1. Mobile Data Collection
CRS’ experience with a nationwide survey in Sierra
Leone
Presenter: Paul Perrin
Senior Technical Advisor for M&E, OR, and Learning in Health and
HIV
CORE Group Fall Meeting, Washington, DC
October 11, 2012

2. • How many of you have a smart phone?
Source: DataDyne

3. ICT4D in CRS’ health programming
Technology is used to…
• Collect and store project data i.e., beneficiary registration,
Collect Mobile Data
services rendered and impact indicators
• Analyze project data and generate reports to meet donor
Analyze and Report
requirements
• Track and monitor where and what services are rendered to
Track and Monitor
whom, providing visibility to stakeholders
• Disseminate project information widely to partners, field
Raise Awareness agents, community workers, and beneficiaries to raise
awareness and facilitate distance learning programs
• Support two way communication between CRS staff, partner
Communicate and Train staff, field agents, community workers, and beneficiaries in
dispersed locations
• Provide services to beneficiaries with limited infrastructure
Provide Remote Services e.g. banking, access to market prices, weather data, patient
care information, disaster warning and learning programs

4. What is Mobile Data Collection?
• The gathering of
data on portable
electronic devices
• The storage of
the data in a safe
electronic
database
• The retrieval of
the data for
analysis and
reporting
purposes

5. Benefits of Mobile Data Collection
• Availability of real-time
information
• Reduced costs
• Improved data quality
• Enriched data content
• Increased participant
motivation

6. Project Background
• Malaria National
Knowledge, Attitudes,
Practices Survey
• Complex structure (parent
forms and child forms)
• 8000 respondents
• Partners
• Ministry of Health and
Sanitation
• National Malaria Control
Program
• Dept. of Planning and
Information
• WHO
• Statistics Sierra Leone

7. ICT4D Project Lifecycle Methodology
Initiate Analyze Architect & Implement & Operate &
Deploy
Request Requirements Design Test Maintain

8. Project Timeline
- Project definition sheet - GKIM representative - Tested charging plan
November-December
October
August - September
- Reviewed various provided demonstration and backup plan before
technology solutions - GKIM trained CRS/SL procuring
- Tested top available staff in use of technology - Made order for phones,
solutions through GKIM -Created a connection cases, chargers, battery
and CRS/SL plan, licensing plan, packs
- Presented to CRS/SL charging plan and data - Defined variables and
and local stakeholders backup plan programmed skeleton
survey
- Engaged service
provider and consultant
- Finalized tool and field
test

9. ICT Solution
• 4 weeks of data collection
• 89 enumerators
• iFormBuilder
• iPhone 3GS
• HQ GKIM Staff Support

10. Data Backup Plan

11. Project Timeline
- Secured technology - Handover of the phones to - Phones returned to CRS
Late February-March
January
February
licensing implementing partner and checked
- Set up and configured - Data collection - Filled in gaps for missing
phones - Data quality monitoring enumeration areas
- Programmed complex logic - Data cleaning
- Created mock database - Extensive problem solving
and performed checks to fix database
- Finalized manuals for data - Analysis and report writing
collection and phone use
- Trained enumerators on
the tool and the phones
- Tested iFormBuilder in one-
day field test

12. Key Challenges
• Underestimation of time required for
each activity
• Technology didn’t always perform as
expected
• Tech support for program and field team
• Security of goods
• Rushing led to some programming
errors

13. Key Successes
• The phones were largely a hit
• The functioning skips and validations
led to a cleaner data set
• Data collection was relatively quick
• Mobile network coverage allowed for
daily synching in most cases
• No hardware or charging issues
• Worked to have a specific, visual
Software User Manual to guide in data
collection
• Real-time monitoring

15. Lessons Learned
• Budget enough time
• Involve partners early
• Necessity of resources and tools
for planning process
• Test extensively

16. Lessons Learned
• Demand longitudinal support
• Communicate regularly between
program and ICT staff
• Have a plan B
• Monitor all data in process for
completion, duplicates and glitches

17. • Question: Should I embrace mobile data
collection for my organization/program?
• Answer:

18. Thank You
Thanks to Pei Ni Ong and Emily
Bostick and other members of
the CRS ICT4D team for the
content in some of these slides
Paul.perrin@crs.org
More information:
http://www.crsprogramquality.org
/ict4d-2012/
http://humanitarian-nomad.org/