Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Using mobile phone data from 25 million subscribers in four low- and middle-income countries to support elimination child deaths, malnutrition and poverty

Pays/Région : Côte d’Ivoire, Haïti, Kenya and Namibia

Date : 1 January 2014–31 December 2016

Identifiant : 2013-03137_VR

Présentation
Aim : To develop methods for creating high-resolution maps of key public health indicators, including child mortality, malnutrition and poverty in four low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), using behavioral indicators from mobile phone data.

Background : 1.25 billion people live in extreme poverty. 6.8 million children under five years of age die every year in LMICs. A prerequisite for eliminating poverty and child deaths is to know where affected people live. However, the best random household surveys performed in LMICs are only representative of the first administrative level (the nation divided in approximately ten areas). Anonymized data from mobile phone operators contain highly valid data on a range of individual behaviors, recently shown to correlated highly with socio-economic levels of users. Methods : This unique project, in collaboration with the World Bank, has secured access to mobile phone operator data from 25 million anonymous mobile phones in four LMICs : Côte d ìIvoire, Haiti, Kenya and Namibia. GPS tagged household survey data from the most recent DHS, MICS and LSMS surveys will be correlated to metrics from mobile phone data (individual mobility, social network characteristics and airtime consumptions). Models, with standard errors, will be developed to estimate national, high-resolution, spatial distributions of key public health indicators. Significance : project success enables a powerful public policy tool to fight child mortality and poverty.

Coordination : Karolinska Institutet

Financement : Swedish Research Council
Budget : 4,746,000 kr

Swecris project database