Social innovation with purposeful mobile apps

2013-06-13

Yes, yes, I know this is just marketing. But even so, its nice to see social innovation enabled by mobile apps being highlighted.

This 10 minute video highlights the following apps:

• Skyscape - a clinical decision-support tool.

• galileo - a clinical app, for amputees.

• Thornton Media - apps to help save endangered North American indigenous languages.

It interesting to consider these examples in the light of the just released Australian Federal government's mobile roadmap (PDF).

This strategy calls for federal agencies to meet the objective of delivering "appropriate customer-facing services conveniently available through accessible, personalised, location-aware, and easy to use mobile channels".

A sensible goal, but I don't think there is any harm in aiming to move the needle a little further: Rather than just improving the convenience of government services, why not see if we can impact the wellbeing of the community with mobile apps as well?