--- title: UNICEF New Delhi - ODK Deployment for Community Based Monitoring (CBM 2.0) url: https://www.velsof.com/case-studies/unicef-new-delhi-odk-deployment-for-community-based-monitoring-cbm-2-0/ date: 2026-02-23 type: case_study author: Velocity Software Solutions client: "UNICEF India Country Office (Social Policy Section & T4D)" industry: "International Development / Social Protection / COVID-19 Pandemic Response / Data Collection & Analysis" location: "New Delhi, India (with coverage across 20 districts in 10 states)" categories: Case Studies tags: COVID-19, Dashboard, Education, Healthcare, Mobile App, Offline App, Power BI, python-development, Training, UNICEF, Web Application Development --- ## The Challenge The COVID-19 pandemic, starting in March 2020, had disproportionately affected marginalized and vulnerable communities across India in a multi-dimensional way. Lockdowns led to job losses, business closures, declining economic conditions, and rising debt burdens, particularly for families engaged in seasonal employment, cross-border trade, and informal work. The second wave from February 2021 further exacerbated the situation with increased infection and mortality rates. UNICEF India needed to undertake a comprehensive Community Based Monitoring study (CBM 2.0) to: - **Assess COVID Impact**: Gather evidence from communities across multiple sectors on the impact of the pandemic, particularly on marginalized populations - **Monitor Vaccine Acceptance**: Understand knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and practices about prevention and vaccine acceptance - **Track Social Protection**: Disseminate information on social protection schemes and programmes to affected communities - **Large-Scale Data Collection**: Conduct a cohort-based longitudinal study across 20 districts in 10 states over 3 rounds, each involving approximately 400 enumerators and 12,000 interviews - **Multi-Language Support**: Questionnaires needed to be coded in multiple Indian regional languages - **Real-Time Monitoring**: Daily monitoring of incoming data with percentage completion tracking by district, volunteer, and CSO - **Technical Platform Management**: Set up and manage the ODK (Open Data Kit) platform for all data collection, processing, analysis, and visualization ## Velocity’s Solution ### Scope of Work Velocity Software Solutions deployed dedicated technical resources to set up and manage the complete ODK-based data collection ecosystem for the CBM 2.0 study, including platform configuration, capacity building, data monitoring, processing, analysis, and visualization across three rounds. ### Key Features & Deliverables **ODK Platform Setup & Management** – Configuration of ODK platform (using UNICEF’s enterprise subscription through ONA) in tandem with the study design – Questionnaire development and coding on ODK, accessible through [mobile application](https://www.velsof.com/mobile-app-development/) and web browsers – Multi-language questionnaire coding in Indian regional languages (translated questionnaires provided by UNICEF) – Integration with Google Forms and ODK – Creation of ODK connections with RapidPro using the existing RapidPro connector – Setup of content on RapidPro flow editor as required **Capacity Building & Training** – Participation in approximately 25 cascading training sessions per round with UNICEF programme team – Training of CSOs (Civil Society Organizations) and CSVs (Community Service Volunteers) on technology-based data collection – Creation of presentations and videos demonstrating the platform and mobile app – Troubleshooting support during training sessions **Real-Time Data Monitoring** – Daily monitoring of incoming data from approximately 400 enumerators per round – Percentage completion reporting by district, volunteer, and CSO – [Dashboard](https://www.velsof.com/software-development/) generation for missing data to enable programme follow-up – Real-time support for registration, validation, and processing of survey respondent information **Data Processing & Analysis** – Data cleaning and processing after each round of collection – Development of dashboards for concurrent monitoring of fieldwork – District, state, and national-level data analysis and visualization – Output in multiple formats: reports, infographics, dashboards, or combinations **Ongoing Technical Support** – Questionnaire review with programme team for correctness of flow and logic – Troubleshooting support for all online and offline ODK-related activities – Platform optimization and maintenance across three rounds ### Technology Stack - **Data Collection**: Open Data Kit (ODK) via ONA enterprise subscription (SaaS) - **Mobile**: ODK mobile application for [Android](https://www.velsof.com/android-development/) - **Communication**: RapidPro (with ODK connector) - **Forms**: Google Forms (integrated with ODK) - **Analysis**: Advanced MS Excel, Power BI, Google Data Suite, SPSS - **Visualization**: Tableau, Infogram, Power BI - **Programming**: [Python](https://www.velsof.com/python-development/) for data analysis - **Dashboard**: Custom monitoring dashboards ## Implementation Approach The project was structured around three rounds of data collection, each spanning approximately 3 months: **Round 1 (September – November 2021)**: – Platform setup and ODK configuration – Questionnaire development and multi-language coding – Capacity building sessions (approximately 25 sessions) – Data collection with daily monitoring – Data cleaning, processing, analysis, and visualization **Round 2 (March – May 2022)**: – Platform reconfiguration for updated study design – Refresher training sessions – Data collection with continuous monitoring – Analysis and reporting **Round 3 (August – October 2022)**: – Final round platform setup – Training and data collection – Comprehensive multi-round analysis and final reporting Each round followed the same cycle: platform setup, capacity building, data collection monitoring, and data cleaning/processing/analysis/visualization. Timelines for rounds 2 and 3 were flexible, depending on the evolving COVID situation and progress of previous rounds. The work was managed by UNICEF’s Social Policy team and T4D Specialist, with full-time resources deployed during each active round period. ## Key Outcomes & Impact - **20 Districts, 10 States Covered**: Successfully collected and analyzed data across 20 districts in 10 states, providing a comprehensive picture of COVID-19’s impact on vulnerable communities - **36,000+ Interviews**: Conducted approximately 12,000 interviews per round across 3 rounds, creating a robust longitudinal dataset - **Real-Time Monitoring**: Enabled daily tracking of data collection progress, allowing programme teams to follow up on gaps immediately - **Evidence for Policy**: Generated multi-round evidence on the pandemic’s impact across sectors including health, education, livelihoods, and social protection, informing UNICEF’s programmatic response - **Vaccine Hesitancy Insights**: Provided critical data on COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and vaccine acceptance to guide communication strategies - **Social Protection Awareness**: Supported dissemination of information about government social protection schemes to affected communities - **Capacity Built**: Trained hundreds of CSO partners and community volunteers on digital data collection, building lasting technical capacity ## Why Velocity Velocity Software Solutions was the right partner for this critical COVID-19 response study because of: - **Extensive ODK Expertise**: Deep, prior experience in creating ODK forms, managing ODK platforms, and related data management tasks - **RapidPro Integration Knowledge**: Understanding of the RapidPro-ODK ecosystem and existing connector capabilities - **Data Analysis & Visualization Skills**: Advanced capabilities in Power BI, Tableau, SPSS, Python, and other analysis/visualization tools - **Large-Scale Survey Management**: Experience managing data collection operations involving hundreds of enumerators across multiple states - **Training & Capacity Building**: Proven ability to deliver effective technology training to non-technical field staff - **Multi-Language Support**: Capability to code and manage questionnaires in multiple Indian regional languages - **UNICEF Partnership**: Established working relationship with UNICEF India’s ICT and programme sections - **Rapid Deployment**: Ability to quickly deploy skilled resources to meet the urgent timelines driven by the evolving pandemic situation