DATA SCIENCE FOR DEVELOPMENT

WHAT
WE DO BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH

MONITORING, LEARNING
AND EVALUATION

DATA SYSTEM DESIGN

AND STRENGTHENING
BEHAVIORAL Athena develops and implements frameworks for mapping and analyzing
behaviors, with a specialized focus on extracting 'revealed preferences' as
RESEARCH against 'stated preferences'. We seek to blend the latest thinking in social
science research on frameworks to map behaviors with responsive data
collection techniques such as 'disguised experimentation', 'empathic design'
and 'projective techniques' to reduce respondent bias and better map the
behavioral contexts and underlying drivers.

Responsive Observational Behavior

Instrument Studies/Ethnographic Analytics
Design Immersions

Strengthening Formative Research
Tools to Map Consumer Behavior
and Design SBCC Strategies in
Sanitation 2015
SAMPLE PROJECT
PROBLEM:
Existing research instruments and processes, despite
being time consuming and expensive, do not capture
the core determinants of relevance to SBCC design
well, resulting in low impact investments in
communication strategies.
SOLUTION:
Design a research process framework along with a set
of tools that may be deployed across a range of state
contexts to better capture behavioral determinants
for toilet construction, use and maintenance.
 APPROACH:
Strengthening Formative Research
Tools to Map Consumer Behavior
and Design SBCC Strategies in
Sanitation 2015
SAMPLE PROJECT
Mapping the process of commonly adopted
research approaches using tableau to unlock
eiciencies
Identify and rank priorities of creative/
advertisement agencies with an ordinal utility
score
Design of reexive instruments that adopts to
changing consumer responses and stated
behaviours
Use of projective techniques and vignettes to
reduce respondent bias
Enhanced rigour in mapping behavioural
cohorts
Strengthened sampling and easy to use
customized sample size estimators
Use of IATs to triangulate qualitative responses
 THE UNIVERSE FOR ANALYSIS

Mapping Target Audience

Existing
Research
Processes Inuencers /
Campaign Decision
Goals Makers
What the
Creative
Research Qualitative
Scaling
Quantitative Agency
Process Survey Survey
Requires?
Key Inputs to help
start the design
thought process
Behavioral
Cost & Scale
Drivers

Evaluating
Current
Instruments Social Context
 Athena's evaluations philosophy focuses on continuous improvement,
learning and impact. Our suite of evaluations solutions help policy makers
MONITORING, drive meaningful macro outcomes, program managers deliver on intended
LEARNING AND micro outcomes, project teams achieve specic micro impact and social

EVALUATION investors measure macro impact of their investment interests. We do so across

the value chain starting with design, and extending into pilot and scale up of
evaluation interventions.

E3C

E3C QCA Impact

Forecasting

Scalability Cost Eectiveness Performance Impact

Assessment Assessment Evaluation Evaluations

Impact Assessment of National
Entrepreneurship Network in
India 2014
SAMPLE PROJECT
PROBLEM:
Lack of clear evidence on the attributability of
institutional capacity building initiatives of
educational institutions to support
entrepreneurship in India.
SOLUTION:
De velopment of an impact and scalability
assessment mechanism based on the Qualitative
Comparative Assessment (QCA) technique to answer
questions of eectiveness, sustainability, relevance,
eiciency and replicability.
 APPROACH:
Document the Institutional Capacity Building
(ICB) Model the inputs, outputs and
outcomes.

Impact Assessment of National Establish Impact in terms of entrepreneurs

created and supported, jobs created, start-up
Entrepreneurship Network in placements and other systemic impacts.
India 2014
Analyze the outcomes in terms of companies
and entrepreneurs created and evaluate most
eicient intervention models for a given
institutional context to inform scale up
decisions in the future.

SAMPLE PROJECT
 TIME TO IMPACT ANALYSIS

68
67

54
Number of Projects

45 47

28

9
8

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Years Taken for Reaching Impact Zone

Year of Joining 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Wireframe for MLE Platform for
Sanitation Service Delivery in
Urban Centers
SAMPLE PROJECT
PROBLEM: Data availability is a key impediment to
better tracking and targeting of aid, as well as for
identication of successful impact models in sanitation.
While there is data on specic outcome and impact
areas (e.g. level of open defecation, access to improved
water source etc.), the mechanism for transformation of
inputs to process to outputs and nally to outcomes, in
light of structural contexts largely remains a black box.
Addressing this data and evidence gap requires creation
of a comprehensive business case for data.
SOLUTION: Athena proposed the design of an
integrated, real-time Monitoring, Learning, and
Evaluation (MLE) platform in the Fecal Sludge
Management (FSM) space for the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation. This will help continuous monitoring of
sanitation service needs while also constantly
providing evidence to aid in decision making for cities,
as well as BMGF grantees. An open platform of this
nature that is scalable and sustainable, would become
the go-to platform for stakeholders in the FSM space to
monitor, contribute and learn from evidence.
 APPROACH:
Our approach to developing a customized wireframe
for the integrated MLE platform and a roadmap for
implementation and institutionalization involved
the following:
Stakeholder mapping and ecosystem
assessment in the FSM space.
Developing a City Maturity Framework
including the identication of key data gaps
Wireframe for MLE Platform for and assess the costs of lling these gaps.
Sanitation Service Delivery in Design of an evidence map of interventions in

Urban Centers the FSM space.

