Comparative sanitation data from high-frequency phone surveys across 3 countries.

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Lewis, A. R., Bell, A. R., Casas, A., Kupiec-Teahan, B., Sanchez, J. M., Willcock, S., Anciano, F., Barrington, D. J., Dube, M., Hutchings, P., Karani, C., Llaxacondor, A., Lopez, H., Mdee, A. L., Ofori, A. D., Riungu, J. N., Russel, K. C. and Parker, A. H. 2024. Comparative sanitation data from high-frequency phone surveys across 3 countries. Data in Brief. 55 (August), p. 110635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.110635

AuthorsLewis, A. R., Bell, A. R., Casas, A., Kupiec-Teahan, B., Sanchez, J. M., Willcock, S., Anciano, F., Barrington, D. J., Dube, M., Hutchings, P., Karani, C., Llaxacondor, A., Lopez, H., Mdee, A. L., Ofori, A. D., Riungu, J. N., Russel, K. C. and Parker, A. H.
Abstract

With less than half of the world's urban population having safely managed sanitation due to the high cost and difficulty of building sewers and treatment plants, many rely on off-grid options like pit latrines and septic tanks, which are hard to empty and often lead to illegal waste dumping; this research focuses on container-based sanitation (CBS) as an emerging off-grid solution. Off-grid sanitation refers to waste management systems that operate independently of centralized infrastructure and CBS is a service providing toilets that collect human waste in sealable containers, which are regularly emptied and safely disposed of. These data relate to a project investigating CBS in Kenya, Peru, and South Africa, focusing on how different user groups access and utilize sanitation – contrasting CBS with other types. Participants, acting as citizen scientists, collected confidential data through a dedicated smartphone app designed by the authors and external contractors. This project aimed to explore the effective scaling, management, and regulation of off-grid sanitation systems, relevant to academics in urban planning, water and sanitation services, institutional capability, policy and governance, and those addressing inequality and poverty reduction.
The 12-month data collection period offered participants small incentives for weekly engagement, in a micro payment for micro tasks approach. Participants were randomly selected, attended a training workshop, and (where needed) were given a smartphone which they could keep at the end of the project. We conducted weekly smartphone surveys in over 300 households across informal settlements. These surveys aimed to understand human-environment interactions by capturing daily life, wellbeing, income, infrastructural service use, and socioeconomic variables at a weekly resolution, contributing to more informed analyses and decision-making.
The smartphone-based approach offers efficient, cost-effective, and flexible data collection, enabling extensive geographical coverage, broad subject areas, and frequent engagement. The Open Data Kit (ODK) tools were used to support data collection in the resource-constrained environment with limited or intermittent connectivity.

KeywordsFood; Sanitation; Water supply; WASH; Container-based sanitation; Smartphone survey; Off-grid sanitation; Wellbeing; Poverty; Ecosystem Services
Year of Publication2024
JournalData in Brief
Journal citation55 (August), p. 110635
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.110635
Web address (URL)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340924006024
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
FunderEconomic and Social Research Council
Global Challenges Research Fund (UKRI)
Global Challenges Research Fund (UKRI)
Funder project or codeScaling up Off-Grid Sanitation
Publisher's version
Accepted author manuscript
Copyright license
CC BY-NC-ND
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online13 Jun 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted10 Jun 2024
PublisherElsevier
ISSN2352-3409

Permalink - https://repository.rothamsted.ac.uk/item/9908y/comparative-sanitation-data-from-high-frequency-phone-surveys-across-3-countries

Restricted files

Accepted author manuscript

Under embargo indefinitely

25 total views
9 total downloads
0 views this month
0 downloads this month
Download files as zip