Read the original article in Global Envision here. International
aid organizations are finding out if and how people are using
their products, thanks to tiny sensors developed by Portland
State University’s SWEETLab. A lack of reliable data makes it
hard for aid organizations to know whether technologies actually
improve the lives, health and prosperity of people in
communities around the world. But SWEETLab (Sustainable Water,
Energy and Environmental Technologies Laboratory) is looking to
change that. The lab has developed remote sensing technology to
monitor the use of development infrastructure, such as latrines,
cook stoves and water filters. The sensors send information
about the frequency of use and behavior patterns back to partner
organizations, such as Mercy Corps, The Gates Foundation,
DelAgua and Vestergaard Frandsen, said lab director Evan Thomas.
The goal, Thomas says, is to “have better information about
what’s going on in the field, because monitoring projects is
usually based on somewhat unre