NSGIA Memory System

1. GPS Works Without Cell Towers (gpsNoCellTowerReq.png) The foundational breakthrough of iVerify lies in leveraging satellite positioning that operates independently of terrestrial cellular infrastructure. GPS satellites broadcast timing signals continuously, requiring only line-of-sight access to function—a resource freely available across rural Africa regardless of cellular tower density. This technical reality dismantles the connectivity barrier that has historically excluded smallholder farmers from digital agricultural systems. Modern entry-level Android phones common throughout Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire—including the Tecno Pop 7, Itel A60, and Infinix Smart 7—ship with GPS receivers capable of sub-5-meter accuracy without any data connection. These devices, priced between $50-80, already populate rural communities where farmers use them for voice calls and basic messaging. The iVerify system transforms these existing devices into precision agricultural tools without requiring additional hardware investment. The technical specifications support this approach convincingly. Even basic smartphones include ARM Cortex-A53 quad-core processors with 2-3GB RAM and 32-64GB storage—sufficient computational power to process GPS coordinates, store farm boundary data, and execute lightweight machine learning inference locally. The system design recognizes that farmers need immediate, actionable results in the field, not promises dependent on future connectivity. This satellite-first architecture addresses a critical gap in agricultural technology deployment. While cellular coverage remains sparse and expensive across rural West Africa, GPS functionality provides the foundation for precise farm mapping, geotagged photo documentation, and immutable traceability records that meet EUDR requirements without connectivity dependence.