Projet Serval - Communiquer partout, tout le temps

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Projet Serval - Communiquer partout, tout le temps

Australia
Type d'organisation: 
le secteur de la société civile
Budget: 
$250,000 - $500,000
Website:
http://servalproject.org
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Sommaire du Projet
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Bref récapitulatif : Aidez-nous à présenter cette solution ! Fournissez une explication en seulement 3 ou 4 phrases.

Serval permet aux téléphones mobiles de fonctionner sans infrastructure, sans gouvernement et en cas de catastrophe - tout en gardant votre numéro de téléphone.

About Project

Problème : Quel problème ce projet essaie-t-il d'adresser ?

Telecommunications, especially mobile telecommunications, depends on big infrastructure, big enterprise and functioning government. Disrupt any of these and you endanger the provision of mobile communications to people. This can be due to disaster, war, monopoly, remote location or various other reasons. Also, big infrastructure carries a big price tag, which prices telecommunications out of reach of billions. We would suggest that the often quoted statistic that 6 billion of the worlds 7 billion have a cell phone hides the fact that perhaps half of those cannot afford to make regular use of that resource due to the cost of service and/or limitations of coverage. Thus we define our target audience broadly as the approximately half of the world's population who live in an economy of scarcity of mobile communications, for whatever reason.

Solution: Quelle est la solution proposée? S.v.p soyez précis!

We realised that cell phones have the fundamental capability to communicate directly and form a simple self-organising mesh network that is simple to use and basically behaves like a regular cellular network from an end user's perspective. So we have created open-source software that makes this a reality, using the WiFi radio in cell phones to create a P2P telephony and data service that behaves just like a regular cellular network, including using existing phone numbers -- but with absolutely no reliance on external infrastructure or authority. We have already released a developer prototype on the Android Market and are planning to port to iOS and Symbian in the near future and as we mature the software, promote it with handset vendors and carriers so that it comes pre-installed on new handsets. We have also created technology whereby one phone with our software can become a wifi hotspot and offer the software for download to other compatible phones that don't yet have the software installed. This allows for retro installation even DURING a disaster, and for communities to spread the software themselves, without requiring even a single internet connection. The software also has the means to make opportunistic use of internet connectivity to connect the local mesh telephony network to the outside world.
Impact: How does it Work

Exemple : Faites nous découvrir comment cette solution fait la différence en utilisant un ou plusieurs exemples concrets ; en incluant aussi ses activités principales.

Imagine an earthquake strikes, similar to that that recently struck Christchurch New Zealand or Haiti. Much of the mobile and fixed communications infrastructure is out. Ordinary cell phones become useless. However, some people in the area has the Serval mesh installed. These people use it to contact nearby family and friends and to coordinate their actions and support of those around them. People around them realise that these people's phones still work and ask questions. Those with the software say that their phone works because of special software, and ask if the enquirer would like it on their phone, too, because it is free. Soon more people have the software installed and are not only able to join the network, but add to its coverage. By an iterative process soon much of the affected population have local mobile telephony service again. Some users of the software are also aware that it offers a twitter-like function that lets you tweet messages with GPS coordinates, perhaps to indicate where roads or other infrastructure is damaged, or where shelter and food may be found. News spreads and soon many are using this capability to coordinate their actions, help maintain law and order, and become part of the recovery process much sooner. Some phones near the edge of the disaster can see cell towers that are still operational. The Serval software on their phones realises this, and links the mesh to the outside world. Consider also people living in poverty, where everyday life can be viewed as a disaster zone.
Viabilité

Marché : Qui d'autre adresse les problèmes mentionnés ici ? Comment ce projet diffère-t-il de ces approches ?

No other party has created a system that is entirely independent of infrastructure, uses off the shelf cell phones, and existing phone numbers to create an feasible mesh telephony platform. Skype requires internet access. Village Telco provides only fixed-line services. Neither allows the use of existing phone numbers.
A propos de vous
Organisation:
Serval Project
A propos de vous
Prénom

Paul

Nom

Gardner-Stephen

URL Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/servalproject

URL Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Serval-Project/137552952940633

A propos de votre organisation
Nom

Serval Project

Pays
Pays dans lesquels ce projet crée un impact social

, SA

Depuis combien de temps votre organisation opère-t-elle ?

1‐5 années

Les informations que vous fournissez ici seront utilisées pour combler toutes les parties de votre profil qui ont été laissées en blanc, comme les intérêts,les informations sur l'organisation, et le site Web. Aucune information de contact sera rendu publique. S'il vous plaît décochez ici si vous ne voulez pas que cela se produise..

Innovation
Sélectionnez la phase qui s'applique le mieux à votre solution

Création (un pilote qui vient juste de démarrer)

Depuis combien de temps le projet existe-t-il ?

En place depuis 1 à 5 ans

Impact social
Point de départ : nous voulons que vous nous racontiez le moment où l'idée vous est venue. Racontez où et quand le ou les fondateurs ont compris dans quelle mesure cette solution pouvait changer le monde.

