Mobile data tools for improving information flow in WASH: Lessons from three field pilots

The application of information and communication technologies (ICT) to support the delivery of water and sanitation services is a growing area of interest in the WASH sector. To study how these tools might be incorporated into existing management structures, Matt Ball, Zarah Rahman, Michael Champanis, Ulrike Rivett and Ranjiv Khush conducted field pilots of a mobile phone based application for transmitting water quality data in three distinct water supply structures: a large provincial utility in Vietnam, rural NGO operations in Cambodia, and district health authorities in Mozambique. The use of the application improved the efficiency of information flows in all three settings, and increased data availability at upper administrative levels in Mozambique.