FAQ
How is RapidSMS different than other SMS platforms?
How can I use RapidSMS at my organization?
What are the technical requirements for RapidSMS?
I am not a software developer but I want to utilize RapidSMS. What should I do?
I’m having trouble with writing code. Who can help me?
Which modems are compatible with RapidSMS?
Is it possible to install RapidSMS on Windows?
RapidSMS is a free and open-source framework that leverages basic short message service (SMS) mobile phone technology to collect data, coordinate logistics and enhance communication, quickly, accurately and at low cost. This highly flexible system can be customized for the specialized needs of governments, multilateral and non-government organizations, and development practitioners – transforming the way data is collected and utilized.
Traditional data collection methods often struggle to capture timely, reliable data and display and distribute it effectively. Data is seldom shared between organizations and rarely made public, so that field workers and beneficiaries cannot access this critical information or receive feedback. Created by programmers in the field for project implementation, RapidSMS establishes a vibrant two-way flow of communication that empowers stakeholders with a dynamic tool for advanced data collection, analysis and communication that is fast, efficient and accurate. The RapidSMS framework ensures that the system is practical and simple enough to meet real world needs while providing instant and widespread access. RapidSMS is compatible with even the most basic mobile phones, leveraging existing infrastructure to turn mobile phones into innovative community reporting and information management tools. Read more. (link this back to About landing page.)
How is RapidSMS different than other SMS platforms?
Instead of serving as a stand alone, already built application, RapidSMS serves as a framework for creating and customizing software applications unique to a projects needs. The open source nature of the underlying RapidSMS code allows partners to build their own tools and design customized solutions. This allows maximum flexibility, ensuring that the software is built specifically for the project, rather than trying to alter the project to fit the software.
Within this framework are modularized apps, each with its own specific functionality (registering users, identifying locations, creating tags, calculating malnutrition rates, etc). These generally fall within two categories: back-end logic focused on the projects ‘plumbing’ which allows SMSes to be sent, parsed, anlyzed, etc; and the front-end ‘dashboard’, which visualizes this information online in the same way that a website would.
RapidSMS is free to download, use and modify, and is supported by a community (link to community) of software developers with various methods of technical support (link to tech support page). This means that software can be built on already existing community contributions (vastly speeding up software development time and reducing costs), but that you automatically benefit from any updates provided by other implementers.
RapidSMS is compatible with even the most basic mobile phones, leveraging existing infrastructure to turn mobile phones into innovative community reporting and information management tools. In addition,. The RapidSMS Web interface allows multiple users around the world to access the system to view incoming data, export new data sets and send text messages to other users.
RapidSMS can be used by anyone. Because one size does not fit all and no two projects are exactly the same, RapidSMS is easily customized to meet the specific needs of the project and scalable at an enterprise level. It is currently being utilized by large multilateral organizations (such as the United Nations – link to UNICEF on implementers page), development professionals (Earth Institute at Columbia University – link to EI on implementers page), and small NGOs and CBOs (Tostan – link to Tostan on implementers page). Because RapidSMS is completely open-source (link to “open-source” in glossary), it can be obtained and adapted by anyone for any purpose. However, due to its flexibility as a customizable application, RapidSMS does need some technical support (link to technical support page). For organizations with very limited budgets and no in-house software support, you should also consider other free SMS applications, like FrontlineSMS (link to FrontlineSMS).
How can I use RapidSMS at my organization?
The possibilities are endless with RapidSMS. With some creativity and software programming experience, RapidSMS can be customized to suit your organization’s by utilizing mobile phone technology to collect data, coordinate logistics and enhance communication — quickly, accurately and at low cost. RapidSMS is being used to respond to emergencies, promote health, improve supply chain management and advance education in developing countries. For examples of how organizations are implementing RapidSMS, please see our Case Studies (link). Customized source codes are available on each case study page.
You can obtain the RapidSMS Source Code for free here (link). Someone at your organization with software programming experience (preferably Python or Ruby) will need to customize RapidSMS for your individual goals. Please follow the steps in Getting Started (link) to understand the basic procedure.
The code is completely free to obtain and customize, and there will never be license fees. However, there will be some modest costs involved in setting up the appropriate hardware and for RapidSMS itself. Also note that when setting up a program to integrate technologies like SMS, the same project support required by any similiar initiative without a technology still applies (planning, training, supervision, monitoring, etc.). For more information, please read our Field Guide to Implementation (link to this page).
What are the technical requirements for RapidSMS?
Before getting started with RapidSMS, please see our Hardware Basics checklist (link) to make sure you have everything you need.
I am not a software developer but I want to utilize RapidSMS. What should I do?
For help with software development, please join our RapidSMS Google Group (link). RapidSMS coders, developers and implementers use this forum to seek assistance, announce new projects and chat about anything and everything mobile. You may also want to connect with one of our Implementers (link to page), depending on your needs.
I’m having trouble with writing code. Who can help me?
Fellow RapidSMS developers are your best source of information. Refer to Technical Support (link) to connect with other members of the RapidSMS Community through the RapidSMS Google Group (link), the RapidSMS Wiki (link) or IRC (link).
Which modems are compatible with RapidSMS?
You can browse a list of modems known to work with RapidSMS on the pygsm Wiki (link).
Is it possible to install RapidSMS on Windows?
Because Windows has not been tested as extensively as on Linux, we recommend running RapidSMS on a Linux system. A packaged version of RapidSMS for Windows and a preconfigured VM (virtual machine) version that will run on any standard operating system are currently under development.