Providing legal guidance

ClientEarth

ClientEarth collaborated with ExCiteS to include additional functionalities in the Sapelli app allowing to create projects which provide users with easily accessible, relevant legal information. These projects are slightly different to the traditional concept of Sapelli projects, as they aim to share rather than collect information. Furthermore, the information is available for users in remote areas without internet connection.

ClientEarth’s projects are based on the premise that facilitating quick and easy access to legal information can empower people to defend themselves and their environment. Therefore, their projects are designed for both those who have limited access to legal information and those, as with the example below, who wish to supplement their knowledge.

An example project

One specific project was designed to provide legal guidance to members of a Legal Working Group in Ghana whose aim is to protect natural resources and local community rights. The purpose of this project was to provide the user with information on the different types of logging permits and their legal requirements in Ghana. The user would be able to quickly access the relevant legal information to support him/her during meetings or interviews.

You can download the Ghana logging permits project here: Logging permits Ghana v1.142.

Project layout

This project is set out as a decision tree with various options (Choice fields) for the user to click through. Eventually the user will reach the end of the decision tree and be provided with the information they were looking for. This information is displayed in a HTML page (webpage). The HTML page can contain further information by adding videos, images and links to PDF files or other webpages. For this reason, adding HTML pages to a project is a good way to provide users with information.

The image below illustrates the layout of the decision tree for this project. The black circles represent the Choices displayed to the user. The green circles represent the HTML pages that the user will arrive at. Screenshots of three of the HTML pages have been included to give an idea of what these pages look like on the user’s device.

Project XML

Here you can find the code for the above project. Comments have been included in italics in order to guide you through the XML file.

<!-- The XML document will begin with the declaration below. -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!-- The unique Sapelli Project ID number, the default language (British English), name of the project and version number are declared here. -->
<SapelliCollectorProject id="00142" defaultLanguage="en-GB" name="Ghana Logging Permits2" version="1.142">

	<!-- This Project only contains one Form element which is given the ID name "logging permits". This Form element contains all the Choice and HTML fields below. --> 
	<Form id="logging permits" next="LOOPFORM" saveVibrate="true" storeEndTime="true" >

		<!-- This first Choice field is the 'root' of the decision tree and contains all the other Choice elements within the tree. Similar to the Form element above it, it is provided with an ID name. The choices contained within this element will be displayed within one column and two rows on the device's screen, i.e. "Read introduction" ans "Skip introduction". -->
		<Choice id="mainmenu" cols="1" rows="2">
		
			<!-- This Choice is represented by a caption saying "Read introduction" on the user's device. This Choice does not contain any other Choice elements. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page called "Web_Introduction". --> 	
			<Choice id="introduction" caption="Read introduction" jump="Web_Introduction"/>
			
			<!-- This Choice is represented by a caption saying "Skip introduction" on the user's device. All the Choice fields below are nested within this Choice element. Clicking on this option will display four further Choice fields for the user to choose from: On Reserve, Off Reserve, Underwater and Certificate of Purchase. These Choices will be displayed within one column and four rows on the device's screen. --> 
			<Choice id="skip introduction" caption="Skip introduction" cols="1" rows="4">
			
				<!-- This Choice set contains all the possible Choice elements if the user were to click the "On Reserve" option on the screen. Clicking on this option will display two further Choices: Natural Timber and Planted Timber. These Choices will be displayed within one column and two rows on the device's screen. -->
				<Choice caption="On Reserve" cols="1" rows="2">
					<!-- This Choice set contains all the possible Choice elements if the user were to click the "Natural Timber" option on the screen. Clicking on this option will display two further Choices: Timber Utilisation Contracts and Special Permits. These Choices will be displayed within one column and two rows on the device's screen. -->
					<Choice caption="Natural Timber" cols="1" rows="2">
						<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "Timber Utilisation Contracts".  --> 
						<Choice caption="Timber Utilisation Contracts (TUC)" value="Timber Utilisation Contracts (TUC)" jump="Timber Utilisation Contracts"/>
						<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "Special Permits".  -->
						<Choice caption="Special Permits" value="Special Permits" jump="Special Permits"/>
					<!-- The Choice element which contains the "Natural Timber" Choice set is closed. -->  
					</Choice>
					<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "Planted Timber".  -->
					<Choice caption="Planted Timber" value="Planted timber" jump="Planted Timber" />
				<!-- The Choice element which contains the "On Reserve" Choice set is closed. -->    
				</Choice>
				
