Demonstrating our commitment to improving the impact and effectiveness of our programs, Ace Africa Tanzania today deployed our first phone/tablet-based, mobile survey. The survey was built in KoboToolbox, an open source, mobile data collection platform which is based on Open Data Kit.
Mobile data collection is an exciting development in the field of monitoring and evaluation. Compared to paper-based data collection, digital data collection is faster, higher quality and more reliable, secure and economical. It allows for the collection and analysis of data in a compressed time frame, enabling real-time trend identification, adaptive management techniques, efficient allocation of limited resources and greater responsiveness to stakeholders and donors. The capturing of GPS data strengthens the integrity and transparency of the data and permits the use of a broader set of visualization tools in analysis.
ACE’s monitoring and evaluation systems are key to assessing the impact and quality of our work. We collect a large amount of data on the work we perform in the areas of child development, health and well-being and community livelihoods, as well as conduct extensive baseline and ongoing operational research in all of the communities in which we work. Utilizing mobile-based data collection will greatly increase the efficiency and usefulness of our data collection efforts, ultimately enhancing the impact of our programs.
Our first mobile survey seeks input from teachers who served as coaches in the Ace Africa – Future Stars Academy Football League, which completed its pilot season in rural Tanzania on Wednesday, April 2nd. The feedback received will enable Ace to assess the impact of the league and implement improvements to future iterations of the league. We will now focus our efforts on implementing digital data collection throughout our projects and sites.