The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has changed the world irreversibly. Its deep and far reaching effects on society and business are now becoming evident. And therefore, the need for data driven innovations, strategies and interventions to manage such impact is more urgent than ever before.
All on-ground data collection operations at Outline India were halted in March, 2020. Our research staff deliberated closely with our clients to determine the feasibility of switching to remote data collection. We continued to execute online or phone-based research activities throughout the period where movement was restricted.
Such a transition required development of an entirely new set of protocols and guidelines on budgeting, field staff training, and quality assurance mechanisms. Towards mid 2021, we cautiously restarted a limited set of priority studies where in-person work was crucial, adopting stringent COVID-19 safety protocols.
Outline India was far from immune to the tremendous disruptions caused by the pandemic. However, we were also acutely aware of the special responsibility on organizations such as ours to step up and do more. Data was critical to governments’ efforts to quantify the impact of COVID-19 and plan rapid responses.
We supported rapid and responsible research initiatives that were relevant to COVID-19 response, mitigation, and recovery at low profit margins, given the urgent need for evidence-informed decision-making during the pandemic.
We provided pro bono services to government agencies and shared datasets we collected in-house on COVID-19.
We shared our tech tool for remote data collection with partners free of charge.
Data can help us not only understand the many challenges raised by the pandemic but also find solutions. Rapid, reliable and real-time data is key central to making decisions and designing effective relief measures. Digital data solutions provide actionable insights into spread of the disease, population mobility, resilience of people to identify priority areas of action and vulnerable communities, and effectiveness of counter-COVID initiatives.
