Turn On, Tune In, Transcribe: U.N. Develops Radio-Listening Tool

Many rural Ugandans don't have Internet access, and the radio is a central source of news -- and platform for citizens' opinions. Many rural Ugandans don't have Internet access, and the radio is a central source of news -- and platform for citizens' opinions. The inspiration for the tool came from projects that use social media to identify citizens' concerns -- for instance, what concerns people have about an immunization drive, or how often they suffer power outages. But at the Global Pulse lab in Kampala, Uganda, social media analysis wouldn't work, says lab manager Paula Hidalgo-Sanchis -- especially if the U.N. wanted to listen to rural voices.