You are probably familiar with software like WordPress, VLC Media Player, and Mozilla Firefox- just a few of the many that the open source community has blessed us with globally. But did you know that Pakistan is among the fastest growing countries in open source software contribution as well, with a vibrant and growing community of techies developing open-source software for various needs?
At Code for Pakistan we have over 40 open-source digital solutions that have been developed for various departments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's government by the KP Government Innovation Fellowship Programs Fellows in the past 8 years. These solutions aim to make the lives of citizens more convenient and the work of the government more efficient.
Here are 3 open source app's developed by our 6th Cycle Fellows that you can start using right now!
Mustahiq App
The Mustahiq app is a mobile application with information about various Zakat schemes for those looking to donate as well as those in need of financial assistance. The possibility to view information in local languages like Urdu & Pashto or English- as per user preference, makes it easier to access for all users in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. Along with Zakat Fund Tracking, there is insight about financial support schemes run by the Department of Zakat and Social Welfare Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in association with whom our talented Fellows developed the app.
So, what does the Mustahiq app do?
Well, users of the Mustahiq app can find the contact details of district zakat officers, district zakat chairman and their office locations, giving them better access to zakat-related services. The app also contains locations of hospitals and focal persons handling zakat schemes within these facilities. So, you can all find the mode of assistance that’s perfect for you.
2. Lab Information Management System for DG Livestock & Dairy Research
The Livestock & Dairy Development Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa works on keeping KP livestock and cattle healthy to ensure the good health of the rest of the province.
It consists of an information management system that records and stores data on cattles' lab test results. The dashboard gives insightful analytics that help the department to timely detect any epidemics within the cattle so that safety measures can be taken when needed. This way, both the health of the cattle and the quality of dairy products circulated across the province is monitored, ensuring healthier produce. All livestock farmers have to do is enter relevant information about their cattle and the department takes care of the rest! This system could also prove useful to anyone in a similar field trying to record a series of data and study its patterns over time.
3. Digitization of Pharmaceutical Licenses
This online platform has digitized the process of applying for licensure of pharmaceuticals, their renewal, and verification in the KP province. Pharmacy store owners no longer have to spend valuable hours waiting for their applications to be processed. Thanks to this digitization, the Health Department KP can make sure that all pharmaceutical licenses issued for various medicines are valid just by verifying them through the platform. And knowing about this streamlined system, KP citizens can be assured of safe and quality medication whenever they go to a local drug store.
So far, hundreds of users within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have benefitted from the solutions shown above. All of them are open source, so you too can take their source codes and modify them to fit the requirements of your region!
To find these applications and make them your own, check out Code For Pakistan's Github page now.
Written by: Hira Irfan & Ibraheem Saleem