Response analysis in food security crises: a 'road map'
Rapid mobile phone based surveys (Scott Chaplowe, IFRC)
1. Rapid Mobile Phone-based Surveys (RAMP)
for Evidence-based Emergency Response
ALNAP 28th Annual Meeting,
5-7 March 2013, Washington, D.C.
Scott Chaplowe, Senior M&E Officer, IFRC
Rose Donna, Director, Datadyne.org
Jason Peat, Senior Officer Public Health, IFRC
Amanda Mcclelland, Emergency Health Officer, IFRC
Joel Selanikio, CEO DataDyne Group
Mac Otten
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
2. Presentation Overview
Application of mobile technology (RAMP) to address specific
challenges in data collection during emergency operations.
1) Introduce RAMP
2) How RAMP works
3) Emergency contexts
4) Key considerations
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
3. What is RAMP?
RAMP (Rapid Mobile Phone-based Surveys) is a survey
methodology utilizing mobile phones to help RCRC National
Societies, governments, NGOs and other partners efficiently
conduct quality surveys that:
Reduced time
Reduced cost
Improved quality assurance
Limited external technical assistance
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
4. RAMP Background (www.ifrc.org/ramp)
1. Developed by IFRC in partnership with WHO, CDC, and
other partners.
2. Initial focus = malaria program household surveys
Four pilots in Africa 2011-2012 (Kenya, Namibia and Nigeria),
3. Refine and developed trio of user guides:
1. Designing a RAMP survey
2. Implementing a RAMP survey
3. Training a RAMP survey team
4. Scale-up to other program areas – increase survey
functionality – use of SMS
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
5. RAMP takes advantage of 2 technologies
1. Mobile phone to collect data
(Low-cost, standard mobile phones, as well as Android,
Symbian, Blackberry, SMS, and iPhone)
2. Web-based software
application
Enables mobile phones
to become a data
collection platform
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
6. How does RAMP work?
2. Data collection
on phone
1. Develop survey on
website
3. Transmit
data
4. Collate/analyze
5. Data Reports
data on computer
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
7. Connectivity
Internet Internet
Required Not Required
• Create/edit surveys • Collect data
• View/export data
• Create reports
Can be cellular, wifi, cable
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
8. Data monitoring and analysis
Preliminary analysis available
before data collection is
complete
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
10. Digital Data Collection – Changing the way we work
The “old” The “new”
Paper questionnaires filled out in Mobile and internet-based
the field technologies used to reduce time
for data collection to reporting
Data entered into a computer at
a central location Enables rapid reporting of results,
decision making, and action
Data analysis and reporting often
takes months to complete Empowers local ownership of
evaluation and research
Local capacity is often under-
utilized and there is a
dependence on external experts
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
11. Anything that can be put on a form
Vaccination coverage
Surveillance
Supply chain management
Household surveys
Clinic surveys
Supervisory checklists
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
12. RAMP Potential in Emergencies?
Beginning to explore the potential of RAMP in emergency context:
Site assessment – needs, damage
Community assessment – needs, damage
Beneficiary registration
Distribution of emergency (and non-emergency) items
Baseline/endline data collection (monitoring and impact study)
Repeated surveys to track time trends for key indicators
Beneficiary communication – (broadcast Terra)
Beneficiary/community monitoring
Disaster preparedness – EWS monitoring
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
13. SMS Disease Surveillance Systems
Piloting in community based disease surveillance
Sierra Leone – 400 community volunteers distributing ORS.
Referred only 5% of cases of AWD they saw in community = only
5% of cases were potentially recorded in normal MoH system.
RAMP allows real time communication and data gathering
suitable for this context.
Problems with integration and harmonization of data between
community and MoH.
But SMS proved real time information to assist program
prioritization in outbreak scenarios.
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
14. SMS Considerations
Simplified questions rather than full surveys
Coding syntax with 2 to 7 key variables as best practice
Quantity of messages handled depend on networks, and whether
staggered or simultaneous reporting.
Paper form can be used to facilitate data entry to SMS
Quality assurance auto feedback
Reminder SMS to field person to report data at a set time
Thank you SMS to confirm receipt of data.
Ability to send airtime to the mobile account if someone reports from
a common central account.
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
16. Benefits – decision making
Data rapidly available for
decision-making
Maintain data control
Scalable for studies of varying
sizes
Shared, electronic database to compare across contexts and with
partners to build a body of evidence related to impact
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
17. Benefits - management
Cost effective
Do not have to reinvent the wheel –
Adaptable RAMP toolkit
Consultants not required
No software licensing or subscriptions
Multiple languages (depending on
program)
Export data for custom analysis using
any statistical analysis package
Additional SMART phone features
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
18. Benefits - management
Online library of survey
forms
Collect and aggregate data
form multiple areas and
partners
Ease of creating and
changing analyses/reports
Efficient reporting and
dissemination
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
19. Benefits - Fieldworkers
• Build local capacity for M&E
• Standard and familiar mobile
phones
• No more paper to collect,
transport or return
• Automated data submission
(assuming network)
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
20. Benefits - Quality Assurance
Immediate QA:
Real-time error analysis and field
correction
Utilize skip patterns, custom logic and
validation
Remote QA:
Enables monitoring of survey team work rate, productivity and quality
Monitor times/location of data collection (time/date data stamps)
Provide feedback remotely
Efficient data management reduces “paper” mistakes
Easier to back-up forms/data
Reduced error of repetitive data entry and re-entry
Easier to change and update forms
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
21. Reality Check!
Not suitable for very long questionnaires
No “magic bullet” –work is still in the details!
