Real-time Tracking of Resettlement Implementation: Leveraging Technology to Ensure Safeguard Implementation

Country: Viet Nam

Year of implementation: 2020

Technology: Digital technology

ITD Partner ADB Department: Southeast Asia Department

ADB Partner: Mobiva—technology service provider

In line with ADB’s Operational Priorities:

·        Addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequalities

o   Human capital and social protection enhanced for all

o   Environmental sustainability enhanced

Field visits and desk reviews help ensure that the impacts and risks of land acquisition and resettlement are identified, and appropriate measures are taken to avoid, minimize, mitigate, or compensate for these adverse impacts. This process is largely paper-based: staff need to manually encode survey results and other gathered information on the field. This is time- and labor-intensive, making data sharing challenging, and prone to human error.

COVID-19 made monitoring more challenging because of movement restrictions. Teams were often unable to efficiently identify and respond in a timely manner to resettlement-related issues. In addition, incomplete or inaccurate data can lead to inaccurate or delayed assessments. Mobiva, which was selected in the ADB Challenge “Real-time Tracking of Resettlement Implementation”, offered a digital solution that aided in the data collection process especially during the pandemic, to review, monitor, and assess impacts and resettlement program implementation anytime and anywhere.

Initial discussions between Mobiva and ADB were conducted to identify project requirements. Mobiva was tasked with developing a platform that could monitor various elements of resettlement. These included: (a) engagement with affected households; (b) received complaints; (c) compensation and assistance; (d) handover of land; (e) changes in the socioeconomic status of affected households; and (f) submission and disclosure of updated resettlement plans and social monitoring reports. Mobiva subsequently developed web and mobile apps that integrated these elements and assigned user roles to determine level of access. These were tested under the “Vietnam GMS Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway Project”, which was undertaking resettlement of affected households.

The web and mobile apps were used for real-time monitoring. The app was translated into the local language to make it easy for field staff to use it. The app could be used offline; the data was initially stored on the device and then uploaded to the cloud once the user had Internet connectivity. User manuals were developed by Mobiva to guide personnel on how to use these digital tools.

The platform was useful for the field staff who were able to upload data, including survey and consultation results, and grievance redressal of affected households. A grievances supervisor could view and act on these flagged concerns, forwarding these to relevant agencies for their corresponding action. They could also use the platform to update the status of these complaints accordingly.

The app also helped project leaders and supervisors monitor the work of the field staff. They could be used to record hours at work, as well as the personnel’s health status to ensure that they are fit to work. Their supervisors could assign them tasks via the app. Project coordinators had access to the dashboards, allowing them to generate reports and view the data from the surveys submitted by the field staff. They could view the workflow processes of all user roles. They could generate maps of project sites using the GPS coordinates submitted by field staff.

The platform also had a compensation calculator feature to make it easier for users to calculate the recommended compensation based on the land value and the type and extent of land loss experienced by each affected household. 

The proof-of-concept implementation in Viet Nam was subsequently completed. A second phase of this initiative was tested in Mongolia under the “Ulaanbaatar Urban Services and Ger Areas Development Investment Program (GADIP) – Tranche 2 Project” to determine whether artificial intelligence could be used to predict resettlement outcomes and be used for post-resettlement evaluation.