RapidSMS is a web framework based on the Django web framework which extends the logic and capabilities of Django to communicate with SMS messages. Initial development was done by UNICEF's Innovation Unit for use in mobile data collection and polls.[2][3] A side effect of the work was pygsm, a Python library for interacting with GSM modems, including cell phones which handle the Hayes command set.[4] The software has been deployed in numerous countries, including Senegal, Mauritania, Uganda, Somalia, Zambia, Kenya, Nigeria,[5]Malawi,[6] and Ethiopia.[7][8]
In 2009, UNICEF won the Gov2.0 Summit Award in the 'Government as a Provider' category for their work with RapidSMS in Malawi.[13][14]
Frog Design won two IDSAIDEA Awards (Gold in the Social Impact Design category and Silver in the Design Strategy category) at the 2012 International Design Excellence Awards for their work with UNICEF on Project Mwana.[15]
In 2010, Matt Berg was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the year for his work with RapidSMS and ChildCount.[16]
diagram illustrating use of RapidSMS for antenatal care reminders, birth registration, and emergency responseBags full of paper forms replaced by a RapidSMS data collection systemUsers with training materials learning how to enter data via SMS instead of paper form
RapidSMS is the basis for a few notable projects:
mTrac, a disease surveillance and drug tracking system developed by UNICEF and the World Health Organization in Uganda, is one of only a handful of mHealth projects being scaled up nationally. In August 2012, it was featured in "The Wireless Issue" of Time Magazine.[19]
U-Report, one of the largest SMS social networks of community crowd sourced volunteer reporters in the world, with approximately 200,000 registered users in Uganda as of April 2013, reporting on development issues and engaging directly with national and local government through the platform.[20][21]
RapidSMS MCH, is a system for monitoring pregnancy and reducing bottlenecks in communication associated with maternal and newborn deaths in Rwanda. The project was developed by UNICEF and Pivot Access.[27][28][29]