Format: Live instructor-led online training via Zoom / Microsoft Teams

ODK for Emergency Assessments Training Course

Course Overview

The ODK for Emergency Assessments Training Course is designed to equip humanitarian professionals, disaster response teams, monitoring and evaluation specialists, researchers, government agencies, NGOs, UN personnel, and development practitioners with practical knowledge and technical skills in using Open Data Kit (ODK) for rapid emergency assessments, humanitarian data collection, disaster response, humanitarian information management, beneficiary registration, monitoring and evaluation (MEAL), needs assessments, protection monitoring, food security assessments, public health surveillance, WASH assessments, shelter assessments, and evidence-based humanitarian decision-making. The course emphasizes ODK Collect, ODK Central, XLSForm development, mobile data collection, offline data capture, GPS mapping, multimedia integration, cloud synchronization, data quality assurance, humanitarian analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Power BI dashboards, emergency information management, and digital humanitarian transformation to improve the speed, accuracy, accountability, and effectiveness of emergency operations.

Participants will gain practical experience in designing professional digital questionnaires using XLSForms, configuring advanced survey logic, deploying ODK Collect on Android devices, conducting offline field data collection, capturing GPS coordinates, photographs, videos, audio recordings, signatures, and barcode information, synchronizing cloud databases, managing enumerators, validating field data, cleaning datasets, and producing real-time humanitarian reports and dashboards. The course also covers rapid needs assessments, emergency beneficiary registration, disaster damage assessments, vulnerability assessments, humanitarian coordination, data protection, ethical data collection, organizational learning, donor reporting, and adaptive management. Through hands-on exercises, field simulations, humanitarian scenarios, and practical case studies, participants will build competencies in implementing digital emergency assessment systems that support timely humanitarian response and operational excellence.

The training aligns with internationally recognized standards including the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), Sphere Humanitarian Standards, Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), Humanitarian Data Responsibility Guidelines, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus, and global Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) frameworks. Participants will understand how ODK enhances humanitarian information management, strengthens organizational accountability, improves emergency coordination, supports evidence-based programming, facilitates adaptive management, and increases donor confidence through high-quality digital data systems.

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to design advanced ODK forms, deploy mobile emergency assessment systems, conduct rapid humanitarian assessments, integrate AI-supported analytics and GIS mapping, develop interactive Power BI dashboards, manage humanitarian databases, strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems, improve emergency coordination, and establish comprehensive digital humanitarian information management systems that support timely, transparent, and evidence-based emergency response operations.

Course Objectives

1. Understand ODK architecture and emergency assessment workflows.
2. Design advanced ODK forms using XLSForms.
3. Conduct rapid emergency assessments using ODK Collect.
4. Capture GPS, multimedia, and geospatial emergency data.
5. Apply data validation, quality assurance, and ethical data management practices.
6. Integrate ODK with AI, GIS, Excel, and Power BI.
7. Manage cloud-based humanitarian databases using ODK Central.
8. Strengthen monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL).
9. Generate real-time dashboards and emergency assessment reports.
10. Develop comprehensive ODK-based emergency assessment systems.

Organization Benefits

1. Accelerates emergency assessment and humanitarian response.
2. Improves accuracy and quality of field data collection.
3. Reduces operational costs associated with paper-based assessments.
4. Strengthens evidence-based emergency decision-making.
5. Enhances donor reporting and organizational accountability.
6. Improves humanitarian coordination and information sharing.
7. Supports GIS mapping and spatial analysis of emergencies.
8. Promotes digital transformation across humanitarian operations.
9. Strengthens organizational learning and adaptive management.
10. Builds institutional capacity in digital emergency information management.

Target Participants

This course is suitable for humanitarian professionals, emergency response coordinators, disaster management officers, NGO staff, UN agency personnel, MEAL specialists, monitoring and evaluation officers, humanitarian information management officers, GIS specialists, public health professionals, WASH specialists, food security officers, shelter coordinators, protection officers, project managers, researchers, statisticians, field enumerators, government disaster response agencies, donor-funded project staff, consultants, data analysts, and professionals responsible for emergency assessments and humanitarian information systems.

