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Articles by Victor Mandela on monitoring and evaluation, impact evaluation, R Shiny dashboards, survey data collection (KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO), GIS, DHS and agricultural analytics.
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Victor Mandela, M&E and data science consultant
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Portfolio Edition ••• Monitoring & Evaluation · Impact Evaluation · R Shiny Decision Support ••• Nairobi, KenyaUPDATED NOV 2026
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Field notes, tutorials and case studies on monitoring and evaluation, impact evaluation, R Shiny dashboards, survey data systems, GIS and health analytics. Pick a topic above, or start with the maize yield case study.

From analysis to decision support: what this project changed — infographic

From analysis to decision support: what this project changed

Decision Support
Agricultural Analytics
Impact Evaluation
Case Study
Experimental data, SoilGrids, CHIRPS, statistics, prediction, GIS and R Shiny combined into one agricultural decision-support application.
25 September 2026
2 min

Modularity is what lets an analysis survive its second request — infographic

Modularity is what lets an analysis survive its second request

R Shiny
Software Engineering
Dashboard Design
Case Study
How structuring an R Shiny application into modules keeps an analytics tool maintainable as stakeholders ask for more.
23 September 2026
1 min

Would you give the same agricultural recommendation to every district? — infographic

Would you give the same agricultural recommendation to every district?

Impact Evaluation
Monitoring and Evaluation
Agricultural Analytics
Case Study
Urea treatment differences were significant in 4 of 5 Rwandan mega-environments — a lesson in heterogeneity for agriculture and impact evaluation alike.
21 September 2026
1 min

A dashboard should answer a question someone is stuck on — infographic

A dashboard should answer a question someone is stuck on

Dashboard Design
R Shiny
Statistics
Case Study
Why the maize yield app runs ANOVA, Tukey HSD and prediction live inside the dashboard instead of displaying pre-calculated charts.
18 September 2026
1 min

Most teams don't have a data shortage. They have a data integration problem. — infographic

Most teams don’t have a data shortage. They have a data integration problem.

Data Integration
Monitoring and Evaluation
GIS
Case Study
Joining field-trial, SoilGrids and CHIRPS rainfall data on location and date — and what that teaches M&E teams with data in disconnected systems.
16 September 2026
1 min

Mapping 600+ agricultural trial locations on one interactive map — infographic

Mapping 600+ agricultural trial locations on one interactive map

GIS
R Shiny
Agricultural Analytics
Case Study
Using Leaflet inside R Shiny to map 600+ maize trial locations with yield colour-coding and district filters — and why ‘where’ matters as much as ‘what’.
14 September 2026
1 min

Can we predict maize yield from soil, treatment and location? — infographic

Can we predict maize yield from soil, treatment and location?

Statistics
Predictive Modelling
Agricultural Analytics
Case Study
A linear yield model with R² = 0.623 and RMSE = 1.24 t/ha — and why statistical significance alone doesn’t make a good prediction tool.
11 September 2026
1 min

What if agricultural research became the decision-support tool itself? — infographic

What if agricultural research became the decision-support tool itself?

Decision Support
R Shiny
Monitoring and Evaluation
Case Study
Turning maize trial research into an interactive R Shiny decision-support application built around the questions extension officers actually ask.
9 September 2026
1 min

Sometimes the biggest maize yield driver isn't the fertiliser — infographic

Sometimes the biggest maize yield driver isn’t the fertiliser

Agricultural Analytics
Statistics
Soil Science
Case Study
Soil pH accounted for roughly 42% of variable importance in a Rwanda maize yield analysis — ahead of urea treatment (28%) and district (18%).
7 September 2026
1 min

Which urea strategy gives farmers the best maize yields? — infographic

Which urea strategy gives farmers the best maize yields?

Agricultural Analytics
R Shiny
Statistics
Case Study
Comparing four urea rate/timing combinations across Rwanda’s mega-environments, districts and seasons — and why fertiliser recommendations must be location-specific.
4 September 2026
1 min

Understanding Absorption Rates and Their Implications in Kenya’s County Health Funding

Monitoring and Evaluation
Analysis
R
Statistics
Visualization
In the context of Kenya’s healthcare sector, absorption rate refers to the percentage of allocated funds that a county effectively uses for its intended…
11 November 2024
7 min

The Growing Importance of Wildlife Economy: A Path to Sustainable Growth

Monitoring and Evaluation
Analysis
Statistics
The global wildlife economy plays a crucial role in fostering sustainable development, preserving biodiversity, and providing economic benefits to local…
6 November 2024
6 min

Understanding Child Stunting in Ethiopia: Trends, Impacts, and Future Directions: USING DHS DATA

Monitoring and Evaluation
Analysis
R
Statistics
Visualization
Ethiopia has made significant strides in improving child nutrition over the past two decades. However, child stunting remains a pressing issue, with many…
19 October 2024
5 min

Understanding Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE) in Morocco (2000-2018): USING DHS DATA

Monitoring and Evaluation
Analysis
R
Statistics
Visualization
Morocco has seen significant changes in both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (HALE) between 2000 and 2018. While life expectancy at birth has…
19 October 2024
6 min

Monitoring and Evaluation in Health and Wellness: A Statistical Analysis Approach

Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) play a pivotal role in improving health and wellness programs globally. In this analysis, I focus on coronary artery…
18 October 2024
6 min

How to Develop a Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Framework for Your Project

Monitoring and Evaluation
Creating a Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation (M&E) framework is essential for the success of any project. It helps track progress, measure outcomes…
17 October 2024
4 min

How to Build a Monitoring Plan for Your Project

Monitoring and Evaluation
Once you’ve laid the foundation with a strong Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation (M&E) framework, the next step is to create a Monitoring Plan. This…
17 October 2024
4 min