Things to improve – i.e. offline form generation
Technology is a moving target – (hardware and software)
Challenges resource development/training
(But also means improvements and reduced costs)
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
22. Questions to Consider
What applications do you see for mobile data collection
in the humanitarian sector?
What has worked well?
What hasn’t worked well?
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
23. www.ifrc.org/ramp
Package of field-friendly User Guides:
1. Volume 1: Designing a RAMP survey: technical considerations
2. Volume 2: Implementing a RAMP survey: practical field guide
3. Volume 3: Training a RAMP survey team: guide for trainers
Living archive of additional resources:
Example database and STATA files for data cleaning and analysis of a
sample malaria survey
Latest up-to-date malaria questionnaires and STATA files for data
cleaning and analysis
Country reports and results bulletins, information, useful links
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
25. The following slides are extra and can be
referred to if needed, (but unlikely).
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
26. Cost of a IFRC RAMP HH survey for
Malaria programming (average)
Description Cost (US $)
Training (4 or 5 days) including two facilitators 10,623
Field survey, including transportation, daily allowances
12,415
and accommodation
Mobile phones, accessories and air time 3,806
Survey administration 2,243
Total in-country expenditure (US $) US $ 29,087
www.ifrc.org
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27. When might a RAMP survey be suitable? Flexibility
Items that can be adjusted Comments
Adjust precision ±10%, 5%, 3%, etc.
Adjust indicator type (denominator of - Person all ages
indicator) including mixtures of indicator - Children <5 years old
types - Pregnant women
- Households
- Schools
Adjust number of domains - 1 domain with 30 clusters
- 2 domains with 30 clusters to
compare statistically
- 10 domains with 30 clusters each to
compare
Adjust overall sample size - 200 to 5000 households
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
28. How is the RAMP method different from MIS/DHS?
MIS/DHS RAMP
Complex design, uses external consultants Simple design, external consultants not
to design survey needed
Listing of all households is done in all Divides clusters into manageable-sized
clusters; expensive, often taking several segments using standard survey methods;
days in each cluster takes <1/2 day
Simple random sampling of households Simple random sampling of households
(from the cluster list) (from the final segment list)
Real-time data cleaning not possible Real-time data cleaning during the survey
Real-time data analysis not possible; results Real-time data analysis and results/draft
take several months report finished within 3 days of last
interview
Data analysis done by third-party Organization performs analysis, building
consultants capacity and maintaining control of data
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
30. RAMP
Based on standard survey sampling methodology
Web-based platform for survey design, data storage,
analysis, reporting and data export.
Field-based data entry through mobile phone application.
Questionnaires downloaded to standard mobile phones
Web-based dataset that can export “real-time” for rapid
analysis and reporting
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
Notas do Editor
To decrease dramatically the time and effort needed to complete data collectionEnables timely reportingResults are rapidly available for decision-making: emergency & development programming.
Epi Info is public domain statistical software for epidemiology developed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).The mobile phone software used for RAMP is EpiSurveyor, created by the not-for-profit organization Datadyne.MIS= Malaria Indicator SurveyRBM= Roll Back MalariaThe Red Cross National Societies at headquarters and branch levels played a leading role in the surveys, and Red Cross volunteers were recruited and trained to collect the data in the field survey. There are many public health problems in Africa that could have been chosen to pilot the surveys. However, malaria was selected to test the RAMP tools. The pilot surveys in Africa established conclusively that National Societies can be a core partner in leading a RAMP survey, with community-based volunteers able to collect data using mobile phones, and the results being available within days of the last interviews in the survey. Lessons learnt from the pilot surveys have been used to refine the RAMP survey methodology and tools, and to provide sample materials in the RAMP toolkit.
Smart phones increasingly as cheaper
RAMP deceases the time between data collection and the production of the survey resultsThe results can be available within days of the last interviews
Traditionally, the paper questionnaires used in the field are sent to a central location where the data are entered into a computer.
Quality assurance: SMS program can automatically feedback on mistakes, i.e. type “I” instead of “1” or “O” instead of “0” automatically generates a correction request to sender. You cant do any of the three last points with RAMP yet !!
Trees!
Reduced time = more timely decision making and action. Real-time dataset exported for rapid analysis and reporting purposesMore timely with changes/adjustments to survey tool
Reduced monetary & environmental costs Paper usage, data entry, transportation and associated costs (i.e. change a form)Additional SMART phone features i.e. GPS, pictures, videoMobile phones are widely-available and understood technology, (jumps digital divides in developing countries).
Paper and data entry
Not suitable for very long questionnaires with a large quantity of skip patternsNo “magic bullet” – the work is still in the details Survey design, enumerator training, data collection and analysis, and effective reporting and dissemination.Things to improve – i.e. offline form generation (i.e. on long airline flights)
- Examples might include: surveys to estimate the percentage of households that were visited by community-based volunteers to discuss the care and repair of mosquito netssurveys to estimate the percentage of households that are receiving clean watersurveys to estimate the percentage of six year old female children that are attending school
MIS=Malaria Indicator SurveyDHS=Demographic and Health Survey
To decrease dramatically the time and effort needed to complete data collectionEnables timely reportingResults are rapidly available for decision-making: emergency & development programming.