Aquaya:

The Aquaya Institute is a non-profit research and consulting organization that delivers knowledge and tools to help achieve universal access to safe water. Aquaya strengthens public and private delivery of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access by combining cutting edge research with strategic consulting across a range of disciplines from water quality monitoring to consumer research to impact evaluation. Aquaya’s goal is to bridge the divide between academic research and field implementation of measures that expand access to safe drinking water. 

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Problem:

Over 785 million people lacked access to basic drinking water services (WHO/UNICEF, 2019), most of whom live in poor remote areas. These large inequities persist as service providers and governments struggle to identify and reach those most in need of basic drinking water services.

To meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, implementers need to identify the most vulnerable and difficult-to-reach populations. Yet, a study by the World Bank reported that an average of 56% of subsidies benefit the wealthiest households, while only 6% reach the poorest quintile.

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Solution:

Aquaya used our datasets on human and economic activity in Ghana to find and target the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach households and understand who would be the recipients of pro-poor water programming.

They combined GIS and our data to target those who would benefit most from subsidies for pro-poor water programming.

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Results: 

View full case study by Aquaya here

Critical business and policy outcomes hinge on high-quality, reliable, granular and up-to-date market information. Data provides clarity, elevates discussions and enables intelligent design of programs and investments.

Other critical service providers can also use the power of data to enhance the allocation of capital to distribute cash, energy, healthcare, education and more.