				<!-- This Choice set contains all the possible Choice elements if the user were to click the "Off Reserve" option on the screen. Clicking on this option will display three further Choices: Natural Timber, Nurtured Timber and Planted Timber. These Choices will be displayed within one column and three rows on the device's screen. -->
				<Choice caption="Off reserve" cols="1" rows="3">
					<!-- This Choice set contains all the possible Choice elements if the user were to click the "Natural Timber" option on the screen. Clicking on this option will display three further Choices: Commercial exploitation, Salvage and Social. These Choices will be displayed within one column and three rows on the device's screen. -->
					<Choice caption="Natural Timber" cols="1" rows="3">
						<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "Commercial exploitation".  --> 
						<Choice caption="Commercial exploitation" value="Commercial exploitation" jump="Commercial exploitation"/>
						<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "Salvage".  --> 
						<Choice caption="Salvage" value="Salvage" jump="Salvage"/>
						<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "Timber utilisation permits".  --> 
						<Choice caption="Social" value="Social" jump="Timber utilisation permits"/>
					<!-- The Choice element which contains the "Natural Timber" Choice set is closed. --> 
					</Choice>
					<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "Nurtured Timber".  --> 
					<Choice caption="Nurtured Timber" value="Nurtured Timber" jump="Nurtured Timber"/>
					<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "Planted Timber".  --> 
					<Choice caption="Planted Timber"  value="Planted Timber" jump="Planted Timber"/> 
				<!-- The Choice element which contains the "Off reserve" Choice set is closed. --> 
				</Choice>
				
				<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "Underwater".  --> 
				<Choice caption="Underwater" value="Underwater"  jump="Underwater"/>
				
				<!-- This Choice contains a 'value'. The value represents the data that is recorded if the user clicks on that option. Clicking on this option will take the user to the HTML page "certificate_of_purchase".  --> 
				<Choice caption="Certificate of Purchase" value="Certificate of Purchase" jump="certificate_of_purchase" />

			<!-- The Choice element which contains the "Skip introduction" Choice set is closed. -->				
			</Choice>
 
		<!-- This decision tree, under the Choice field ID of "mainmenu" is closed. --> 
		</Choice>

		<!-- Web page that opens the Introduction page-->
		<Html id="Web_Introduction" url="introduction.html" jump="_END"/>

		<!-- Web page that opens the Timber Utilisation Contracts page-->
		<Html id="Timber Utilisation Contracts" url="Timber Utilisation Contracts.html" jump="_END"/>

		<!-- Web page that opens the Special Permits page-->
		<Html id="Special permits" url="Special permits.html" jump="_END"/>

		<!-- Web page that opens the Commercial exploitation page-->
		<Html id="Commercial exploitation" url="Commercial exploitation.html" jump="_END"/>

		<!-- Web page that opens the Commercial exploitation page-->
		<Html id="Salvage" url="Salvage.html" jump="_END"/>
		
		<!-- Web page that opens the Timber utilisation permits page-->
		<Html id="Timber utilisation permits" url="Timber utilisation permits.html" jump="_END"/>

		<!-- Web page that opens the Nurtured Timber page-->
		<Html id="Nurtured Timber" url="Nurtured Timber.html" jump="_END"/>

		<!-- Web page that opens the Planted Timber page-->
		<Html id="Planted Timber" url="Planted Timber.html" jump="_END"/>

		<!-- Web page that opens the Underwater page-->
		<Html id="Underwater" url="Underwater picture.html" jump="_END"/>

		<!-- Web page that opens the certificate_of_purchase page-->
		<Html id="certificate_of_purchase" url="certificate_of_purchase.html" jump="_END"/>

	<!-- The Form element is closed. --> 
	</Form>

<!-- Finally, the Project element is closed. -->
</SapelliCollectorProject>

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

</Choice>

</Choice>

</Choice>

</Choice>

</Choice>

</Choice>

</Form>

</SapelliCollectorProject>