I remember hearing on the radio about the Haiti earthquake and how it disrupted communications in that country, and a coping mechanism thinking to myself that they would just fly new kit in. The next thing the radio said was that their airport was ruined. So I said to myself that they could drive kit by road. The next thing the radio said was that their roads were largely destroyed. So I said to myself that they could bring kit in by boat. And, you guessed it, the next thing the radio said was that their harbor was ruined. Stripped of all excuses I realised that Haiti faced a real problem, and that something had to be done. My expertise is in communications and networks so I focussed on that area, and soon came to the realisation that we needed to enable the latent capability of cell phones to form independent, self-organising telephony networks without depending on infrastructure, so that communications could not be so easily impaired, to the great detriment of society.

Précisez l'ampleur et la portée de l'impact social de votre solution à ce jour.

We have created working prototype software and proven that it has the potential to address this solution. We are yet to deploy it to actually meet the needs for which it was envisaged.

Quel est l'impact envisagé de votre projet dans les un à cinq ans à venir ? Votre idée peut-elle être reproduite ? Si oui, comment ?

As we mature the software over the coming year we also intend to start more serious trials with other organisations and communities to help them meet their own communications needs. As our solution is software which can run on off-the-shelf phones, is available via the Android Market and includes the means of self-replication when deprived of infrastructure, we anticipate that it will begin to spread widely.

Les projets gagnants sont ceux qui expliquent clairement comment ils comptent assurer et maintenir leur croissance. Indiquez votre plan de développement de l'impact sur six mois.

To mature our software from technology demonstrator to public ALPHA release

Les tâches de 6 mois
Tâche 1

Get our software to production quality and complete outstanding features

Tâche 2

Cajole Android/Google to add an ad-hoc API to Android so that our software doesn't need root access

Tâche 3

Conduct trials to identify and rectify weak points

Et maintenant, voyez plus grand ! Indiquez votre plan de développement de l'impact sur 12 mois.

General public release of Serval mesh software

Les tâches de 12 mois
Tâche 1

Lots of bug fixing.

Tâche 2

Porting to iOS and Symbian

Tâche 3

Keep working with partners and governments to promote our technology and drive up-take

Combien de personnes ont été touchées par votre projet ?

Moins de 100

Combien de personnes pourraient être touchées par votre projet au cours des trois prochaines années ?

Plus de 10,000

Viabilité
Expliquez comment votre entreprise, programme, service ou produit est structuré.

Modèle hybride

Quels obstacles ont freiné la réussite de votre projet jusqu'à présent ? Comment prévoyez-vous de surmonter ces problèmes et les autres à mesure que votre projet se développera ?

- getting it finished! We have recently secured some great grants that will help us do just that.
- Mesh networking currently requires "root" or "Administrator" access on most phone platforms. We have some cunning plans for root-less overlay mesh networking which we are in the process of building out right now.

Comment voyez-vous l'évolution des secteurs des technologies de l'information et des médias sur les 10 prochaines années ? Comment votre solution s'adaptera-t-elle à cet environnement changeant ? De quelle manière votre solution pourrait-elle entraîner ce changement ?

IT will continue to become more and more vital to modern life. Our solution will help to enable this, especially for the poorest, most vulnerable, and those living away from cities.

L'échec n'est pas toujours une option. Si votre solution ne parvient pas à prendre de la vitesse au cours des deux prochaines années, quelles sont les autres applications de l'idée que vous pourriez explorer ?

We are already exploring alternative applications of our technology, including surveillance (think cheap camera phones forming an ad-hoc video capture mesh), and some that we are already getting paid a little to work on, but if I tell you, I'd have to kill you as we are under non-disclosure.

Donnez des détails sur vos choix en expliquant votre plan de financement.

We will continue to grow our success in securing philanthropic funding (about US$900k in the last 12 months), and also develop the independent spin-off products and services that our technology enables to derive an independent commercial revenue stream, without compromising our commitment to enabling open communications.

Quels sont vos différents partenariats ?

We have informal partnerships with technology peers such as Village Telco, and potential users of our technology, such as New Zealand Red Cross, handset manufacturers and governmental agencies in Australia.

Quel type d'équipe (salariés, volontaires, etc.) vous permettra d'atteindre les objectifs de croissance décrits à la section Impact social ?

Myself as founder and software developer.
Romana Challans as Co-founder and UI/UX developer.
Jennifer Hampton as Project Manager.
Jeremy Lakeman as software developer.
Corey Wallas as mapping guru and software developer.
11 undergraduate, exchange and post-graduate students studying at Flinders University.

Changemakers est un espace de collaboration et de soutien. Indiquez les ressources communautaires dont vous auriez besoin pour développer durablement votre initiative. Sélectionnez toutes les réponses qui s'appliquent

Investissement, b. Ressources humaines/talents, Marketing/médias, Recherche/informations, Collaboration/réseautage, Aide bénévole (juridique, financière, etc.), Tutorat.

Indiquez les ressources que vous pourriez offrir pour aider d'autres initiatives. Sélectionnez toutes les réponses qui s'appliquent

Recherche/informations, Collaboration/réseautage, Innovation/idées.

Détaillez les besoins ou les offres d'aide indiqués ci-dessus et/ou suggérez d'autres catégories de soutien qui ne figurent pas dans la liste.

We are actively making our technology available to any initiatives that can make use of it as they carry out their core business. This will accelerate as we mature out software and increase its utility.

Résumé
Définissez votre entreprise, programme, service ou produit en une ou deux phrases courtes.

Communications any where, any time, without infrastructure, enterprise or government. Because communications is a human right.

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