Development of a BI tool with data from
evidence mapping based on a portfolio of FSM
interventions identied in cities across the
world.
P i l o t i n g t h e C i t y S a n i ta t i o n M a tu r i t y
Framework and Evidence Tool for cities Trichy
and Warangal.
Identifying entry points for institutionalization
of the MLE platform.
SAMPLE PROJECT
 Overall Market Eiciency (Pricing, demand-supply matching)
Finance

Treatment
Collection Eiciency of Sanitation System

EVIDENCE
MAPPING Better Governance & Planning

Capacity Building (Supply & Demand Side)

Sanitation Service Delivery

Coverage of Households with Sanitary Toilets

Collection
Quality of Treatment & Environmental Sustainability

Quantity Safely Treated

Reduction in Disease Burden

Infrastructure

Access to FSM services for all sections (includes aordability)

Policy / Regulation Sanitation Stakeholders

Sanitation Practices & Behaviours
Desludging

Extent of Reuse & Recycling

Improvement in Educational Attainment

IEC/BCC
Reuse / Disposal

Improvement in Livelihoods & Income

Other Service Delivery / Externalities

Technology

Transport
Willingness to pay (in line with services delivered)

Facilitation of multi-stakeholder partnerships

Zero Open Defecation
 Athena leverages its understanding of development contexts and
DATA SYSTEM
innovative solutioning approaches to use existing data better, build new,
DESIGN AND cost-eective systems of data generation and recommendation engines
STRENGTHENING that support real time evidence-based learning.

Data Decision Institutional

Automation Support Capacity
and Mining Tools Building
(for data generation
and use)

Consultancy Services in Research &
Coordination for the Development
of an Innovative Data Toolkit
SAMPLE PROJECT
PROBLEM:
Lack of planning tools for local governments to
understand the maturity of the data ecosystem in
cities, and to plan for improving the same.
SOLUTION:
Developed a practical and innovative data toolkit
that will enable local governments to identify,
collect, manage, analyze and utilize those data that
any city management team would need objectively
to access and use to understand the city.
 APPROACH:
Assessment of minimal data set required to
track progress on thematic areas of citizenship
and governance, service delivery, economy
and environment.

Creation of framework to transparently assess

Consultancy Services in Research &
Coordination for the Development
of an Innovative Data Toolkit
the data ecosystem at a city level on structural
and operational aspects. Assessment of weak
links in the ecosystem and identication of
best practices (through case studies) for focus
areas.

Testing of the tool in two countries (Ghana and

Uganda), and dissemination through the
Future Cities Africa conference.

Creation of an action plan for cities to

implement the toolkit.

SAMPLE PROJECT
 Indicator Module
Basic and Advanced Indicator sets
across the CA thematic areas, drawing
from Global standards, contextualized
to African Cities across typologies
Case Study Pack
Examples of relevant experiences,
innovations and initiatives from other
cities. Curated with reference to the user
citys characteristics and challenges
Implementation Guidance
Overview of suggested implementation
structure, timelines, KPIs and overall
monitoring and evaluation mechanisms

1 3 5

TOOLKIT OVERVIEW 2 4

Module to rapidly assess the current data C o m pa c t g u i d a n ce pa c k fo r d a ta

maturity (by theme), and identify key management practices across
action areas for improvement, customized Te c h n o l o g y, Pe o p l e a n d P r o ce s s
to city typology and structural factors dimensions

Self Assessment Module Operational Best Practices

 PROBLEM:
Existing models to monitor and react to the spread of
malaria are retrospective with slow response times
and unidimensional .

SOLUTION:
Development of a near real-time surveillance model
and simple recommendation engine for city
governments pilot testing during the high-risk

Network Modelling Approaches season in the Indian city of Chennai.

for Malaria Surveillance APPROACH:

Use of a multi-dimensional approach to Malaria
surveillance by looking at non-traditional
sources of data besides existing sources.
Development of a statistical model for
monitoring malaria prevalence and
transmission using network theory.
Creating a Decision support toolkit for the key
stakeholders
SAMPLE PROJECT
 Dashboard Home > Dashboard

STATISTICAL
Control Panel

MODEL 15 -21%
New Patients Malaria Patient Growth Rate

More Info More Info

30 1.2%
Total Health Workers Populalation who has Malaria

More Info More Info

Malaria Statistics Area

200

150

100

50

0
2013 2014
 SECTORS CLIMATE CHANGE LIVELIHOODS MATERNAL
CHILD HEALTH

RENEWABLE ENERGY EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE WASH

DEVELOPMENT

CHILD PROTECTION

TRADE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

SME ENTREPRENEURSHIP

PUBLIC FINANCE URBAN GOVERNANCE WOMEN ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT EMPOWERMENT
 WASHINGTON
DC

DELHI

CHENNAI

EXPERIENCE IN OVER
OUR OFFICES 17 COUNTRIES
 Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation

W O R L D W I D E C O N S U LTA N T S

WORKED WITH OVER

50 CLIENTS MINICOM
athenainfonomics.in