Adding value using new GIS data to old legacy data to improve evaluation design and program implementation.

Abstract Information: Increased data processing capabilities that are at the fingertips of new generation of evaluators make GIS data more accessible and usable. In development sector, GIS data can be used to implement development programs more effectively and enable more robust evaluation designs to be applied to measure those programs. USAID's Esho Shikhi Activity helps schools improve Bangla reading instruction and continue teaching during emergencies such as increasingly severe floods and cyclones in Bangladesh. The program plans to help over 15,000 schools with more than two million students by 2028. In 2023, Winrock International, the prime implementer of the project, partnered with EQMS to collect GIS coordinates and other key data from more than 12,600 government primary schools out of 65,000 government primary schools in Bangladesh. The mapping provided vital insights that will help not only the Esho Shikhi activity supported schools, but the larger education sector in Bangladesh to address inequalities in education access, disparity, planning and management. The GIS information on schools’ sites and traits can be overlaid with other datasets that have the location of roads, other infrastructure, population, ethnicity, schools’ basic features, demographics, and vulnerability to disasters. That can illuminate which communities have fewer schools, greater difficulty reaching schools, and greater risks of disruptions in education. The poster will present how and what GIS data was collected, how they were merged with other datasets to enhance the usability and value of the entire dataset, and how the resulting dataset was used to improve implementation and evaluation of the program. The staff members who supported the evaluation and GIS of Esho Shikhi project will be there to answer any questions regarding the process and findings.