# A Review of In-Situ and Remote Sensing Technologies to Monitor Water and Sanitation Interventions
###### Abstract  
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), announced in September 2015, present a vision of achieving a higher level of human health and well-being worldwide by the year 2030. The SDG targets specific to water and sanitation call for more detailed monitoring and response to understand the coverage and quality of safely managed sources. It is hoped that improved monitoring of water and sanitation interventions will reveal more cost-effective and efficient ways of meeting the SDGs. In this paper, we review the landscape of approaches that can be used to support and improve on the water and sanitation targets SDG 6.1, \"By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all\", and SDG 6.2, \"By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations\". water and sanitation; monitoring and evaluation; sensors; remote sensing technologies; sustainable development goals +
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temporarily and then emptied, transported, and treated off-site; or (iii) transported through a sewer with wastewater and then treated off-site [2]. These additional requirements--i.e., those needed to shift from \"improved\" to \"safely managed\" water and sanitation services--would cost approximately $114 billion per year. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [3] estimate the global capital costs of achieving universal access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services by 2030 are US$ 28.4 billion per year (range: US$13.8 to US$46.7 billion) from 2015 to 2030 for basic WASH (similar to \"improved\" standard), and $114 billion per year (range: $74 to $166 billion) for safely managed WASH to meet [3]. Monitoring progress toward them, and associated outcomes, is critical to ensure that available funding is spent wisely over time. Against this backdrop emergent technologies, methods, and data-sharing platforms are being used to monitor the impacts of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions. These may focus on improving service quality or access to service. The improved monitoring of WASH interventions, it is hoped, will reveal increasingly cost-effective and efficient ways to meet SDG 6. New technologies and methods may facilitate the collection and analysis of increasingly complete and impartial data over time--with significant implications for program improvements. For instance, sensor networks are ubiquitous in most developed markets, where they are used to monitor industrial processes, track products, and organize information services. More recently, many organizations have begun leveraging sensors for supply chain management, remote monitoring, and consumer product testing. Data underpin the governance elements of accountability and transparency. They enable progress to be monitored and service providers, governments and development partners to be held accountable. Many countries lack the financial, institutional and human resources needed to acquire and analyze data to support governance. Less than half of US Member States have comparable data available on progress towards meeting each of the global SDG 6 targets. Stakeholders have no factual data for assessing and challenging, when needed, incorrect or biased positions. Reliable, consistent and, whenever possible, disaggregated data are essential to stimulate political commitment, inform policy-making and decision-making, and trigger well-placed investments. Political commitment to transparency that includes efforts related to accessibility and sharing of data is essential for data acquisition and monitoring. Increased utilization of the latest Earth observations, citizen science and private sector data should be incorporated into data monitoring systems at all levels to complement existing data-collection efforts.