Longitudinal / Repeat monitoring involves repeated observation of the same variables and is key to be able to track changes in the status of an object (e.g. assets such as pump, tank, pipe) or to track changes in key performance indicators (such as functionality, water quality, tariff recovery etc).
This is a fundamental function of an effective management information system where data is regularly collected to inform periodic decision making (e.g. planning, budgeting, operations etc)
How to structure longitudinal/ recurring monitoring on mWater?
To be able to track changes regularly you need to include a unique identifier in your data collection for the specific object you are tracking (e.g. village name, infrastructure ID etc)
OPTION 1 (recommended): mWater has a key function which support longitudinal / recurring monitoring: SITES. These are locations that you want to monitor over time.
SITES on mWater include communities, schools, health clinics, water points, water systems etc
Sites are permanent features of mWater and existing SITES can be linked to by different users.
Find more information about SITES HERE If you want to monitor a set number of questions or indicators for the same SITE(S) you can create a SURVEY which contains these questions and the relevant SITE(S) question.
Find more information about SURVEYS HERE OPTION 2: If you don't want to use SITES you can do longitudinal monitoring you can use a dropdown list of possible unique identifier for the specific object you are tracking (e.g. list of school names) that the data collector can select when filling the surveys.
