A Practical Guide to Large Scale Data Collection in Challenging Environments
27 Jan 2017ROOM/TIME CHANGE: IAB 711, 4:00-5:30pm
Presenter: Jasper Cooper
Plan
This workshop highlights some of the key practical considerations that need to be addressed when implementing a large scale data collection effort in a challenging environment. For example
- How should one go about recruiting enumerators and what kind of contract should one draw up with them?
- How does one train enumerators? How do transport and accommodation options affect the optimum team size?
- What kinds of roles should the data collection team feature and how much should the different members of the team be paid?
- What are good budget-monitoring practices and how should one access research funds in low-security environments where banking services are sparse or unreliable?
- What is the best way to collect data and what open source (free) options are available?
- When using electronic tablets, how can one plan for contingencies such as power cuts or working in areas without access to electricity?
- How long is the project likely to take, given team size, IRB requirements, sampling strategy, survey length, and other factors that influence the duration of the project?
- How does project duration impact the budget, and what are strategies to get the most out of a small budget?
I will draw examples principally from my experiences implementing large scale data collection in Papua New Guinea and Uganda. The workshop is intended as an exercise in highlighting the sorts of issues that arise when doing big surveys in challenging environments. Rather than giving all of the answers to these questions, this workshop is intended as an opportunity to share information and discuss solutions that have worked for others in the past.