DRAFT

Miscellaneous Software and Tools

Geospatial Information System (GIS) Software

Geospatial software can be a very powerful tool for mapping and other geospatial analytics. For SRS, GIS software can be used to aid with household enumeration and cluster mapping at the beginning of a SRS project. However, GIS software is not typically used during regular SRS operations.

Many countries may already have paid licenses for Esri ArcGIS, the industry-leading GIS software. QGIS is a feature-complete free alternative. For more information on GIS software, see Step 6 in the official VIVA guide.

Public Data Sharing

Another aspect of data integration and exchange is the public release of (typically deidentified) datasets from the SRS system. Public data can be released according to country privacy and release regulations, and doing so can be very useful to encourage engagement with the SRS and to continue building support. The following global reporting systems and data catalogues could be a place where SRS teams may want to push data. These systems and catalogues each have their own standards for accepting data, and APIs may need to be built and exposed to enable such interoperability. For a discussion on APIs and standards, see System Compatibility, Integration, & Interoperability.

• DHIS-2 and OpenMRS are global reporting systems that might need to accept SRS focused data, structured and released according to country processes. Work with the country owners of these system to define the data elements that need to be synced to these systems, and then build an API to facilitate interoperability between the SRS IT systems and these reporting systems.
• The NADA Data Catalog could be a tool to organize and disseminate data from SRS systems to the public.

Last updated
23 October 2025
Portions of this page are © 2025 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved. Approved for Public Release #25-2779. Distribution Unlimited. The source of this information is the Technical Assistance for Sample Registration Systems (SRS) Planning Grants, a joint project of the CDC Foundation and Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute through the Gates Foundation SRS Grant.