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Saving lives, changing minds.
Rapid Mobile Phone-based Surveys (RAMP)
for Evidence-based Emergency Response
ALNAP 28th Annual Meeting,
5-7 March 2013, Washington, D.C.
Scott Chaplowe, Senior M&E Officer, IFRC
Rose Donna, Director, Datadyne.org
Jason Peat, Senior Officer Public Health, IFRC
Amanda Mcclelland, Emergency Health Officer, IFRC
Joel Selanikio, CEO DataDyne Group
Mac Otten

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Saving lives, changing minds.
Presentation Overview
Application of mobile technology (RAMP) to address specific
challenges in data collection during emergency operations.
1) Introduce RAMP
2) How RAMP works
3) Emergency contexts
4) Key considerations

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What is RAMP?
RAMP (Rapid Mobile Phone-based Surveys) is a survey
methodology utilizing mobile phones to help RCRC National
Societies, governments, NGOs and other partners efficiently
conduct quality surveys that:
 Reduced time
 Reduced cost
 Improved quality assurance
 Limited external technical assistance

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RAMP Background (www.ifrc.org/ramp)
1. Developed by IFRC in partnership with WHO, CDC, and
other partners.
2. Initial focus = malaria program household surveys
 Four pilots in Africa 2011-2012 (Kenya, Namibia and Nigeria),
3. Refine and developed trio of user guides:
1. Designing a RAMP survey
2. Implementing a RAMP survey
3. Training a RAMP survey team
4. Scale-up to other program areas – increase survey
functionality – use of SMS

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RAMP takes advantage of 2 technologies
1. Mobile phone to collect data
(Low-cost, standard mobile phones, as well as Android,
Symbian, Blackberry, SMS, and iPhone)
2. Web-based software
application
Enables mobile phones
to become a data
collection platform

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How does RAMP work?
5. Data Reports
2. Data collection
on phone
1. Develop survey on
website
3. Transmit
data
4. Collate/analyze
data on computer

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Connectivity
Internet
Required
• Create/edit surveys
• View/export data
• Create reports
Internet
Not Required
• Collect data
Can be cellular, wifi, cable

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Data monitoring and analysis
 Preliminary analysis available
before data collection is
complete

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Survey bulletins/updates Full survey reports
Timely Reporting

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Digital Data Collection – Changing the way we work
 Paper questionnaires filled out in
the field
 Data entered into a computer at
a central location
 Data analysis and reporting often
takes months to complete
 Local capacity is often under-
utilized and there is a
dependence on external experts
 Mobile and internet-based
technologies used to reduce time
for data collection to reporting
 Enables rapid reporting of results,
decision making, and action
 Empowers local ownership of
evaluation and research
The “old” The “new”

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Vaccination coverage
Surveillance
Supply chain management
Household surveys
Clinic surveys
Supervisory checklists
Anything that can be put on a form

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RAMP Potential in Emergencies?
Beginning to explore the potential of RAMP in emergency context:
 Site assessment – needs, damage
 Community assessment – needs, damage
 Beneficiary registration
 Distribution of emergency (and non-emergency) items
 Baseline/endline data collection (monitoring and impact study)
 Repeated surveys to track time trends for key indicators
 Beneficiary communication – (broadcast Terra)
 Beneficiary/community monitoring
 Disaster preparedness – EWS monitoring

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SMS Disease Surveillance Systems
 Piloting in community based disease surveillance
 Sierra Leone – 400 community volunteers distributing ORS.
 Referred only 5% of cases of AWD they saw in community = only
5% of cases were potentially recorded in normal MoH system.
 RAMP allows real time communication and data gathering
suitable for this context.
 Problems with integration and harmonization of data between
community and MoH.
 But SMS proved real time information to assist program
prioritization in outbreak scenarios.

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SMS Considerations
 Simplified questions rather than full surveys
 Coding syntax with 2 to 7 key variables as best practice
 Quantity of messages handled depend on networks, and whether
staggered or simultaneous reporting.
 Paper form can be used to facilitate data entry to SMS
 Quality assurance auto feedback
 Reminder SMS to field person to report data at a set time
 Thank you SMS to confirm receipt of data.
 Ability to send airtime to the mobile account if someone reports from
a common central account.

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Benefits?

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Benefits – decision making
 Data rapidly available for
decision-making
 Maintain data control
 Scalable for studies of varying
sizes
 Shared, electronic database to compare across contexts and with
partners to build a body of evidence related to impact

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Benefits - management
 Cost effective
 Do not have to reinvent the wheel –
Adaptable RAMP toolkit
 Consultants not required
 No software licensing or subscriptions
 Multiple languages (depending on
program)
 Export data for custom analysis using
any statistical analysis package
 Additional SMART phone features

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Benefits - management
 Online library of survey
forms
 Collect and aggregate data
form multiple areas and
partners
 Ease of creating and
changing analyses/reports
 Efficient reporting and
dissemination

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Benefits - Fieldworkers
• Build local capacity for M&E
• Standard and familiar mobile
phones
• No more paper to collect,
transport or return
• Automated data submission
(assuming network)

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Benefits - Quality Assurance
 Remote QA:
 Enables monitoring of survey team work rate, productivity and quality
 Monitor times/location of data collection (time/date data stamps)
 Provide feedback remotely
 Efficient data management reduces “paper” mistakes
 Easier to back-up forms/data
 Reduced error of repetitive data entry and re-entry
 Easier to change and update forms
 Immediate QA:
 Real-time error analysis and field
correction
 Utilize skip patterns, custom logic and
validation

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Reality Check!
 Not suitable for very long questionnaires
 No “magic bullet” –work is still in the details!
 Things to improve – i.e. offline form generation
 Technology is a moving target – (hardware and software)
 Challenges resource development/training
 (But also means improvements and reduced costs)

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Questions to Consider
 What applications do you see for mobile data collection
in the humanitarian sector?
 What has worked well?
 What hasn’t worked well?

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www.ifrc.org/ramp
Package of field-friendly User Guides:
1. Volume 1: Designing a RAMP survey: technical considerations
2. Volume 2: Implementing a RAMP survey: practical field guide
3. Volume 3: Training a RAMP survey team: guide for trainers
Living archive of additional resources:
 Example database and STATA files for data cleaning and analysis of a
sample malaria survey
 Latest up-to-date malaria questionnaires and STATA files for data
cleaning and analysis
 Country reports and results bulletins, information, useful links