Spatial Ideas, transforming governance with technology to benefit low-income people

Spatial Ideas develops easy to use data-driven platforms to help governments implement initiatives intended to benefit low-income people. The platforms are designed to increase efficiency and transparency and ensure that the initiatives are actually reaching the intended beneficiaries. Co-founder Vishal Agarwal tells us how these platforms have the potential to transform governance in India.

What is the core value proposition of your business? 

We’re providing smart, data driven technology platforms to key decision makers in government to implement government initiatives intended to benefit low-income people. These platforms enable these decision makers to do their job better and create an environment which is transparent. Our aim is for these platforms to lead to less corruption and ensure that government initiatives actually reach the last mile i.e the people who these initiatives were intended to benefit. Every platform we develop has a spatial context, works using mobile connectivity for data collection and distribution and is heavily analytics driven. We’ve also integrated bio-metrics wherever possible so that we can track and identify beneficiaries effectively. These are high-quality, easy to use dashboards to help government make the most of its intervention. The goal is to fix every core governance aspect because the toolkit required, be it healthcare or food security, is exactly the same as is the customer (i.e district collectors) and the beneficiaries.

Describe some of the platforms you’ve developed.

We have been successfully able to help local governments in the areas of sanitation, healthcare, infrastructure management and even food security. We have developed a platform to effectively execute the Food Security Bill in India. The Food Security Bill was passed in 2012 to provide subsidised grain to the large proportion of the population living in poverty. The people entitled to receive this subsidised grain are given ration cards to identify themselves. The government structure in India means that these laws are implemented by collectors in every district of the country. On the basis of the amount of food at the government’s disposal and the population of people with ration cards in each district, designated shops in every district are given a certain quota of food that is then distributed at a subsidised rate to local people who have ration cards. To enable collectors in each district to effectively monitor and implement this system, we have connected the dots by designing a technology platform that uses mobile tablets and biometrics. At every shop, there is a tablet device with a fingerprint scanner which logs every person that comes to collect their ration. This technology also enables the beneficiaries to send a simple mobile phone message and find out how much food the shop has at any given moment. This is to overcome a common issue of shopkeepers misleading people be telling them that they don’t have any more food when that is actually not the case. Our system ensures a level of transparency to make sure that the poor aren’t turned away. In our research, we have discovered that 65 per cent of ration cards in India are actually bogus. Our solution ensures that people with authentic ration cards receive their quota of food and roots out the bogus cards. The other side to this is that the collector sitting in his office can look at his tablet device and see in real time which beneficiary is getting food and at what time. The analytics that are done means that trends can be identified in terms of how much grain is being consumed and when so that logistics can be planned accordingly. He will be able to figure out what the best location for the next shop is based on evidence rather than on the whim of a local politician. This platform is currently in use in two districts of Maharashtra.

How is your business different to what exists in the market?

It’s not that we don’t have big software firms in India that aren’t hired by the government to develop similar solutions, it’s just that they aren’t that interested in doing a good job – they send junior teams that aren’t interested in the end goal of what they’re working on. So the government ends up with websites and systems that put off the user and keep implementers in the dark. Our aim is to change this system, make collectors and administrators aware of the technological solutions that can revolutionise what they are trying to achieve. We make sure quality work is being done. The convergence of map-based software, biometrics, data analytics and mobile applications make these unique and powerful platforms.

What would you say has been the most challenging aspect of starting and running your inclusive business?

The biggest challenge was getting that first meeting with a credible administrator. I managed to meet a very tech savvy IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer through another project we were working on. He was impressed with the technology I showed him for that project and, if one knows the Indian context, it is quite a feat to get an Indian official to be interested in a new idea. I was blown away by the clarity of his thought and his commitment to fixing a problem. He asked me to develop a mobile driven software system to track and map the progress of different projects that he was implementing. He didn’t offer me a lot of money to do this but I was excited at the prospect of executing a solution that could transform the way the system functions. Once I got that first job, other projects have come our way and we’ve met a number of enthusiastic IAS officers.

What is the one factor that has most enabled your inclusive business to progress this far?

Apart from cracking the IAS network mentioned before, the one thing that has worked in our favour is the fact that we’ve kept our charges down which has made us very competitive. Wealth creation is a long term vision for us, while increasing impact is the short term goal. Seeing the impact has been so much more important for us than the money coming in.

As a Sankalp finalist, many doors will open to funding & partnering opportunities and exchange of knowledge with others. How critical are these to the success of your business?

I am hoping that Sankalp will open doors to administrators in different geographies of the country to enable us to put more platforms in place across India.

Where do you see your business five years from now?

If things work out the way we’re expecting them to then in five years we should be a global player in helping governments to connect better with their citizens. The challenges across the world are similar so there is huge potential for growth.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to entrepreneurs looking to start an inclusive business?

Develop a thick skin and be true to the man or woman in the mirror.