WINDHOEK – With the world’s revolutionised technology being at the helm of development, Namibia is set to implement six mobile applications that have been developed to enable smooth service delivery among communities.
The mobile applications cover areas of health, education, economics, communications, security and networking. The applications were unveiled last week at a two-day Open Data Innovative Hackathon workshop that was held in the capital aimed at pushing public institutions to open up data in order to help improve access to information for jobs, growth and development.
Eighteen individuals with ideas had to design applications that can increase awareness and provide a platform to discuss challenges, opportunities and emerging impacts of open data.
Some of the mobile applications developed are: Mobile E-learning portal, which creates a central repository of learning materials; Doctor at Your Door Step, which enables private health care clients to access doctors’ information and make medical appointments from anywhere; Namibia Professional Network, a mobile and web application for Namibian professionals to post their professional profiles online with global access, as well as the School Space and Enrolment application that will enable parents and students to view and apply for school or university placements.
Also developed are House Security, a technological and mobile solution application for protecting houses and apartments, which is accessible to students as well; and Fix My City, an application that helps in reporting issues that adversely affect the community, suburb, village, farm or town.
Addressing the workshop, Dr Moses Amweelo (Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Communication Technology) said open data will boost the country’s economy by providing actionable intelligence for investors and streamlining compliance to energise private sector productivity through creating untold opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators to build the platforms and applications that will do all these things.
“Law makers together with the citizens should work together to create and implement open data policies,” said Amweelo, singling out the health sector as an example where open data can work.
“Evidence suggests that giving patients access to their own medical history records can increase healthy behaviour and improve decision-making and giving researchers access to clinical data improves medical outcomes,” he added.
The event was organised by South African Innovation Support (SAIS), Namibia Business Innovation Institute (NBII), Namibia Statistic Agency and 1 billion Africa.