing follow up.

Another contact tracing exercise is taking place in Montserrado, where a case was confirmed from a person in Magribi who visited his extended family before being admitted to the Ebola Treatment Unit. The result from the exercise was that 17 other contacts were recorded, and successfully reached via the Sense programme.

The Tag And Go application

During July, 29 patients passed through the local Ebola Treatment Unit, with all people recorded in eHA’s TAG application which records next of kin and basic contact information. When a patient is admitted, a member of the clinical team makes a phone call to establish a relationship with the patient’s next of kin. As the treatment continues, eHealth Africa’s Case Investigation Team uses the TAG application to send regular SMS updates to the patient’s family.

The ability to keep family regularly informed is ground-breaking in all of the Ebola work taking place, and makes all the difference in good relationships and high levels of trust between local communities and the health workers.

eHealth Africa Program Manager Lends Expertise To IAPHL Forum

Michael Moreland, Program Manager at eHA, moderated a global discussion in June along with Roberto Dal Bianco, a private pharmaceutical logistics consultant, and Wendy Prosser, Project Manager at VillageReach, on IAPHL (International Association of Public Health Logisticians). The discussion thread was focused on why the model of distribution and public-private partnership engagement matters, particularly for program costs.

Early in the forum, Michael and the other moderators shared highly informative experiences from the field, exploring third-party logistics partners (3PLs) and how they can create value in public health. The expertise expressed and the questions posed prompted consistent and helpful discussions during the forum, exploring the value of partnerships with 3PLs and the added efficiency those relationships can produce.

The write-up below is as it was written for the IAPHL forum by the moderators.

To read the ongoing conversation that followed this post, click here to go to the forum.

—

Greetings IAPHL colleagues, near and far,

As the Senegal study suggests, direct delivery and outsourced models are finding success, but as strategies they are still nascent in the global toolkit. The Senegal model, and those like it in South Africa and Thailand, suggest that partnering with third-party logistics (3PL) providers for last-mile delivery can be cost effective. In Nigeria where our nonprofit runs a 3PL under contract with state governments for routine immunization supply delivery, we have also found our costs on par if not cheaper than what the state runs without compromising effectiveness. With a growing evidence base of successful reference models, it may be an appropriate time to start thinking about what comes next, after the pilots, and what it will take to scale, sustain, and replicate these strategies. I’d like to propose some questions along these lines, followed by prompts, and hear your thoughts.

What makes working with a 3PL different?

The right partner can make all the difference. But are there inherent differences in what an outsourced partner can bring to a program that cannot be replicated within the government? Senegal’s example of the 3PL’s part-time staff is one. Some examples from what we have seen in Nigeria include the following:

• Funding Leverage: Through fee-for-service contracts with 3PLs, government can leverage limited operational funds to spur investment in or assignment of the upfront capital costs of vehicles and equipment, allowing the government to augment third-party investment or free up its capital budget to invest elsewhere. This can be among the catalysts necessary to enable large-scale system transformations.
• Regional scale: While EPI is managed according to states in Nigeria, and its operations must work according to political boundaries, a 3PL can operate regionally in some regards, and make more effective use of scale across borders.
• Shared costs: 3PLs can maximize the utilization of their capital assets by servicing other contracts, such as other public or private-sector clients. By increasing utilization and scale, with the right contractual provisions in place, the 3PL shares its core costs across more clients reducing the share each must bear.

Are these valid from your experience? Are there downsides? What other characteristics of outsourcing are fundamentally different, from a cost standpoint, than the way governments can operate? Alternatively, are there things government can do in this regard that a 3PL simply cannot?

How should we be defining “value”?

In Nigeria we try to assess value – outcomes per dollar spent – in a shared sense, inclusive of government, facilities, the program, and our operation. To create value, the operation must maximize outcomes relative to costs, and both government and 3PLs have roles to play. We like this approach because we know that efforts to improve only one side of this equation can lead to unsustainable programs or false savings.

The challenge is that outcomes and costs are multidimensional. The Senegal study focused on incidences of stockouts, a leading indicator of performance. So the follow-up question may be, “What are the next outcomes we should be measuring?”

