Frequently Asked Questions
What is ‘Ohana Pulse?
‘Ohana Pulse is a rapid, soft-touch, and ongoing data collection platform that regularly pulses Hawai‘i households directly with short two-way, SMS-based surveys, with the ability to target small-scale data collection within specific communities or based on key household characteristics. As the platform scales across Hawai‘i’s communities, ‘Ohana Pulse will also become an important measure of statewide household well-being.
What is the purpose of ‘Ohana Pulse?
Data collection and reporting mechanisms from traditional population survey efforts and predetermined government data reporting cycles can be time intensive, delayed by months and years, reactive and one-off rather than proactive and ongoing, and expensive. While these methods represent an important data collection tool, they lack timeliness in providing insight on developing trends, leaving information gaps that challenge decision making, effective resource allocation, and the design of non-profit programs and services in Hawaii.
New data collection platforms, like ‘Ohana Pulse, are needed to fill this fundamental information gap. Leveraging data collected by ‘Ohana Pulse, those working to address need are able to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges facing the households they serve – in the short term, programs are more targeted, and limited resources are deployed more efficiently where needed most; in the longer term, as ‘Ohana Pulse continues, program design and strategic goals are able to evolve and adjust based on near real-time feedback from households across the state.
Who is ‘Ohana Pulse for?
‘Ohana Pulse serves the needs of a range of stakeholders in Hawai‘i, providing a direct connection between decision makers, service providers, and households, serving as a feedback loop that gives voice to the challenges households and communities face, enabling decision makers and service providers to learn of those challenges quickly and respond with effective support.
What survey questions will ‘Ohana Pulse ask?
Survey questions will vary depending on the information needs of the time (e.g. during a disaster), and themes of interest. Due to the constraints of SMS-based communication, questions will be necessarily succinct, however households can expect to receive survey questions such as:
In the past month, how often have you worried about having access to good child care?
Do you consider yourself living paycheck-to-paycheck?
Have you or a member of your household picked up food from a local food bank or food distribution drive in the past three months?
During the past month, was there a time when you didn’t get the medical care you needed?
In the past month, how often has transportation limited you in doing what you need to do?
What data does(n’t) ‘Ohana Pulse collect?
Foundational demographic and household characteristics will be collected as part of the household onboarding process. Once added to the ‘Ohana Pulse database, households will start receiving survey questions that will vary depending on household characteristics (e.g. households with young children), information needs of the time, and global themes of interest, such as housing, employment, food, health, etc.
‘Ohana Pulse does not collect or store personal identifying information (PII), except mobile phone numbers, to ensure that the privacy of households is sustained.
For instances when a household is recruited to participate in ‘Ohana Pulse through a partner service-providing organization, responses to survey questions may be shared with the recruiting partner once 1) household express consent has been obtained, and 2) a data sharing agreement between ‘Ohana Pulse and the recruiting partner organization is in place. These partner organizations may choose to link respondent data to household PII – obtained through their own efforts separate from ‘Ohana Pulse – in their database and governed by their privacy policy. Before entering into a data sharing agreement, ‘Ohana Pulse will ensure that the partner database meets minimum security standards and the partner agrees not to share respondent data outside of their organization.
How secure is ‘Ohana Pulse?
Data collected by ‘Ohana Pulse is stored in a secure, cloud-based database equipped with Transport Layer Security (TSL) and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology that safeguards data by using both server authentication and data encryption, hosted in a secure server environment that uses a firewall in combination with other protocols to prevent interference, access from outside intruders, and other types of data breaches. To learn more about ‘Ohana Pulse data security, please see the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
How will data collected by ‘Ohana Pulse be used, and how long will it be stored?
The long-term value of ‘Ohana Pulse is the capability of continued survey pulsing of households over time, providing the ability to gain deep insights into how the situations of households and communities evolve over time. This requires that ‘Ohana Pulse stores data collected in perpetuity.
While ‘Ohana Pulse may establish data sharing agreements with partners, ‘Ohana Pulse is not responsible for the security of the respective databases of partner organizations, and are governed by the privacy policies of respective partner organizations. To learn more about ‘Ohana Pulse privacy practices, please see the Privacy & Security Notice.
How often will ‘Ohana Pulse send survey questions to households?
We have developed a baseline survey designed to measure six core areas that contribute to household well-being: housing, food and necessities, access to healthcare, childcare, employment, and transportation. This baseline survey will be issued across six days, with a series of three to eight questions that address one core area per day. Once the final series of questions on day six are answered, the baseline survey is completed, and households can expect ‘Ohana Pulse to send a check-in survey on the six core measures once a month. For instances where contacts respond to check-in survey questions indicating specific ongoing need (e.g., In the past month, has there been a time where you felt you could not maintain adequate shelter or housing for you or your family?), contacts can expect further follow up to gain a better understanding on their specific area(s) of need.
How often will ‘Ohana Pulse send survey questions and/or communications on behalf of Partners to households?
In addition to ‘Ohana Pulse’s monthly check-ins, we also offer Partners the option for ‘Ohana Pulse to send out topic-specific surveys – co-designed with the ‘Ohana Pulse team – or communications on their behalf (e.g., announcements, reminders, etc.) to the households they have enrolled to ‘Ohana Pulse.
Who is behind ‘Ohana Pulse?
‘Ohana Pulse is a project of the Hawai‘i Data Collaborative, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to partner with community for meaningful data that moves Hawai‘i forward.
When can folks start using ‘Ohana Pulse?
We are currently in the piloting phase of development and recruiting partners for pilot opportunities. The pilot phase will run over a two to three month period, and will be confined to a small group of Hawai‘i households, recruited by partner service providers. Upon satisfactory completion of the pilot, we will be scaling ‘Ohana Pulse participation to include households in communities across the state, recruiting through both partner organizations and direct self-enrollment.
Why are Hawaiian diacritical markings not being used on the ‘Ohana Pulse platform?
We recognize the importance of diacritical markings of the modern Hawaiian language – the ‘okina ( ‘ ) or glottal stop, and the kahakō (ō) or macron – and respect and value the Hawaiian language as an official language of the State of Hawai‘i. However, you may notice the omission of these markings in Ohana Pulse SMS-based surveys due to the limitations of SMS communication.
Will ‘Ohana Pulse be available in other languages?
Because ‘Ohana Pulse is currently in development, we are starting with English as the primary language. However, as we scale the platform, we will be working to expand languages offered, as we understand that many of the households we'd like to hear from don't consider English as their preferred language.