A framework for using monitoring data in decision-making processes to improve drinking water supplies

In recent years there has been an increased focus on the collection of monitoring data to verify, better understand and in turn improve drinking water supplies. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) data can have multiple sources and have many characteristics. Data can relate to institutions, infrastructure as well as public health and be both quantitative and qualitative (BerkeleyLaw, 2018). To make the best use of data, it is useful to think of the data process as cyclical as opposed to simply a set of numerical values (BerkeleyLaw, 2018) such that in this process, the actual collection of data is only one of nine stages. In certain locations there is an abundance of WASH monitoring data. In others there is a distinct lack of available data. The collection of WASH data has attracted a great deal of attention and as a result countries, institutions and communities are collecting an increasing volume of monitoring data. What has been identified as lacking however is that next step in the process; taking that data and making meaningful evidence-based decisions and taking action to improve the water supply in question. Two key areas which often hinder action on the basis of data are lack of financial and human resources. One of the key themes in the United Nations Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water Report published in 2019 was surrounding these blockers, with a specific focus on the lack of financial resources. My work aims to produce and test a framework to provide recommendations on how evidence-based decisions can be most effectively made using WASH data to improve water supplies in the global context