MicroPOPNA: A flexible app for post disaster needs assessment

Community POPNA: A tool to help communities document themselves

MicroPOPNA: The solution for rapid deployment of high quality surveys

The original POPNA: the complete tool for large scale post disaster surveys

The POPNA philosophy

Highly Versatile

POPNA can be adapted to nearly any situation where a rapid social survey is required

For nearly anyone

POPNA is designed to be used by nearly anyone, only basic tablet skills are needed

Ownership of information

POPNA allows communities to collect and assess their own information.

Policy oriented needs assessment: tools and resources
What POPNA offers

If you want complexity, you can have it

While the tools are designed to be used by nearly anyone, they can also support quite complex surveys.

A tool for communities, not only researchers

A key feature of the POPNA tools is that they can be used by communities to generate systematic information about their own situation, presented in a simple way.

A complete, self contained app

The MicroPOPNA app is a tool that runs on Windows computers, android phones or tablets as well as iPhones and iPads.
It can be used by anyone from community leaders to research institutes or governments.

Standard questionnaires

We have developed a set of standard questionnaires that can be used in disaster settings. There are questionnaires for communities, households and individuals. The questions have been found useful in disaster and crisis settings.

The organizations behind POPNA

CASTED

The Chinese Academy for Science and Technology for Development (CASTED) is a think-tank and policy research institute under the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Poeple’s Republic of China. It studies science and technology and innovation policy; science and technology strategies; and effects of science, technology and innovation on society.  I also produces statistics on science and technology in China.

Fafo

Fafo is an independent social science research institute, organized as a non-profit foundation, based in Oslo, Norway. Fafo conducts research on changes in living and working conditions, industrial relations, social participation, transitions and development in Norway and abroad. The ambition of Fafo is to contribute to processes of social and economic development based on high quality research.

UNDP

UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. UNDP in China focuses on sustainable development (disaster management; poverty, equity and governance; environment and energy). UNDP is also supporting China’s increasing role in global development cooperation.

POPNA and MicroPOPNA are framework toolboxes for conducting Policy Oriented Post-Disaster Needs Assessments.

It is designed for conducting policy oriented needs assessment after  disasters on various geographic scales. The intention is to link the concrete situation of the inhabitants of a disaster stricken area with actionable policies.

POPNA is a system that provides quantified representative data on the living conditions of the affected population, and relates those to the effects of a given disaster.

POPNA consists of a standard questionnaire (currently tailored to earthquakes) and a manual.

MicroPOPNA is similar to POPNA, but is focused on serving the needs of communities, and is also designed to be conducted by the communities themselves, enabling communities to make their needs visible.  MicroPOPNA is smaller, more lightweight and simpler than POPNA in order to make implementation in communities feasible. While it may be used in an additive manner in communities over a large disaster affected area (each community taking responsibility for its own MicroPOPNA) it may also be used when a single community has been affected by a disaster. Accordingly MICROPONA is in some ways more versatile than the full-fledged POPNA instrument.

MicroPOPNA is available in two versions: as a paper questionnaire and manual, and as an app running on Windows computers  and Android.

The app is completely self contained – it can be used for drawing samples, managing the survey, interviewing and generating results.

POPNA has been financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The original work on community POPNA was financed by UNDP China.

Logo for POPNA: Globe with cracks
© POPNATools 2025.