Credit: Joanna Lowell, The DHS Program.

How much can change in 4 years? I asked myself as I prepared to update the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS): Data Use eLearning course.  I thought I’d spend a day or two updating the links to reflect our new project name and websites, add a quick page on our new web tools and push out a new course in no time.  But once I started reviewing the four-year-old content, my document of revisions reached 15 pages.  How had this happened?  The DHS Program is known for its standard methodologies and consistency over time. How could the introductory two hour course on the DHS need such an overhaul after only four years?

The DHS: Data Use course provides an overview of the Demographic and Health Surveys. It covers many different topics such as:

• Basics of survey design and implementation
• The demographic and health statistics
• Practice reading DHS tables
• Protocol and implications of testing for HIV in a population-based survey
• Tips for communication
• Using DHS data for programs and policy making

And while most of this information hasn’t changed conceptually, shifting data needs and improving technology have changed the way we do surveys.

New topics and data needs: Five years ago, most DHS surveys focused on malnutrition as stunting and wasting.  Now, in many countries, our focus is on overnutrition.  Five years ago, we were talking about how to measure trends in HIV prevalence.  Now we are moving towards measuring HIV incidence, and even viral load.  Five years ago, many countries were concerned with reporting MDG data.  Now we work with partners to identify the next set of indicators that will track global progress towards health and development.

New technology.  Five years ago, a few countries had experimented with computer-assisted interviewing in DHS surveys.  This has now become the norm, with some countries even editing data in the field and transferring files electronically for immediate quality checks.  Technology has also changed the way we communicate DHS data and support data use. The DHS Program Mobile App, User Forum, and many social media platforms did not exist when the course was first developed in 2010.   The STATcompiler and Spatial Data Repository provide data visualization tools that go far beyond basic data tables, helping people see patterns in data and encouraging use by less technical audiences.

New project. Five years ago, we were MEASURE DHS.  In October 2013, MEASURE DHS became The DHS Program. With the new DHS project came new partners and a new priority area: capacity strengthening.  The updated eLearning course describes how DHS incorporates capacity strengthening into every stage of the survey and how we are working with countries to foster country ownership of DHS data.

I can’t wait to see where the next five years takes us, as a global community.  The DHS Program will be standing at the ready, eager to provide data to track our progress and our challenges, and prepared to try new techniques, ask new questions, and integrate new technology.   I look forward to updating the elearning course in another several years.  I’m sure I can’t even begin to imagine what some of those pages might look like.

For more information or to take the course, visit Demographic and Health Surveys: Data Use eLearning course.

As of June 2014, more than 5,900 learners had completed the DHS: Data Use course from 132 countries. 

Don’t let the technical acronym scare you! While application developers and computer programmers are usually the direct users of APIs, the DHS API is a great tool for program managers and researchers.

What is an API?

An Application Programming Interface, or API, provides software developers with direct access to a database.  Developers can use the data in the database to populate websites and applications.  These applications can include data visualizations, tabular data for dissemination of information to specific stakeholders, or analysis.

How can the DHS API be used?

The DHS API connects users directly to the STATcompiler database of aggregated indicators.  That is, total fertility rates, mortality rates, and all of the almost 1500 indicators found in the STATcompiler for 90 countries over 30 years.   A developer at a maternal health project could select the maternal health indicators from a sub-sample of countries to populate a web page on key DHS data for the areas in which the project works.   Or a mobile app developer could use the DHS API to link STATcompiler data with other global health data and create a global development data visualization tool.

The API can also be used by analysts, as data can be returned in Stata-readable format, allowing for instant integration of indicator-level data into your Stata analysis.  The API website has a simple Stata Example page. It is also possible to open aggregated indicator data directly in Excel through the API, using the CSV format output.

We at The DHS Program will be using the Indicator Data API to populate statistics on our own website and our own mobile app, but we look forward to seeing other creative uses of DHS data.

How does the DHS API work?

The basic workings of the API are very simple, even for a non-developer.  A single URL contains all the information the database needs to return data.  For example, try copying the following URL into your browser:

http://api.dhsprogram.com/rest/dhs/data?breakdown=national&indicatorIds=20171000&countryIds=BF,BU,CM&f=html

This URL contains all the information the API needs to create a table about a given indicator (in this case Indicator ID – 20171000, which is total fertility rate) and three countries: Burkina Faso (BF), Burundi (BU), and Cameroon (CM).  The resulting web page gives us exactly that:  the Total Fertility rate for the three selected countries as well as some additional information about those surveys.    Don’t have time to search the documentation for country and indicator codes? The query builder allows users to select indicators and countries of interest, preview the output, and obtain the specific API call, that is, the URL needed to request those specific indicators and countries.  If you want a full list of the indicators, try this link.

What are the advantages to using an API?

Connecting to DHS data through the API ensures that you have up-to-date data, even as new countries and indicators are added or data are adjusted.   And while we think STATcompiler and DHS Mobile app are great, they aren’t customized to YOUR work.   The API will allow you to build interactive tools to showcase the data for the countries and areas you work in.

How do I start?

Visit http://api.dhsprogram.com/ for sample data calls, code samples, and all of the survey, country, and indicator documentation needed to communicate with the DHS API.  If you register to be an official DHS API partner you will receive an API key, allowing you a larger number of entries returned per page.  We may also be able to provide assistance in application development, promotion of the apps created by your team, and ongoing communication, allowing your feedback to influence future API development.

Details for developers:

The DHS API uses both a RESTful interface as well as a query-based interface. The API supports JSON, XML, HTML and CSV output formats. For more details, visit the DHS API website or follow our Twitter (@DHSprogramAPI).