An Overview
Introducing SafiSiti: Uganda's Smart Waste-Management Platform
What is SafiSiti?
SafiSiti (derived from Swahili meaning "a clean city") is an innovative web-and-mobile platform designed to transform waste management across Ugandan cities, municipalities, and local council structures (villages/cells and parishes). It uses mobile technology and smart data systems to streamline the collection, inspection, and dumping of waste, ensuring cleaner, healthier communities. By connecting Service Providers, Health Inspectors, and Dumping-Site Managers on one coordinated system, SafiSiti transforms waste management into an efficient, transparent, and data-driven process.
The Command Center: Admin Web Dashboard & Central Roles
Platform Architecture
SafiSiti is deployed using a dual-interface architecture:
- Web Application: Serves majorly for administrative functions (Admin Web Dashboard)
- Mobile App: Primarily designed for field work by Service Providers, Health Inspectors, and Dumping-Site Managers
- Public API: Exposes data through endpoints that can be accessed using security tokens created by system admistrators.
Overall System Administrators
SafiSiti is designed to be administered by various users on different levels, thus creating a centralised mechanism of control using Role Based Access Control. These roles focus on the high-level management and configuration of the entire SafiSiti system by doing the following.
- Organisation Management: Creating organization accounts for different cities, which lays the foundation for organizing data on the platform
- User Account Management: Creating and managing accounts for all platform users, including Service Providers, Health Inspectors, Dumping-Site Managers, and Data Clerks, assigning each to their respective local council (LC1) or ward
- Route Creation & Assignment: Designing optimal collection routes through cells and parishes and assigns them to Service Providers based on geography and workload
- Real-Time Monitoring: Viewing live progress of daily collections, inspections, and dump-site deliveries, allowing supervisors to know immediately if a cell has been missed
- Reporting & Export: Filtering data by area, date, provider, or compliance status, and exports comprehensive reports (CSV, Excel, PDF) for council meetings, budgeting, and data analysis
Data Clerk (Geographical and Asset Registration)
The Data Clerk is responsible for managing and maintaining the accuracy of all foundational geographical data and key assets within the city's account.
- Geographical Registration: Registers and updates all administrative units, including Wards, Cells (Villages), and Parishes
- Household Registration: Registers households by address and contact, mapping them precisely to cells and parishes, and updates records as settlements expand
- Collection Point Registration: Registers and manages designated public Collection Points for areas without door-to-door service or as required by the city's waste plan
- Data Integrity: Regularly reviews and updates registration data to ensure the platform's geographical data is always accurate and up-to-date
Mobile Workflows and Field Roles
SafiSiti enables efficient field operations through an intuitive mobile interface for all ground personnel.
Service Provider & Collection Agent
The Service Provider is the entity (often a company) responsible for a route, while the Collection Agent is the worker (driver, loader, etc.) who carries out the physical tasks on the ground.
| Role | Task | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Service Provider | Management | Receives route assignments and reviews daily reports submitted by their Collection Agents |
| Collection Agent | Route Execution | Logs into the mobile app, views the assigned work rotas, and follows the optimized collection path |
| Collection Agent | Logging & Tracking | Marks each household's bin as "collected" or logs special issues (e.g., bin missing, inaccessible property) |
| Collection Agent | Reporting Issues | Logs collection-related problems and can report the location of illegal dumping sites observed during the route |
| Collection Agent | Summary | Submits a final collection summary report through the app at the end of the day |
Health Inspector (Audit and Compliance)
The Health Inspector uses the app to enforce public health standards and service quality.
- View Activities: Sees a dashboard showing today's collection activities and views all routes and collection statuses
- Field Inspection: Navigates to assigned areas to conduct thorough hygiene reviews, taking notes, uploading pictures, and rating the cleanliness of locations
- Flagging Non-Compliance: Files inspection reports, flags missed pickups or hygiene violations, which automatically alerts the responsible Service Provider
- Reporting: Generates and exports compliance reports to share with their team or supervisors
Dumping-Site Manager (Site Operations)
The Dumping-Site Manager oversees the disposal process and site management.
- View Schedule: Logs in to see a schedule of incoming trucks
- Delivery Verification: Verifies incoming truckloads against manifests, cross-checks the origin of the waste, and records the tonnage/volume of garbage received
- Issue Reporting: Raises a site issue in real-time for problems like an overloaded truck, overcrowding, or spillage
- Reporting: Submits a final daily site report summarizing the total tonnage collected and any site incidents
Whistle Blower (General Public)
The Whistle Blower role is designed to empower the general public to participate actively in maintaining a cleaner environment.
- Incident Reporting: Allows any citizen to submit reports regarding illegal dumping, hygiene violations, or missed collections observed in their area
- Evidence Collection: Enables the submission of supporting details, such as photos, videos, and GPS coordinates, to ensure report accuracy
- Community Accountability: Provides a channel for non-contracted citizens to hold Service Providers and city officials accountable for maintaining cleanliness
- Issue Resolution Tracking: Provides feedback to the user on the status of their reported issue once action has been taken
Conclusion
By incorporating these detailed roles—from the Data Clerk ensuring foundational data accuracy to the Collection Agent executing daily tasks and the Whistle Blower providing public oversight—SafiSiti ensures that every aspect of waste management is accounted for and optimized for efficiency and transparency.