Posts focused on Data Management Systems and MEL

In addition to supporting timely data collection about water access in Tanzania, the Sensors, Empowerment, and Accountability (SEMA) network provides a public-facing District Water Engineer Dashboard. Figure 1: Screenshot of DWE Dashboard Map This dashboard allows key audiences – citizens, District Water Engineers (DWEs), other Ministry of Water and Irrigation officials – to easily view the

“Basically, we used to have two methods of getting information on water infrastructure… The first… [was] the water department at the municipal level would visit the villages once or twice a year during the months of June and December to do stock-taking of all water points and their functionality status. “The second method was to

Access to safe water is essential to our health and wellbeing. As an international community, we recognize this as demonstrated by our commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 6, “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” At the national level, universal access to safe water is a core indicator in Tanzania Vision

This post builds upon a DG contribution to the 2017 OECD Development Cooperation Report, launched on October 17, 2017. All too often, discussions about managing for results in development fail to specify who is managing, what decisions they are authorized to make, or what results data are being used. Identifying the who and whats is

It didn’t surprise me when I learned that — when Ministry of Finance officials conduct trainings on the Aid Management Platform for Village Chiefs, CSOs and citizens throughout the districts of Malawi — officials are almost immediately asked: “What were the results of these projects? What were the outcomes?” It didn’t just matter what development

The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda offers the promise of new technologies, big data sources, and increased government statistical capacity for data-driven policy and progress. However, we cannot assume that more data will result in a better world. Moreover, a data revolution comes with risks: Will SDG reporting consume already-limited government statistical capacity? Will “focus on

In 2003, an undergraduate student at the College of William and Mary set out to write his honors thesis on the efforts of international development organizations to help communities adapt to and mitigate the effects of global climate change. His research quickly hit a roadblock: existing public data on foreign aid flows was not precise

In the Results Data Initiative (RDI)’s first cross-ministry co-design workshop, we explored opportunities for greater data-driven decision-making in Tanzania’s health sector. Ultimately, colleagues from the Government of Tanzania — representing the President’s Office of Regional Administration and Local Government, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Planning, and the National Bureau of Statistics — identified

This is a guest post from the co-founders of Cooper/Smith, a DC-based startup that uses data to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of development programs. At the end of a long, dusty dirt road bordered by fields of maize sit several huts owned by Luzi Orphan Care. This community organization in rural Malawi receives around

Earlier this month, the Results Data Initiative (RDI) program reached an important milestone by convening our first cross-ministry co-design workshop with 24 officials across the Government of Tanzania. Our goal? Put data to use for decision-making in health. At this meeting, we put our problem-driven, iterative, and adaptive (PDIA) approach into motion — facilitating discussions around