At PSI we we are constantly implementing solutions to interact directly with consumers and health practitioners. Many implementations use bot conversations to register events that track the health journey of these stakeholders.
When considering the different platforms to use, as of June 2023 PSI has decided to use as development platforms either RapidPro or for more technical complex implementations MS Bot Framework. As of July 2023, we are also evaluating the use of Rasa.
On this page
RapidPro
RapidPro is an open-source platform designed for building and deploying communication workflows, particularly in low-resource settings. It is supported by UNICEF, and endorsed by PATH/Digital Square. It is also used by DHIS2 to enable chat-based integration.
RapidPro provides a visual interface for designing communication workflows. The platform supports multiple messaging channels, including SMS, voice calls, social media platforms, and chat applications.
MS Bot Framework
The Microsoft Bot Framework is a platform for building and connecting bots. It provides a set of services, tools, and SDKs to connect to various channels and platforms. Microsoft Bot Framework is open-source. The Bot Framework Composer, a visual authoring canvas for developers, is also an open-source.
USSD
USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) is a core mobile technology that can be used to deliver text-based services. The duration of a USSD session is typically limited to 90-180 seconds. This is because USSD is a real-time protocol, and the network needs to be able to release the resources that are being used by the session after a certain amount of time.
USSD messages are limited to 182 characters, which means that they cannot be used to transfer large amounts of data. Images are not supported. This makes USSD not suitable for complex transactions involving multiple steps. When developing a USSD application, it is important to consider the duration of the sessions. In general, a session should not contain more that 10 questions - about 15 seconds per questions to provide the user with a good experience.
When do I use RapidPro, MS Bot Framework, USSD?
The table below could be use to provide guidance on when to use what technology based on your use case.
RapidPro | MS Bot Framework | USSD | |
|---|---|---|---|
Channel | SMS, web chat, varios chat platforms: WA, FB messenger, Line, others | SMS, web chat, varios chat platforms: WA, FB messenger, Line, others | USSD |
Engagement type | Structure conversation: users follow a scripted conversation, with multiple path and starting points | Database driven: users are presented with questions that are sourced from the metadata on a system. Examples:
| Simple transactions, less than 10 questions. |
Examples | Most of PSI’s bot implementation are based on structured conversations, hence they have been implemented using RapidPro | Laos: DHIS2 Malaria reporting | Household Malaria assessment by a health worker. |
RapidPro and DHIS2
A project that provides a fast development path/ integration between DHIS2 and RapidPro exist at https://github.com/dhis2/integration-dhis-rapidpro . As of June 2023, the solution enables DHIS2 users to report data on a dataset. This is a use case that rarely exist at PSI, hence we have not yet tried this library. There are plans to later enable the process of TEI registration and event creation. We should review the provided integration once this new version becomes available.