Participatory action design science framework for adoptable solid waste management information systems

Abstract

Solid waste management is defined as the discipline associated with control of generation, storage, collection, transportation or transfer, processing and disposal of solid waste materials in a way that best addresses the range of public health, conservation, economic, aesthetic, engineering, and other environmental considerations (Rick et al, 2020). Urban informatics is an interdisciplinary approach to understanding, managing and designing the city using systematic theories and methods based on new information technologies (Wenzhong et all, 2021). Urban planners have adopted urban informatics research to help solve the problem and many mobile applications have been developed but not adopted owing to the use of a predictive System Development Lifecycle (SDLC) approach which excludes active involvement of the local population in the stages of SDLC and thus, not solving the challenge of information flow in solid waste management. The major objective of this research is to propose an adaptive SDLC approach and that is, using Participatory Action Design Science Research methodology (PADRE), for studies in the Urban Informatics domain and in this case dealing with solid waste management. A solid waste collection management system development conceptual framework is designed as proof of concept to show the strength of PADRE in developing new technological means to resolve contemporary issues or support everyday life in urban environments. This research further gives a comparison between using predictive SDLC approach and an adaptive SDLC approach in developing urban systems. The success in solid waste management in cities requires collaborative approaches of communities, NGOs, CBOs, Private institutions and Government in order to achieve the satisfaction level of solid waste management and make a clean environment. PADRE incorporates learning as an embedded nexus within each and every cycle. Hence, learning is an integrated component of each stage, and not a separate stage (Amir et al, 2018).