Course Outline

Module 1: Introduction to ODK for Emergency Assessments

• ODK ecosystem and architecture
• Emergency assessment principles
• Humanitarian information management
• ODK Central configuration
• Ethical and secure digital data collection
• International humanitarian data standards

General Case Study: Developing an ODK-based rapid assessment framework for emergency response following severe flooding affecting multiple communities.

Module 2: ODK Form Design and Mobile Deployment

• XLSForm development
• ODK Build and Form Designer
• Skip logic and validation
• Calculations and repeat groups
• Multimedia and barcode integration
• Offline deployment using ODK Collect

General Case Study: Designing an emergency household assessment form with GPS coordinates, photographs, beneficiary identification, vulnerability scoring, and automated validation rules.

Module 3: Emergency Field Data Collection

• Rapid needs assessments
• Household vulnerability assessments
• GPS and GIS data collection
• Beneficiary registration
• Enumerator supervision
• Data quality assurance

General Case Study: Conducting a multi-sector emergency assessment using ODK Collect to gather shelter, WASH, food security, protection, and health information across disaster-affected communities.

Module 4: Data Management, GIS and Humanitarian Analytics

• ODK Central data synchronization
• Data cleaning and validation
• GIS mapping and spatial analysis
• Artificial Intelligence for emergency analytics
• Microsoft Excel integration
• Power BI dashboards

General Case Study: Developing an integrated emergency operations dashboard using ODK, GIS mapping, AI-supported predictive analytics, Excel, and Power BI for humanitarian coordination.

Module 5: Monitoring, Evaluation and Emergency Reporting

• MEAL framework integration
• Emergency response indicators
• Humanitarian performance monitoring
• Donor reporting requirements
• Evidence-based reporting
• Organizational learning

General Case Study: Building a monitoring framework that uses ODK data to evaluate emergency response effectiveness, beneficiary coverage, accountability, and operational performance.

Module 6: Advanced ODK Applications and Digital Humanitarian Innovation

• API integration and automation
• Cloud-based humanitarian information systems
• Predictive analytics for disaster response
• Digital transformation strategies
• Emerging humanitarian technologies
• Sustainability and continuous system improvement

General Case Study: Designing a comprehensive digital emergency information management system integrating ODK Central, AI-supported forecasting, GIS mapping, cloud databases, Power BI dashboards, adaptive management, monitoring and evaluation, and evidence-based reporting for multi-sector emergency response operations.

General Information

1. Customized Training: All our courses can be tailored to meet the specific needs of participants.
2. Language Proficiency: Participants should have a good command of the English language.
3. Comprehensive Learning: Our training includes well-structured presentations, practical exercises, web-based tutorials, and collaborative group work. Our facilitators are seasoned experts with over a decade of experience.
4. Certification: Upon successful completion of training, participants will receive a certificate from Foscore Development Center (FDC-K).
5. Training Locations: Training sessions are conducted at Foscore Development Center (FDC-K) centers. We also offer options for in-house and online training, customized to the client's schedule.
6. Flexible Duration: Course durations are adaptable, and content can be adjusted to fit the required number of days.
7. Onsite Training Inclusions: The course fee for onsite training covers facilitation, training materials, two coffee breaks, a buffet lunch, and a Certificate of Successful Completion. Participants are responsible for their travel expenses, airport transfers, visa applications, dinners, health/accident insurance, and personal expenses.
8. Additional Services: Accommodation, pickup services, freight booking, and visa processing arrangements are available upon request at discounted rates.
9. Equipment: Tablets and laptops can be provided to participants at an additional cost.
10. Post-Training Support: We offer one year of free consultation and coaching after the course.
11. Group Discounts: Register as a group of more than two and enjoy a discount ranging from 10% to 50%.
12. Payment Terms: Payment should be made before the commencement of the training or as mutually agreed upon, to the Foscore Development Center account. This ensures better preparation for your training.
13. Contact Us: For any inquiries, please reach out to us at training@fdc-k.org or call us at +254712260031.
14. Website: Visit our website at www.fdc-k.org for more information.