Case Study: University of Puerto Rico achieves accurate offline post-Hurricane Maria data collection with SmartSurvey

Using offline survey data to help rural communities rebuild after hurricane Maria

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR), the island’s main public university system, turned to SmartSurvey after Hurricane Maria to collect field data for its Building Resilient Communities project in Juan Asencio (260 residences, ~1,000 inhabitants). With widespread power and internet outages preventing normal data capture, UPR engaged SmartSurvey’s Enterprise Offline Survey Tool to gather information on hazardous household materials, water and energy use, and community needs.

Using SmartSurvey’s Offline Survey Tool, UPR loaded surveys onto smartphones and tablets, captured accurate in‑field responses, and auto‑synced data when connectivity returned. Analysis showed 43% of residents owned electronics requiring batteries, 100% used small batteries (AAA/AA), and many were improperly discarding batteries and using hazardous repellents/herbicides—insights that enabled targeted guidance on hazardous material handling and informed water-system resilience efforts; SmartSurvey’s platform made the offline data collection and timely analysis possible.

University of Puerto Rico

Loraima Jaramillo Nieves

University of Puerto Rico