Comparative sanitation data from high-frequency phone surveys across 3 countries
Amy R. Lewis,
Andrew R. Bell,
Ana Casas,
Beata Kupiec-Teahan,
José Mendoza Sanchez,
Simon Willcock,
Fiona Anciano,
Dani J. Barrington,
Mmeli Dube,
Paul Hutchings,
Caroline Karani,
Arturo Llaxacondor,
Hellen López,
Anna L. Mdee,
Alesia D. Ofori,
Joy N. Riungu,
Kory C. Russel,
Alison H. Parker
Affiliations
Amy R. Lewis
School of Environmental & Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG, UK; Corresponding author.
Andrew R. Bell
Department of Global Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
Ana Casas
School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK
Beata Kupiec-Teahan
School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK; Bangor Business School, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG, UK
José Mendoza Sanchez
Department of Management Science, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Perú; Instituto de Estudios Peruanos, Perú
Simon Willcock
School of Environmental & Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG, UK; Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK
Fiona Anciano
Department of Political Studies, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Dani J. Barrington
School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia
Mmeli Dube
Department of Political Studies, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Paul Hutchings
School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, LS29JT, UK
Caroline Karani
Meru University of Science and Technology, 972-60200, Kenya
Arturo Llaxacondor
Sanima, Av. Grau 629, Barranco, Lima, Perú
Hellen López
Department of Management Science, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Perú
Anna L. Mdee
School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, LS29JT, UK
Alesia D. Ofori
School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK
Joy N. Riungu
Meru University of Science and Technology, 972-60200, Kenya
Kory C. Russel
Department of Landscape Architecture and the Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
Alison H. Parker
School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK
With less than half of the worldʼs urban population having safely managed sanitation due to the high cost and difficulty of building sewers and treatment plants, many rely on off-grid options like pit latrines and septic tanks, which are hard to empty and often lead to illegal waste dumping; this research focuses on container-based sanitation (CBS) as an emerging off-grid solution. Off-grid sanitation refers to waste management systems that operate independently of centralized infrastructure and CBS is a service providing toilets that collect human waste in sealable containers, which are regularly emptied and safely disposed of. These data relate to a project investigating CBS in Kenya, Peru, and South Africa, focusing on how different user groups access and utilize sanitation – contrasting CBS with other types. Participants, acting as citizen scientists, collected confidential data through a dedicated smartphone app designed by the authors and external contractors. This project aimed to explore the effective scaling, management, and regulation of off-grid sanitation systems, relevant to academics in urban planning, water and sanitation services, institutional capability, policy and governance, and those addressing inequality and poverty reduction.The 12-month data collection period offered participants small incentives for weekly engagement, in a micro payment for micro tasks approach. Participants were randomly selected, attended a training workshop, and (where needed) were given a smartphone which they could keep at the end of the project. We conducted weekly smartphone surveys in over 300 households across informal settlements. These surveys aimed to understand human-environment interactions by capturing daily life, wellbeing, income, infrastructural service use, and socioeconomic variables at a weekly resolution, contributing to more informed analyses and decision-making.The smartphone-based approach offers efficient, cost-effective, and flexible data collection, enabling extensive geographical coverage, broad subject areas, and frequent engagement. The Open Data Kit (ODK) tools were used to support data collection in the resource-constrained environment with limited or intermittent connectivity.
