CSTEP Conducts Introductory Session for Young Digital Leaders on SPOORTHI Platform
SPOORTHI is a community-owned and -managed spatial data system that aims to aid policy and programming efforts towards the Sustainable Development Goals of promoting inclusive urbanisation and equitable access to urban services.
Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) conducted an introductory session to the SPOORTHI platform for selected young people (known as stewards) from Bengaluru’s G Baiyappanahalli community on May 12, 2019.
CSTEP has developed the beta version of the platform based on the design principles of efficiency, transparency and accountability, usability and access, monitoring system, and sustainability and robustness. This one-stop platform would enable the community to ‘log complaints’ pertaining to water, sanitation, and public health (WASH). The platform will also track community priorities through a set of quality-of-life (QoL) indicators in the aforementioned sectors.
As an initial step towards tracking selected QoL indicators, the stewards have conducted a baseline survey in the community. CSTEP developed the survey questionnaires in the Open Data Kit (ODK) Collect application and trained the stewards to conduct the survey. The survey has captured information on socioeconomic and WASH conditions in the community at the household level. Details of infrastructure facilities in the community (such as public-water taps, electric posts, garbage dumps, and open/play areas were also captured. The SPOORTHI platform has been populated with the collated data from the baseline survey.
The session introduced the features of the SPOORTHI platform to the stewards. They were apprised on how to register on the platform, track and monitor various QoL indicators, log and follow up on a complaint, and provide feedback and rating for the grievance-redressal mechanism. The role a steward would play in different scenarios was also discussed. Interesting discussions pertaining to the features of the platform emerged during the introductory session, which has provided CSTEP with valuable feedback to improve SPOORTHI.
SPOORTHI has been developed as a part of ‘A Spatial Data System for the Inclusive Cities Agenda in India’ project, funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF). The project is being implemented by a consortium consisting of IT for Change, Association for Voluntary Action and Service (AVAS), and CSTEP.
