The focus of the data collection and management systems work at Stats4SD is on choosing the right tools and building the systems for digital data collection and management. We support people who want to collect data, for example through household surveys, field experiments or talking to farmers about their practices.
Our job is to capture the data, store it sensibly and get it into shape for efficient processing. This includes designing questionnaires and forms for collecting data on a mobile device, as well as building end-to-end systems to manage the data collection (fieldwork) and processing.
ODK for data collection
Stats4SD uses ODK as its starting point in most cases. This open-source software allows people to collect data on mobile devices and upload results to a server. ODK forms (questionnaires) can be created from scratch or customised from existing forms. Photos, GPS locations, different languages and other elements can be included.
At Stats4SD, we are experts in using ODK to help our clients collect the data they need. We assist our clients in designing the ODK forms, and for those who need support for building end-to-end data management systems, we add on tailor-made platforms, automated analysis programmes and dashboards.
Stats4SD also has a series of free training materials for ODK in the Introduction to ODK video playlist.
GIZ, a German government service provider in the field of international development, is implementing ProSoil: A Global Soil Conservation and Rehabilitation Programme to Promote Food Security. As part of ProSoil, GIZ ran a survey of 800 farm households in four of the participating countries - Kenya, Ethiopia, Benin and Madagascar - to understand if ProSoil’s activities had had a significant impact on farmers’ adoption of agroecology practices and overall system performance.
The starting point for data collection was the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). ODK forms were used to collect data in the field with mobile devices and to aggregate the data.
Stats4SD provided end-to-end support including platform design, field support, data analysis and report writing. Our role included:
Stats4SD also carried out the statistical analysis for the survey.
The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a pest that destroys maize crops. In 2016, it arrived in West Africa and spread rapidly, posing a serious threat to livelihoods.
World Agroforestry (ICRAF) set up a programme of research involving a series of on-farm trials across Africa, including standard treatments and specific local adaptations. ICRAF needed to help each local team design the trial, build a list of treatments, collect the data and send it to the ICRAF team doing the pan-Africa analysis. For this, they needed a data collection system that would allow them to manage the trials in different locations and languages, collect the data and metadata in real time and bring everything together without losing the IDs for each data point.
Stats4SD designed and built a data collection and management system for ICRAF that enabled them to carry out this important work effectively.
To learn more about how we can help you, please contact:
Senior Data Engineer
Senior Data Engineer
Dave leads Stats4SD’s data systems and platforms team, providing robust technical solutions to support complex data management challenges. He specialises in database management, web design, and building data collection tools with ODK to support large-scale data collection efforts. He has over a decade of experience working with large and small projects. In his work, Dave is keen on promoting the careful and considered use of technology to support the work of our partners and provides both technical expertise and an understanding of when and how technology can be brought in to improve efficiency and quality.