1

MajiData

Manual for:

-Familiarisation or Reconnaissance Visits

- Determining the Most Convenient Counting Unit

1.Introduction

The purpose of reconnaissance visit/mission is to provide an avenue for the MajiData Team to familiarise themselves with the town, appraise existing low-income areas and enable the formulation of data collection proper in each of the targeted areas. It will be a guided mission, employing the local knowledge and experience of the few officers from local institutions.

A listing of potential areas will be developed by a multi-stakeholder consultative meeting composed of officers from WSP, Council, Public Health Office (who are familiar of the WSP/Council jurisdiction) and MajiData Team. Use of area maps will be integrated in this listing for the purpose of visualising the location of these areas vis-à-vis other locations of the town/council.

Once the list is compiled, a cost-effective plan of visiting these areas will be devised. A typical segmentation of the town/council will provide a good basis for planning. Subsequently, a first-level general/initial familiarization/reconnaissance mission will be organized to be undertaken by the broad team, and followed later by a detailed reconnaissance visit by the MajiData team.

2.General/Initial Reconnaissance Visit

This will be undertaken by the broad team, composed of MajiData Team and officers from the local institutions. Following the devised plan, the listed areas will be visited, but also the town/council locations/sections surrounding these areas. The first-level mission will be expected to capture definite information about the areas.

Checklist of information to be captured during the general/initial reconnaissance visit.

  • Determination of target low-income areas that qualifies for data collection in each town segment. A final listing will be generated.
  • Determination of extent of each target area. Use of local names (of features/offices or names of households) at extreme corners of the target area and the taking photos of different set-ups of these area.
  • Contact person(s) in each target area, especially local resident(s).

3.Detailed Reconnaissance Visit

Once a final list of target areas has been compiled, it will be possible to undertake a second-level detailed reconnaissance mission. The mission will be undertaken by the MajiData Team, with assistance of local guide/residents (contacts/personspreviously identified). Prior to execution of the mission, the team will visit the area administrative officer (Chief or his/her assistant), introducing the project, its rationale, purpose and the methodology. In addition, the team will request his assistance in the course of data collection, especially in organising group discussion.

The second-level reconnaissance mission will aim to capture detailed information that will assist in formulating strategies for plot counting, plot sampling and plot-level interview.

Checklist of information to be captured during the detailed reconnaissance visit.

  • Appraisal and general description of the of the target area’s type, on the basis of nature of plots/land parcel and housing structure,
  • Description of the most convenient unit-either plot (distinct and delineable) or dwellings that would allow counting and interview, (see section 4),
  • Description of the nature of paths/streets/roads delineating/separating these units-either plots or dwellings,
  • Appraise the possibility of matching the map with facilities (especially roads, streets or paths) on the ground,
  • Appraise existence of residence-based or natural segmentation of the target area (by way of facilities like roads, streets or paths).

4.Determining the Most Convenient Counting Unit

The definition of units that would allow counting and interview will be very crucial. Based on the type of the target area, it would be possible to advice/recommend on the most appropriate counting unit.

For instance, in planned settlement where land is demarcated into distinct plots, then plot will be the obvious units for counting. On the other hand, in unplanned settlement, especially in slums, where people have settled in an ad hoc manner, then delineation of plots would be a real challenge, as settlement pattern is more defined by distinct dwellings and not plots. Thus, individual dwellings will be the most approapriate counting unit. Such a description as would be derived from the detailed reconnaissance visit/mission of a target area will be instrumental while advising the local data collectors on how to go about plot counting and plot-level interview.[1]

WSTF/MajiData Manual for Reconnaissance Visits November 2008

[1]Document prepared by Stephen Kiama.