Galaxy Up-cycling Identification (GUID) Platform

Galaxy Up-cycling Samsung LabSD Fingerprint Identification LMICs Information Biometrics Knox GUID SDGs Yonsei ProjectBOM

About one billion people around the world are not capable of proving their identity while another millions have inadequate forms of identification which barely function. Not being able to distinguish a citizen from the others properly often leads to the condition unable to secure various opportunities and basic human rights that a state is mandated to provide to its people since those without proper means of authenticating their identity are not recognized remaining voiceless.

Samsung Electronics in collaboration with Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) may provide solutions for the communities that lack verifiable identification system through ‘Galaxy Up-cycling Program.’ While piles of discarded smartphones are causing serious environmental concerns on one side of the world, the program is designed to collect used smartphones, transforming them to serve socially valuable purposes on the other side.

Using mobile devices to solve problems in resource limited conditions is not a completely new as the proliferation of mobile devices has contributed to the improvement of connectivity immensely, especially, in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). It enabled innovations such as ‘mAgri’ or ‘mHealth,’ making it possible to overcome challenges in low resource settings by setting an inter-communicable network between resources. However, there still remain limitations with this approach due to the scarce of mobile devices. Galaxy Up-cycling program, therefore, is proposing a new approach of solving the problem, at the same time, decreasing the burden of environmental issues caused by the e-waste.

This attempt of Galaxy Up-cycling Program is already being piloted in Quang Tri Province of Vietnam in forms of healthcare delivery like comprehensive eye exam platform or cervix cancer screening program utilizing fundus camera and colposcopy with up-cycled smartphones. It not only enormously reduced the cost of the devices, but also increased access to proper healthcare services by connecting health professionals at rural health centers to specialists at tertiary hospitals.   

Through the ‘Galaxy Up-cycling Program,’ it is possible to provide a fingerprint identification system, capable of connection to Wifi and bandwidth network with government graded protection to the communities that lack resources for verifiable identification system in the most cost-effective manner possible. 

Once demographic information and fingerprint of community people are registered, they may be appropriately identified by simple action of putting their index finger on the fingerprint scanner of provided Up-cycled galaxy smartphones. There is no other action required, and even those with low literacy and numeracy may easily enjoy their social and political rights. Since the system is protected by multi-layered platform built in both hardware and software of Samsung smartphones, the possibility of security breach is fairly low.

The solution will be developed within the timeline of 6 months, and it will be piloted in various fields integrated with already existing health programs conducted in Malawi, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Nepal by GSPH. Once the solution is validated for its efficiency and effectiveness on identifying patients in rural communities, it will be applied to the development projects in other fields in the resource limited conditions.

The solution is innovative in a way that it is a reframe of already existing technologies. A problem in one part of the world may be a key to solve another problem on the other part of the world in a fairly efficient and effective way. Otherwise wasted smartphones, causing serious environmental problems, can be transformed into a high-end fingerprint identification system with capacity of network connectivity and government graded protection through a simple process of ‘up-cycling.’ The smartphones may be collected by each and every branch of the Samsung Electronics around the world. 

Because the solution is based on 'Up-cycled' Samsung Galaxy Smartphones, it is possible to enjoy the powerful features of Samsung's Knox security system, which is the same security system that ‘Samsung Pay’ is based. 

Knox Security system is a multi-layered platform built in both hardware and software of Samsung smartphones since Galaxy S7. Because a single security breach toward any part of the system could handover the complete control over the device, a series of security checks constantly verifies the integrity of the device from the hardware to the operating system.

If verification fails, Knox either records the attempt by flipping a one-time fuse called the Knox Warranty Bit or prevents further booting. Devices with compromised Knox Warranty Bits can no longer use certain features and services of Knox. 

Knox provides a government graded protection. Governments and related organizations around the world often have the most severe information and technology security requirements, and Knox security system is compatible with those requirements including the ones of US Department of Defense, UK National Cyber Security Center, and more. 

In order to generate sound evidence that GUID is practical and cost-effective approach in resource limited conditions, it will be subject to the rigorous impact evaluation at the sites of health projects conducted by Yonsei University GSPH.

Yonsei University GSPH, which is one of the most prestigious academic institutions in South Korea, composed with medical doctors, public health experts/practitioners, and economists. It has been operating various health projects in resource limited settings such as Malawi, Vietnam, and Bangladesh for past 7 years having registered as NGO in each country for proper implementation of its activities.

