According to a study by the Water and Sanitation Program, despite the importance of sanitation in the development process, policy-makers have access to very little comprehensive evidence on the impact of poor sanitation on the economy, the environment and the welfare of its citizens. In order to make informed policy decisions, policy makers need to understand the benefits of supporting sanitation, and the claims for increased spending on sanitation need to be supported by timely and reliable evidence.

Data collection is a major constraint to the development of evidence-based policy on sanitation. Specialized household surveys delivered in the traditional way can be very costly and take a long time depending on the area of coverage, while development in urban areas is fast and requires quick decisions.