This is a very broad question. From a process perspective, you may have a look at what  US AID is doing. It has a couple of applications on the App store that provide access to funded evaluation reports and  the portfolio of the projects currently undertaken or planned (http://www.usaid.gov/results-and-data/mobile-apps).

Alternatively, apps that allow streamlined visual access to  data related to the topics of interest (environmental sustainabilty, gender equalty issues ...) for a given country or region could prove very useful when deciding on which projects to undertake.

Maybe have a look at the open data and open knowledge foundation web site.

There is a bunch of applications and frameworks for data extraction and representation. Don't know if also mobile apps are available, but if you find a desktop client that does, what you deserve, it should be an easy (and sustainable because cross-compatible) task to turn it into a web server/service and code a web app that runs on mobiles too.   

(Done so in the past.)

Andreas

Dear Oliver,

The answer to your very fuzzy/broad question would inevitable be "all over the place". Unfortunately this is unlikely to be very helpful to you. :-)

So, let me try to help you. The main advantages of a smartphone app., compared to something you consume on a PC are:

• don't need a PC
• easy to use "on the road"
• Almost always online.
• knows my location

- has a bunch of additional nice sensors, such as a camera, microphone, NFC reader, which can be used either for reporting or as a part of user interface (e.g. use of 2D barcharts or NFC keys to trigger some app function.)

The main disadvantages are:

• needs smartphone
• small screen, difficult to read long texts
• same for typing.
• not online just when you need it
• battery gets easily depleted
• allows tracking of users (ethical concerns)

The mobile apps are thus at their best when it comes to presenting smaller pieces of information or getting users input (including attachments made by some of the sensors) "at a right time and place". For instance, one can develop applications which use geofencing to provide this types of applications:

- contextual micro-learning

- individual context.-aware alerting and informing

- smart tasking of volunteers

Personally I am very fond of "crowdtasking", which requires exactly these functions to work (see my papers)

Another good example are various "personal assistant" applications which help you to find a nearest acceptable hotel/restaurant, avoid polluted areas etc,

Finally, they are also excellent applications which help users by automatically collecting some data on their whereabouts and environments, interpreting the results and then suggesting the users what to do. The famous example of a win-win situation is Waze, which, among other things, uses the data from GPS to determine the street congestion level and re-direct the users elsewhere.

hope this helps.

All, the question reads "What opportunities are there for mobile applications in bilateral and multilateral development agencies?" not "Are there opportunities for ...?" I am inviting concrete suggestions about specific areas across the project cycle, not arguments listing the advantages and disadvantages of smartphone apps, which are well known. (To note, USAID and the World Bank have only developed a handful of applications, mainly in the form of data sets, probably because not enough people there have thought about developing applications. This may be because bilateral and multilateral development agencies are, quintessentially, project-based public sector organizations.) So, more responses along the lines of Yacine Belala's, please.

I may point out, that the answer to your question highly relates to the mentioned 'project cycles' of which i, and mostly likely others, who are not working with such organizations, have no clue of. In fact, the long list of tags added to your question does not help making clear what your question is about.

A colleague in Hanover works pro bono with a foundation doing rehoming and developing slums in south america. He tells, the organization starts with groundwork, depicting houses and areas for restoration, questioning inhabitants about locally needed infrastructure and then turn the local data into development plans, that again were assessed and discussed locally and people become involved with the project, to increase acceptance of change and minimize later destruction on restoration site. Although he said, that developing the appropriate software and database backbone is something that is in progress just now (not finished yet), i understood that there are some solutions for inner organizational use, that are used now to facilitate the project assessment.

May i understand your question is directed on such software?

Andreas

Andreas, I have come to realize many on ResearchGate are not familiar with development agencies. But yes, what your colleague is doing in Hanover (and the software he is developing) is the sort of thing I had in mind. I think we can park this question. If you are interested, an article that explores the difficulties of managing knowledge in project-based organizations is at http://www.adb.org/publications/managing-knowledge-project-environments.

An interesting development concept of using new online information and communication media in connection with the Internet of Things technology. The current development of mobile devices, mainly smartphones and their applications to international communication and information transfer, enables the improvement of information logistics. Therefore, the use of new media technologies and advanced information processing technologies, ie typical of the current technological revolution, Industry 4.0, can significantly increase the efficiency of communication processes between cooperating members of national and international working teams in institutions and enterprises.

A concept paper dated February 2015, available at Research Planning and Driving a Digital Strategy

Presentation Planning and Driving a Digital Strategy

Research Ramping Up ADB's Role in Information and Communications Tech...

Presentation Ramping Up Information and Communications Technology for Development