In 2017, OpenFn has saved the iKapaData team valuable time typically spent on manual data entry and cleaning processes.The real-time connection has enabled live data monitoring for the team as iKapaData survey enumerators were conducting the survey.
iKapaData's essential work in South Africa
The census plays an important role in public administration by creating a compiled, numerical profile of South Africa. Enumerators are taught the local language and local customs in order to effectively achieve information from all households. This dataset is used as a benchmark in research and analysis for the public administration to determine policy decisions, budget decisions, and more. OpenFn enabled a system for iKapaData to ensure this delivery of accurate and timely information for the census.
iKapaData is a survey research and data science company with an aim to make data accessible, tangible, and actionable. For a census in South Africa in 2017, they were collecting household data using SurveyCTO. Each enumerator participating in the fieldwork was equipped with a tablet and an external GPS device for data collection.
iKapaData had no way to actively monitor data collection activities on the ground.
As enumerators collected the census data, iKapaData wanted to analyze that dataset using two reporting applications, Carto and Zoho – each with its own data model and required formats. To upload the data into the two reporting systems, iKapaData would have to rely on time-intensive manual data migration, and there was no easy way to actively monitor the census data collection.
Real-time data integration enabled live survey monitoring and quicker analysis.
OpenFn automation saved the iKapaData team valuable time typically spent on manual data entry and cleaning processes. Using OpenFn, iKapaData set up automated data cleaning and reporting pipelines that:
- Automatically extracted data from SurveyCTO on a scheduled basis,
- Transformed data to the appropriate reporting formats for data and geo-spatial analysis and,
- Uploaded key results to Zoho Analytics, while also adding locations to a map on CartoDB to display the locations already visited by enumerators.
The real-time connection enabled live data monitoring for the team as iKapaData survey enumerators were conducting the survey.
Learn more about OpenFn and SurveyCTO integrations here.