Latest software application adopted for project monitoring

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has tested a latest software application, Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision (GEMS), as part of the Pakistan Community Support Project’s (PCSP) monitoring system.

A press release said the PCSP has become the pioneering development project in Pakistan which has successfully tried and tested this system.Customised and adopted for the PCSP, the GEMS platform offers remote supervision of the project activities for continuous monitoring in CASA-1000 Project specific areas of Khyber, Peshawar and Nowshera districts.

The GEMS software application collects data through customized questionnaires on 20 project specific topics.The software’s automated system processes the collected data into user-friendly reports and graphs for meaningful analysis.

Through geographic coordinates and photos of the project interventions, GEMS guarantees accuracy in recording field activities, even in remote areas without network coverage, thus ensuring transparency in the project implementation.

The PCSP has piloted the state-of-the-art GEMS initiative to ensure operational engagement in remote project areas where development interventions are critically needed. By effectively testing it as part of the PCSP monitoring and evaluation system, the PCSP has demonstrated that the use of GEMS in the development projects, particularly in remote and difficult areas, can make a difference.

In addition to remote monitoring, GEMS has also helped in the environmental and social screening of sub-projects. The benefits of using GEMS goes beyond the PCSP implementation. It has developed the capacity of government agencies and implementing partners to make use of low-cost and open-source technology for development.

It has enabled the application of simple methods for data collection and analysis to gain useful insights for informed decision-making.The use of GEMS has allowed the project management and field staff at the PCSP to enhance the accuracy and quality of its monitoring, evaluation, as well as environmental and social screening.