Mobile Emergency Response System for Land Disputes in Rural Liberia: A Voice-Based Interface Design for Nimba County

Willie Daniels

No 35jsx_v1, Thesis Commons from Center for Open Science

Abstract: Rural Nimba County in Liberia faces critical gaps in emergency response for land-related conflicts. Existing systems exclude illiterate populations through design barriers, while the national 911 service operates unreliably in remote areas. Commercial services like My Watchman cost $20-50 monthly, limiting access to urban subscribers. This research designs a voice-based mobile emergency response system specifically for rural land disputes. The study combines secondary data analysis with targeted primary research through 30-50 remote stakeholder interviews conducted via phone and WhatsApp. The research addresses how emergency response systems can effectively serve illiterate users with limited connectivity. Voice-based interfaces using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology offer culturally appropriate solutions that integrate with traditional governance structures. The research delivered 12 validated user interaction flows, 8 voice menu mockups, and a functional prototype that achieved a 100% test pass rate (54/54 tests) and a 78.3 System Usability Scale (SUS) score, demonstrating strong user acceptance. Results demonstrate that voice-based IVR technology effectively addresses literacy barriers, with a 94% task completion rate among stakeholders and positive feedback on accessibility for illiterate users. The work contributes practical design insights for rural emergency response systems that respect traditional governance structures. The full implementation, including backend code, frontend interface, IVR integration, and database schema, is available on GitHub. Keywords: Liberia Land Conflict, Liberia Land Dispute, Liberia Land Authority, Nimba Land Conflict and Dispute, Liberia Emergency Response System, Voice-Based Interface, Interactive Voice Response, ICT4D, Rural Development, Accessibility

Date: 2025-11-15
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:thesis:35jsx_v1

DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/35jsx_v1

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