Technology is the bridge that helps sustainable water programs flow
Unlocking the power of data for development
Improving service delivery with data
Development programs can be deeply complex. Having the right knowledge and resources to sustainably improve the management of water, sanitation, and agriculture can be a challenge.
Good data is critical for effective decision-making, collaboration, and accountability. Akvo provides partners with a data platform to help them improve the way they implement development programs so they can achieve lasting impact.
Akvo’s open source data platform helps organizations and governments capture and understand data that they can act upon. This platform is supported by a series of services that build local expertise to ensure success from data to decision.
“We’re a national government agency that oversees 216 districts. Akvo Flow makes it possible for us to instantly transfer data on each facility to a database to be analyzed. We will continue to use it to ensure our services get better.”
Clement Bugase, Chief Executive, CWSA Ghana
Data drives decision-making
Around the world, people lack access to safe drinking water. High-quality, timely, and accurate data is needed for governments and other stakeholders to make policies and effectively target interventions.
Since 2013, Cisco has supported the development of Akvo Flow, a smartphone-based data collection app, and Akvo Lumen, a tool for data analysis and visualization. These tools allow the development community to easily and effectively use data for decision-making.
Akvo's data platform is now used by hundreds of nonprofits and a number of national governments in Africa to monitor water services. The insights it generates have been key in providing safe and sustainable drinking water solutions for an estimated 30.5 million people.
250+ organizations
Twenty governments and over 250 organizations in more than 70 countries have worked with Akvo to improve the way they implement development programs and make decisions using data.
Where data flows, so does safe water
Safe water in the Palorinya refugee camp
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) worked to provide safe water to the Palorinya Refugee Camp in Uganda. Water was taken from the River Nile, treated, and distributed across the camp. Using Akvo’s data platform, MSF measured the water quality from distribution to the points of consumption, allowing for rapid decision-making and safe drinking water.
National water atlases in West Africa
In collaboration with Akvo, national governments in West Africa have used smartphones to map water points and created open data portals where this information is publicly shared. These portals feature interactive maps and data analysis features, empowering citizens and allowing governments to make informed decisions at the local and national level.
A bridge to clean water
Akvo's unique, collaborative approach to development is helping organizations around the world use their data more effectively, and for greater impact.
Meet our community partners
Cisco and the Cisco Foundation partner with innovative nonprofits to deliver transformative, tech-driven solutions for education, economic empowerment, crisis response, and climate impact.