Again in Nigeria, we have seen value come to include more standard supply-chain performance indicators, like “on-time and in-full” and “cold chain temperature performance.” Other less obvious indicators include the quality and types of data collected and services our drivers render at each delivery.

On the other side of the value equation, beyond continuously trying to reduce our running costs relative to these values, we focus increasingly on total costs. For example, we operate a sinking/reserve fund, above and beyond repair and maintenance costs, capitalized by calculated contributions each payment period. Through it we ensure we have the funds necessary to invest in new trucks and cold boxes at the end of their useful lives. This makes it a bit more expensive for us in the short-term, but is essential in ensuring transport capacity is available so long as there is a program to serve. If we do it right, it should improve key outcomes relative to these costs.

What are the ways in which you see last-mile delivery operations creating programmatic value currently? How could they? What are the outcome variables and costs you have seen tracked?

What are the optimal ways of engaging 3PLs to maximize this value in the long-term?

The structure and design of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) between government and a 3PL establish the terms of how these groups work together to create value, and can determine their fate. The components of these agreements can include the following.

• Service levels and frequency of deliveries
• Number of facilities and commodities under management
• Reporting requirements
• Key performance indicators
• Minimum standards
• Pricing model and rates

In each of these is an opportunity to align the interests of the stakeholders. What are the best ways of approaching these? Pricing models are of particular interest. What is the best way to pay for last-mile delivery services? Fixed rates per delivery attempt? Based on volumes carried and distances traveled? Performance-based payments? What have you seen? What would work where you are?

———

To read the ongoing conversation that followed this post, click here to go to the forum.

After defeating ebola, Liberia takes on measles

Finally Ebola free, Liberia now faces a different outbreak

Liberia, one of Africa’s countries hit hardest by the outbreak of Ebola, is now Ebola free. From the beginning of Ebola until the disease breathed its last, Liberia turned the focus of its entire healthcare system on defeating the outbreak. The country rose to the challenge, throwing the collective efforts of its government and non-government organization partners into the battle. After the country arose victorious against the disease, Liberia was left with an exhausted healthcare system and a new outbreak to battle: measles.

The country’s healthcare system took a huge hit during the Ebola crisis, leaving thousands of children unable to receive routine vaccinations in 2014. Within the past six months, nearly 700 confirmed measles cases have been reported in Liberia.

The country took immediate action in response to the measles outbreak by announcing a nationwide integrated measles and polio vaccination campaign. The campaign commenced on May 8th, 2015. eHealth Africa, alongside UNICEF and the WHO, created strategies and set out across the country to vaccinate as many children as possible during the week long campaign. Depending on what their age allowed, children reached by the campaign were administered measles vaccinations, Oral Polio Vaccinations (OPV), and in addition a Mebendazole tablet prescribed for worms.

eHealth Africa (eHA) specifically contributed to the campaign by providing support through micro-planning, supplies transportation and logistics, social mobilization, monitoring and campaign evaluation. eHA also ensured that motorbikes being used to transport vaccinations to hard-to-reach rural areas were fueledand ready to complete the task at hand.

Because of the master plan and strategy created and implemented by participating organizations, the outcome of the campaign was astounding and exceeded all expectations. Surpassing earlier predictions, the campaign allowed for nearly 800,000 people to receive life-saving vaccinations.

Numbers from the campaign report:

• Total number of children vaccinated for polio through OPV: 689,754 (101%)
• Total number of children vaccinated for measles: 598,251 (98%)
• Total number of children who received the Mebendazole tablet for worms: 515,419 (99%)

Partnership with Ahmadu Bello University

In April, eHealth Africa (eHA) representatives gathered with leaders at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Nigeria for a landmark meeting and signing event. The goal of this meeting was to sign into effect a new partnership. This relationship will lead to eHA internships for ABU students, and will also involve sharing in information and research, enabling both parties to increase research capacity and resources.