Yonsei University GSPH is currently conducting comprehensive eye health program and cervical cancer screening program at rural community level (with Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacology) in Vietnam, which is already a beneficiary of the up-cycled devices, and cataract surgery program in Malawi. Projects regarding other comprehensive eye health program at community level in rural areas of Nepal (with Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology) and Bangladesh (with Mymensingh Eye Hospital) are going to be commenced in the first half of 2019.

The operation of the system or registration will be fairly easy for those whom are familiar with maneuvering Android devices. However, for those whom are not, the UX/UI of the system will specifically be simple pictogram based, so even people with low literacy and low numeracy may have access to the system. Once the demographic information and fingerprint are registered to the system, they may be identified by simple action of putting their index finger on the fingerprint scanner of provided up-cycled galaxy smartphone. 

Galaxy Up-cycling Program was initiated as a CSV program of Samsung Electronics. APIs can be opened to other systems for the integration after thorough discussions and reviews of Samsung Electronics. Since the members of the Up-cycling Program value scalability of the program and magnitude of its impact, the decision will most likely be in favor of the partner organizations dedicated to the betterment of conditions in developing countries. 

GUID can be linked with both bandwidth and Wifi. Communities may deal with the low availability and the high cost of bandwidth by up-cycling the flagship smartphones since the concept of 'edge computing' will be applied. Even though the Up-cycled smartphones are 1-2 years old from its first release, they often have more computing power than desktop computers being used in the resource limited environment. By analyzing collected data at the terminals level, it is possible to minimize the size data that need to be transferred to the platform which adds less burden to the entire network. 

After thorough process validation of the GUID platform through series of impact evaluation in the field, the results will be analyzed and disseminated. If the results are promising, it will be scaled up to other areas of development or possibly to the national identification systems such as DHIS2. Samsung Electronics already has experiences with DHIS2 in developing and providing personal level health information system integrated with DHIS2 called 'tracker' in Ghana in cooperation with USAID and the Ghana Health Services.

Samsung Electronics Galaxy Up-cycling Team will be in charge of technical aspects of the platform (Collection and up-cycling of the Smartphones.) After the completion of the up-cycling, Yonsei University GSPH will be in charge of piloting the solution at its project sites of implementation of research as well as their monitoring and evaluation. LabSD, a social venture dedicated to provision of solutions for health/development project in LMICs will function as the first vender of the solution. 

By collaborating with Yonsei University GSPH, which have field to run pilot studies in LMICs with different levels such as Malawi, Bangladesh, Nepal or Vietnam, we may yield sound evidence through thorough impact evaluation. We also have prestigious partners in developing countries such as Hue University of Medicine in Vietnam and Pharmacology or Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Nepal. The SDG Center at Yonsei University also will be part of the program to scale up the solution at a higher level. 

Samsung Up-cycling program was initiated as a CSV project of Samsung Electronics, and its main purpose is to provide the solution to everyone whom are in desperate need of it in the most cost-effective manner possible. Thus, the revenue raised from the solution will be minimal. However, for the purpose of the sustainability of the program, there will be a business model suitable for such appropriate technologies. In order to set up such business model, the Up-Cycling team is collaborating with Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health for the analysis and dissemination of the evidence that the solution functions effectively and efficiently, and LabSD, which is a social enterprise established to provide solutions for global health or international development projects, for the distribution of the solution. Numbers of Samsung Electronics’ branches will be joining the program as well once the program is settled. 

Even if the solution yields promising results from the pilot studies, there still are challenges in scaling up to extend the impact of the solution. Global partners whom are going to be in charge of implementing the solution responsively to the countries of concern are necessary. The solution should be implemented as a whole package of installation, training program, monitoring, and evaluation along with warranty of the system for certain period of time, and there should be a strong with willingness of the government of the partner countries. We may take advantage of the Mission Billion Challenge facilitate this process. 

There are certain technical barriers to this solution. For instance, since fingerprint system for Samsung Galaxy is designed to serve as a verification system for the single user, major modification is required to use the device as public fingerprint identification system. Galaxy Up-cycling team already has reviewed the problem, and found ways to modify the structure that suits the purpose.