Monday 6 February 2023, Apia, Samoa – The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) hosted a two-day training event in Vailima, Samoa to introduce a new suite of tools called KoboToolbox aimed at improving data collection and analysis in the country.
KoBoToolbox is a free and open-source suite of tools for field data collection, which can be used on most devices that can access the internet including smartphones and tablets. The platform allows users to design field surveys for data collection which can be deployed and made available to others for use in the field.
It has an accompanying mobile app called KoboCollect and an alternative web-based interface that allows users to carry out the data collection. The app can also be used offline, making it a versatile solution for practitioners who need to collect data in remote areas.
Over thirty participants from various government ministries attended the training, which was supported by the UN Joint Programme (UNJP) for Ecosystem Services in Samoa under SPREP and the IMPRESS Project under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE). The training aimed to equip participants with the skills to develop, implement, and manage field surveys and data collection using the KoBoToolbox suite of applications.
During his opening remarks, Director of SPREP’s Environmental Monitoring and Governance programme, Mr Jope Davetanivalu, acknowledged the importance of digital tools in streamlining data collection and analysis processes. He praised the MNRE for taking the lead in ensuring that Samoa is equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to use available tools.
“I hope this training provides you with an opportunity to refresh your knowledge and skills to use new techniques, and to improve our capacity in supporting data-driven decision-making processes and to support your own line of work, duties and responsibilities in your respective roles”, said Mr. Davetanivalu.
Ms Moira Faletutulu, Assistant Chief Executive Officer and Environment Sector Coordinator with MNRE, emphasised the importance of effective data gathering, analysis, and reporting for the development of the State of Environment Report for Samoa. She noted that the KoBoToolbox is a valuable tool for improving data collection, analysis, monitoring and evaluation.
For more information, please contact Ms. Lagi Reupena, Environment Data Officer at [email protected]
This workshop was supported by the GEF-funded UNEP Inform project at SPREP.