The signing ceremony was presided over by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ibrahim Naiya Sada, who provided opening remarks. ABU GIS Coordinator Mal. Muhammad Tukur Murtala then briefed the audience about the journey that brought the university and eHealth Africa together in this partnership.

eHealth Africa Senior GIS Coordinator Kehinde Adewara had the privilege of highlighting to university representatives and others about milestones we have reached at eHA. This includes the mapping of over ten states in northern Nigeria via satellite imagery, the development of geospatial support systems for tracking projects such as polio vaccinations, and the invention of multiple digital health applications for mobile such as Tag And Go and Sense Ebola Followup

This portion of the presentation was followed up by a discussion on how university students would benefit by interning at eHA:

1. Teaching & Research – The GIS and Research & Evaluation departments at eHealth Africa have a number of research inclined professionals, including Ph.D candidates registered in universities located in Nigeria and around the world. These professionals are proficient in the application of geospatial research skills and can impart years of experience and research with the university research team.

2. Student Industrial Experience – eHealth Africa GIS professionals with years of instructor-led training will provide hands-on training for interns from the university. These skills will benefit the university community, and can provide students a path to immediate employment after graduation.

3. University Asset Management – eHealth Africa can assist relevant university departments by helping develop geospatial support systems for enterprise level management of core university assets.

eHealth Africa is honored to be a part of this prestigious signing event and new partnership with Ahmadu Bello University. We believe this partnership will enable both entities to operate with a higher level of efficiency, provide university students with solid career opportunities, and result in enhancements within digital health that will further the fight against epidemics and disease in Africa.

Annual Report 2014

2014 was a big year at eHealth Africa. As we build momentum on our programs and projects in 2015, we took a step back to reflect on where last year brought us. Working with the very talented Andy Fox, eHealth Africa has just published our first-ever Annual Report, and we’re excited to share it with you. [Click here to read it]

Join us to look back on the remarkable progress we saw in 2014 — from increased momentum and reduced polio cases in Nigeria, our programs to deliver vaccines and essential medicines across Northern Nigeria, and the development of Sense Ebola Followup and the results of this groundbreaking mobile technology on the Ebola epidemic.

We hope that you are just as inspired reading our story as we are in our work every day. Take a look, and share your thoughts and ideas on how to make an impact in the communities we serve every day.

Click here to go read the report

Innovation On The Edge: eHA at the White House

In early April, eHealth Africa was invited to the White House to attend a conference titled “Innovation on the Edge: Accelerating Solutions in the Fight Against Ebola.” USAID and The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy sponsored the event, with a goal of discussing innovations in data, technology, and science. One of the topics the conference reflected on was the progress, challenges, and opportunities we face in the fight against Ebola.

As a major contributor to the Ebola response in West Africa, eHealth Africa was honored to not only participate in the conference, but to receive multiple mentions highlighting our work in the space by various conference presenters.

Professor Hans Rosling led an engaging conversation explaining how we were drawn into the Ebola response by the lack of “good data” that was being reported in the news. But when Professor Rosling actually arrived in Liberia and began to better understand the scope of the problem, he realized that there were many issues that led to such poor data reporting, including limited means of communication.

Professor Rosling suggests that his most effective contribution to the Ebola response while in Liberia was to ensure that health workers had access to free phone credit so they could communicate. He complimented eHealth Africa for improving communication by saying that we “made a fantastic contribution…fixed internet in 48 hours [at the Ministry of Health]”.

Eric King from the USAID Global Development Lab also spoke about the work that eHealth Africa is doing in the region. “eHealth Africa is a tremendous organization. They are doing high-tech things. They are building contact tracing apps, they are doing biometric registration for vaccine trials, and they also are maintaining the hotlines – the 911s for Ebola support.”

King acknowledged that high-tech solutions are not all that is needed in order to run an effective emergency response. He commended eHealth Africa for contributing to the every day logistics of running an emergency response — logistics that help avoid small issues that easily grow into large problems.

“eHealth Africa was not only building these amazing [tech] tools,” stated King, “they were also making sure ambulances had fuel. [They] were in the field working hand-in-hand with the response organizations.”

Following the morning presentations, eHealth Africa representatives participated in working sessions to discuss some of the barriers eHA had to overcome for implementation and, what else still needs to be done in order to “Get to Zero” Ebola cases in the region.

While we are highly engaged in creating the cutting edge tech solutions that epidemic response efforts desperately need, beating Ebola goes beyond technology creation and usage. It’s about networking, connecting people, and helping empower local governments and health workers to take the fight to its maximum potential.

