Wadipod

Mobile device for livestock drovers in Sudan.

Imagine walking your cash savings for hundreds of miles to the nearest stock exchange to invest. Or, hiring someone to make the trip for you—someone you trust; someone who won’t be robbed; and someone who will return with your stock certificates.

Now transport yourself to Sudan where “savings” are livestock. Wealth is measured by the size and health of your herd. You build your legacy by raising cattle, knowing which markets to attend, getting to market safely and efficiently, selling at the best rate, returning with cash to re-invest and grow your herd.

You are a pastoralist and this is the good life. All your beef is organic, local, and grass-fed, you don’t need a gym membership, and you don’t need an entertainment center because the danger of getting to market with your fabulous herd in Sudan is all the excitement you’ll ever want.

The pastoralist’s lives are like our lives; strategies for success and unplanned events determine if you make it or scrape by. And the goals are the same – quality of life, a future for your family – only the stakes are much higher.

For pastoralists, one of the major challenges is monetizing their livestock assets. Markets are typically far and increasingly accessed through parts of the world that seem to be perpetually riddled with warring parties.

In a lawless, hostile environment, pastoralists typically hire a drover to take their cattle to market for them. The drover will be facing random groups of well-armed thieves and lengthy detours caused by landscapes torn apart by war.

Only a crazy person chooses this job and who wants a crazy person managing their assets

Welcome WadiPod

A secure wireless mobile device for empowering drovers.

WadiPod is a secure private network of handheld devices accessed through the Iridium satellite system. It links trusted drovers together allowing them, in real-time, to share critical en-route information.

The device’s GPS tracks their locations and pools data from multiple sources to inform them of situations unfolding in their vicinity.

Drovers may track local weather forecasts, geographical and environmental obstacles encountered recently by other drovers along their route, and the locations of recent violence or raiding parties. This allows them the opportunity to select safer alternative routes.

Fellow drovers contribute experiences with video, audio, or texting. Translation software removes the language barriers between groups.

Livestock market transactions are done electronically via international secure bank accounts so only pocket change for incidental purchases need be on hand.

The device is automatically backed up on the network, can be secured via login or face recognition software, can be wiped instantly if stolen and restored to another device later.

Low energy modes and a solar charger keep the WadiPod going in the pastoralist environment.

Life gets lonely when all your companions are cattle. WadiPod offers a rich chat experience, games and news to pass the time between cattle raids.

Use case studies for WadiPod User interface

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Backstory

No this application doesn’t exist – yet.

When Android first came out, Google was looking for applications to showcase their new platform. Troy Payne, programmer/developer, and I thought this project would not only stand out but be a great device to bring to the drover toolkit. We contended with the frequent updates to the Android OS and finally just ran out of time to devote as a project on the side.

The name was created as a play on Wadi – an Arabic term for a bed or valley of a stream that is dry except for the rainy season where it forms an oasis, and iPod which was new at the time. In addition to the interface, I designed the logo, which hints at a ribbon of water in the desert. Trajan is the font.

Note to self

The timing might now be right for something along these lines.