Posts focused on Data Management Systems and MEL

IREX and Development Gateway: An IREX Venture participated in Festival de Datos from November 7-9, 2023. In this blog, Philip Davidovich, Annie Kilroy, Josh Powell, and Tom Orrell explore five key issues discussed at Festival de Datos on advancing data systems and how IREX and DG are meeting these challenges.

The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and Development Gateway (DG) are pleased to release a new report entitled “Decision-Making and Data Use Landscaping: Better Data, Better Decisions - May 2017 to October 2018.” This work examines the role that data plays in supporting key decisions taken by DFID at the strategy, portfolio (sector or country), and programme level. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through DG’s Results Data Initiative, the report synthesises in-depth interviews with approximately 60 DFID staff across four country offices, all sector teams, and senior management. 

What does “fit-for-purpose” data actually mean? It depends: on who you ask, and what decision is at stake. For governments and development partners – particularly those who rely on data from country systems for program planning and management – much frustration came from perceived redundancies in statistical and administrative data systems. 

Within the Sustainable Development Goal context of “leave no one behind,” there exists an opportunity – and a pressing obligation – to support better outcomes for children. But much of the change needed must happen at country and local level, through better use of data and evidence in decision-making.

Moving into 2019, we are pleased to be expanding RDI alongside our growing set of partners and funders. The program’s third phase focuses on agency-level engagement, and we will be scaling our partnerships with these development agencies to use results data to inform critical policy and programmatic decisions.

To achieve data use, we must change how we approach, design, and implement M&E systems. At present, investments in M&E systems suffer from high levels of inefficiency, and there is a high rate of failure across implemented systems. In taking steps to improve how M&E systems are designed, and to achieve truly useful systems, Development Gateway is pleased to announce the release of our latest white paper, “The Custom Assessment and Landscaping Methodology: Balancing Accountability & Learning in M&E Systems.”

At Development Gateway (DG), we continually emphasize learning and improving on established tools, seeking out new ways of designing to optimize impact. In recent months, as part of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) Data Use Fund, we’ve made several key improvements to our existing IATI-AIMS Import Tool that have made it more user-friendly and

Development Gateway (DG) is proud to launch the Administrative Data-Driven Decisions (AD3) program, supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Through this program, DG will work with governments in East and West Africa to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and use of administrative data systems.

Geography and accessibility to services hold significant weight in identifying comprehensive strategies to sustainably control the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Open Geospatial Data Center for Health (OpenDCH) project, supported by PEPFAR, aims to advance analysis of where the most affected communities are located, to focus on closing gaps in HIV testing and treatment. It will serve to improve understanding of HIV program coverage at the community level — leading to improved adherence, retention, and targeting of services.

What does it take to design a platform to collect, manage, and analyze a country’s agricultural information? Ideally, a significant amount of time to speak with key data producers and intended data users to understand needs and achieve buy-in. But, as was our experience in Malawi, – it also requires a fair amount of humility and iteration.