Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland.
J Environ Manage. 2020 Apr 1;259:110053. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.110053. Epub 2020 Jan 8.
Improving the sanitation situation in a community that relies on on-site sanitation requires information about the quantity and quality of faecal sludge (FS) produced. Existing tools for data collection about FS characteristics are either imprecise or very costly. As information and communication technologies are becoming more available in low-income countries, Citizen Science is becoming an option for the collection of sanitation data. This study used an online survey distributed via social media to predict FS characteristics (Total Solids (TS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Sludge Volume Index (SVI)) at 40 households in Blantyre, Malawi. Furthermore, the study investigated whether and how an online survey could yield cost-effective and representative information about the sanitation situation at the household level. Facebook and WhatsApp both introduced a bias towards higher income households as low-income households still lack access to smartphones and internet. WhatsApp (€1.01/reply) was significantly cheaper than Facebook (€3.00/reply) and conventional data generation with household interviewers (€1.47-2.20/reply). Monetary incentives generated more replies than pure social messaging. TSS, VSS and COD were significantly correlated to TS. The slope of the regression line of COD to TS (0.97) was similar to one reported for Uganda (0.88), suggesting that the ratio of COD to TS might be independent of the location. Statistically significant median differences of TS concentrations were found for the survey parameters "system type" and "solid waste", making these parameters candidates for predictors of FS characteristics. The sample size was too small for the other survey parameters to detect any differences statistically. Overall, using social media in a Citizen Science approach appears to be a promising new tool for FS characterization. In the current form, it can probably not replace other data collection tools, but rather complement them as a cost-efficient method to gain an initial assessment. Besides sanitation planning, social media and the Citizen Science approach could be employed for data collection in various fields of development cooperation.
改善依赖现场卫生设施的社区的卫生状况需要了解粪便污泥（FS）的产生数量和质量。现有的 FS 特征数据收集工具要么不够精确，要么非常昂贵。随着信息和通信技术在低收入国家变得越来越普及，公民科学成为收集卫生数据的一种选择。本研究使用在线调查，通过社交媒体向马拉维布兰太尔的 40 户家庭分发，以预测 FS 的特征（总固体（TS）、总悬浮固体（TSS）、挥发性悬浮固体（VSS）、化学需氧量（COD）和污泥体积指数（SVI））。此外，本研究还调查了在线调查是否以及如何能够以具有成本效益和代表性的方式了解家庭层面的卫生状况。Facebook 和 WhatsApp 都偏向于高收入家庭，因为低收入家庭仍然无法使用智能手机和互联网。WhatsApp（每回复 1.01 欧元）比 Facebook（每回复 3.00 欧元）和传统的家庭访谈员数据生成（每回复 1.47-2.20 欧元）更便宜。金钱激励比单纯的社交媒体消息产生了更多的回复。TSS、VSS 和 COD 与 TS 显著相关。COD 与 TS 的回归线斜率（0.97）与乌干达报告的斜率（0.88）相似，表明 COD 与 TS 的比值可能与地点无关。TS 浓度的统计显著中位数差异是在调查参数“系统类型”和“固体废物”发现的，这使得这些参数成为 FS 特征的预测因子。对于其他调查参数，样本量太小，无法在统计上检测到任何差异。总的来说，在公民科学方法中使用社交媒体似乎是 FS 特征描述的一种很有前途的新工具。在目前的形式下，它可能无法替代其他数据收集工具，而是作为一种具有成本效益的方法来进行初步评估，对它们进行补充。除了卫生规划外，社交媒体和公民科学方法还可以用于发展合作各个领域的数据收集。
