But how is a business to sell to the bottom of the pyramid if they don’t know where they live, what they want, or even who they are? Or, for more traditional aid activities, how does a donor know he is investing enough? Or in the right areas? Existing figures provided by the World Bank and other agencies are statistical projections.

Mobile Metrix, a market research firm founded by Melanie Edwards, has a better model. She employs local teenagers to go door-to-door in their own community, collecting data on handheld devices. The unofficial censuses gather information previously unknown – what she calls the “invisible billion.” In her speech at Pop!Tech, Melanie explains how employment keeps her teenagers out of drug violence and gangs, empowers organizations to fight disease, and educates individuals on how to help themselves.

[I took out the video embed because it didn't play nice and auto-played. Here's the link.]

It is a remarkable example of partnering with locals and using information to empower communities.

(By the way, I’m going through the Pop!Tech Fellows’ videos and recommend you do the same.)