UNICEF and the regional water bureau of the Somali region decided that there was a dire need for updated information on water point functionality in order to effectively target the areas that were most in need of drinking water. They invited IRC, in partnership with Akvo, to map the main water sources and water schemes in the region and their functionality. IRC was in charge of the methodology and coordination and Akvo provided the software tool Akvo Flow and trained local government staff and maintenance teams on data collection. When the data was collected, Akvo created custom data visualisations in an online decision-making dashboard, displaying the water points and their functionality on interactive maps.

IRC and Akvo have a track record in conducting national water point inventories together and could quickly set up an inventory in the Somali region. Akvo Flow had already been used in the Somali region during the water point mapping of 2014. Therefore, much of the local government staff had experience in using the system, facilitating quick implementation. The continuity of the system meant that the collected data was all in the same format, allowing the 2014 and 2017 data to be visualised and compared.