Eric King referred to this idea, and we couldn’t agree more. “What eHealth Africa did that was different from all the others,” said King, “is they committed to being on the ground, working as hard as they could with the Ministry of Health, with the response coordination teams, to make sure that they were instituting these technologies in the field.”

eHealth Africa at Africa Geospatial Forum

eHealth Africa took part in the Africa Geospatial Forum in December of 2014. eHealth’s Frank Salet and Michael Egbe were featured presenters at the forum. Respectively, they presented on Public Health Mapping for Supporting Polio Eradication, and Mapping Nigeria on Open Street Maps (OSM). 

Through examples from their own work in the field and through case studies, they used their expertise to show how adding and drawing accurate data through OSM is vital for immunization campaigns and general healthcare response time, especially in rural areas.

eHealth Africa was honored to be a part of this event, and to present techniques and information alongside our other partners for bettering healthcare response in Africa.

Read the whole report about the forum by clicking here.

2015 Netexplo Forum

eHealth Africa’s Sense Ebola Followup mobile app won the innovation award at the 2015 Netexplo Forum. eHealth Africa’s director and co-founder Evelyn Castle joined other winners of the innovation award on stage to discuss their health tech solutions, and to officially accept their awards (end of video).

When the Ministry of Health in Nigeria called on eHealth Africa to give aid to the outbreak of Ebola in 2014, Sense Ebola Followup was created. Once put into use, this new tool was able to cut down healthcare response time to new cases of Ebola by days at a time, effectively fighting the outbreak and saving lives.

Click here to watch the video.

Project Sense Takes Vital Steps To End Ebola

eHealth Africa has been using technology to strengthen health systems in West Africa for 5 years. When the Ebola outbreak reached Lagos, the Nigerian government called on eHealth Africa to assist in providing immediate emergency support.

The result was the creation of Project Sense, an award-winning open source platform based on lightweight, cutting edge mobile and web technologies (including Angular JS and CouchDB). This platform was designed to support emergency management staff by tracing people who had come into contact with a person infected by ebola. This enabled a critical step in exponentially increasing the speed of response and containing the spread of infection.

Thanks to round-the-clock efforts by staff and their counterparts, eHealth Africa was able to put together a prototype of Project Sense in just 3 days. Staff on the ground then worked with the dedicated contact tracing teams to customize and deploy. The timely and effective contact tracing effort quickly grew to include over a thousand contacts, and the Nigerian ebola outbreak was halted at 20 cases.

This eHealth platform is now being implemented to meet the surveillance and response challenges in the remaining countries effected by ebola in West Africa. With the platform’s track record and the dedicated efforts of staff and other health workers, we hope to see the ebola outbreak stopped for good.

Digital Soil Mapping in Kano, Nigeria

Digital Soil Mapping facilitates the creation of data and visual aids to provide insight for soil attributes in a given geographical area. The data produced can be highly useful to agricultural policy-makers for states, academics doing studies, non-government organizations in farming and sustainability, all the way to the local farmer looking for the best methods to plant their crops.

eHealth Africa’s Michael Egwim spearheaded creation of a case study regarding Digital Soil Mapping for groundnut cultivation in Kano, Nigeria. As groundnut is considered to be the 13th most important food crop in the world, it follows that clear data about soil would be vital for sustaining groundnut production in Kano.

Leaders from eHealth Africa’s GIS Department initiated and supported this case study to its completion. GIS (Geographic Information System) is the main mapping technology used for eHealth Africa’s projects for planning and distribution of immunizations and healthcare, even to the most rural areas. GIS was used extensively to produce the data and visuals for this study, “Digital Soil Mapping For Groundnut Cultivation: A Case Study of Kano State, Nigeria.” GIS allows this study to model and analyze a large amount of data, translating it into readable maps and topographical information.

While Kano is not a stranger to soil surveys like this, the past few decades have seen little updates or additions. The goal of this study is to stimulate new ideas for digital soil mapping, thereby discovering new and innovative ways at the state and local level to increase crops and agricultural production in Kano and beyond.

Read the entire case study and review more data and visuals here: Digital Soil Mapping For Groundnut Cultivation: A Case Study of Kano State, Nigeria.