Indicator

Class: akvo.rsr.models.result.Indicator

Data types

There are two types of data on one can use when collecting data for indicators:

Quantitative

They collect numeric data.

Examples

  • Total number of farmers subsidised

  • Number of new pupils in schools

  • Annual yield of corn in tonnes

Furthermore, these can be split into cumulative and differential reporting methods.

Reporting methods

When data is entered into the system, it is counted in two ways.

Periodic

This is the default method of reporting where the counter is set to 0 at the beginning of the period, and the data submitted represents only what was done in that period

Example

Indicator: Annual yield of corn in tonnes

Every year, the corn fields are reaped and the amount collected is entered into the system.

  • “This year we reaped 10 tonnes of corn.”

  • “Last year we collected 5 tonnes of corn.”

Cumulative

Also known as “to date” reporting is like a tally that’s never reset. Each period represents the total at that time.

Example

Indicator: Total number of farmers subsidised

Every period more farmers are added to the total. One doesn’t have to sum up all the previous periods to get it.

  • “Since 2011, we have subsidized 500k farmers”

  • “To date, we have subsidized 500k farmers”

For the effects of cumulative reporting on Aggregation, see the dedicated page on Cumulative reporting

Qualitative

These indicators collect data that cannot be easily represented numerically.

Examples

  • Opinions: Very important, important, no opinion, less important, unimportant

  • Feelings: Satisfied, Unhappy, Sad, Bothered, Frustrated, …

  • Free text: experiences, evaluations, …