How to Build an Evaluation Plan for Your Project

Monitoring and Evaluation
In our Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) journey, we’ve covered setting up an M&E framework and building a monitoring plan. Now, it’s time to talk about the…
17 October 2024
6 min

KoboToolbox Introduction to Computer assistes programming interface(CAPI)

Survey
Data Collection
KoboToolbox
CAPI
In today’s world, collecting data efficiently is critical for research and decision-making. Whether you’re conducting surveys in remote areas or urban…
16 October 2024
4 min

Best Practices for Survey Design and Field Management Using KoboToolbox

Survey
Data Collection
KoboToolbox
CAPI
Creating well-structured surveys is key to collecting accurate and useful data. With KoboToolbox, you can design surveys that are easy for both…
16 October 2024
6 min

Data Quality, Analysis, and Case Studies Using KoboToolbox

Survey
Data Collection
KoboToolbox
CAPI
One of the best features of KoboToolbox is its ability to automate quality checks during data collection. This ensures that the data you collect is clean…
16 October 2024
6 min

Survey CTO Analysis, Challenges, and Future Trends

Survey
Data Collection
SurveyCTO
CAPI
Why Analyze Your Data? Analyzing data collected through CAPI is crucial for drawing meaningful insights and making informed decisions based on your…
16 October 2024
5 min

Survey CTO Data Collection and Management

Survey
Data Collection
SurveyCTO
CAPI
Understanding Data Collection in the Field When collecting data in the field, researchers go directly to the respondents, which can be households…
16 October 2024
3 min

Survey CTO Foundational Knowledge and Setup

Survey
Data Collection
SurveyCTO
CAPI
What is CAPI? Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) is a method where interviewers use electronic devices (like tablets or smartphones) to…
16 October 2024
4 min

Unlocking Insights: A Step-by-Step Guide to Calculating Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Using SPSS

DemographicHealthSurvey
Statistics
SPSS
Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)
Analysis
In poverty research, the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is a crucial tool for measuring poverty beyond income, capturing deprivations across…
4 October 2024
3 min

Integrating Citizen Science Data in Conservation

Climate
GIS
Regression
R
Statistics
Visualization
Analysis
Integrating citizen science data into conservation research: GIS, climate covariates and regression modelling in R.
19 September 2024
34 min

DIGITAL BANKING SERVICES AND INVESTMENT DECISIONS OF FEMALE-OWNED SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Finance publications
Research publication: the effect of digital banking services on the investment decisions of female-owned small and medium enterprises in Kenya.
28 August 2024
29 min

DHS data - Convert Column Values into Column Headers in R

DemographicHealthSurvey
Statistics
R
Analysis
A practical R tutorial for Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data: converting column values into column headers with tidyverse reshaping.
11 July 2024
3 min

DHS Survey Design Computation

DemographicHealthSurvey
Statistics
R
Analysis
When working with Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data, it is crucial to understand certain standardized variables that are consistent across…
11 July 2024
3 min

Progress and Challenges: HIV Infections in Kenya from 2019 to 2021 Analysis with R

Visualization
Statistics
R
Analysis
In recent years, Kenya has made significant strides in combating HIV/AIDS, but challenges remain. Understanding trends in new infections is crucial for…
3 April 2024
7 min

Kenya Milk Export and Imports Analysis with R

Visualization
Statistics
R
Analysis
Analysing Kenya’s milk exports and imports in R — how election periods and supply shocks shaped dairy trade, with charts and code.
2 April 2024
8 min

Comparisons 01: Gender Equality Analysis Olympics

Visualization
Statistics
R
Analysis
Visualising gender equality in Olympic participation over time with R and ggplot2 — a #30DayChartChallenge comparison chart, with code.
1 April 2024
4 min

Potential causes of repetition and dropout in Primary Education covering Primary 1 (P1) to Primary 6 case study: Rural and Urban areas(P6)

Visualization
Statistics
R
Analysis
Statistical analysis in R of the potential causes of repetition and dropout in primary education, with visualisations and policy implications.
27 March 2024
40 min

Organizing Survey logistics

Soft Skills
Survey
R
Efficient logistics are a cornerstone for the seamless execution of data collection initiatives. Plan and schedule surveys strategically to optimize…
13 February 2024
4 min

Training staff

Soft Skills
Survey
The competence of your field staff is pivotal to the success of your data collection program. When recruiting, prioritize individuals with a blend of…
10 February 2024
3 min

Creating Beautiful Visualizations of Educational Attainment Using ggplot2 and ggbeeswarm

Visualization
Statistics
R
In the realm of data visualization, crafting compelling and informative graphics is an art. In this blog post, we will explore the step-by-step procedure…
1 February 2024
6 min

Getting Weather Data via API with R

GIS
Statistics
R
API
Weather Data
Climate
How to pull weather and climate data from an API in R, clean it and visualise it — a reproducible workflow for climate and GIS analysis.
31 January 2024
4 min

Survey tools

Soft Skills
Survey
Choosing the right survey tools is paramount to successful data collection. Opt for platforms like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, or REDCap for their…
20 January 2024
4 min

Spartial regression: Lesson3

GIS
Statistics
R
Regression
Spatial regression is a powerful technique in spatial analytics that allows us to model relationships between variables while accounting for the spatial…
30 July 2021
3 min

Geospatial Data Manipulation in R: Lesson2

GIS
Statistics
R
Geospatial data manipulation is a crucial step in any spatial analysis project. In this blog post, we will delve into the world of geospatial data…
23 July 2021
3 min

Geospatial analysis with R: Lesson1

GIS
Statistics
R
Geospatial data is a fundamental component of many data science projects, offering valuable insights into patterns, relationships, and trends based on…
16 July 2021
3 min
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