Nova brings a rigorous, multi-layered approach to monitoring and evaluation — combining fieldwork, technology, and user experience insights to assess performance and impact over time.

We were the first organisation in South Africa to be issued with Gold Standard carbon credits in the voluntary market, and have since written over 20 project design documents (PDDs) and submitted more than 60 monitoring reports. Our approach is rooted in transparency and data integrity, using tools such as:

• Mobile-based data collection and live dashboards
• Sensors to measure use and performance (e.g. iButtons for stove usage tracking)
• Artificial intelligence and blockchain for data management and traceability
• GIS mapping to spatially analyse data and environmental conditions
• Photographic evidence to track changes over time and triangulate findings

Nova also applies a range of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods tailored to the context and intervention.

These include:

• Sankey diagrams to visualise complex flows such as household waste — showing where and how dumping and burning occurs across both informal and formal areas
• Subjective wellbeing surveys, where residents score satisfaction across key domains (0–10), often revealing clear patterns in quality of life before and after interventions
• Hermeneutic tools for impact assessment, which combine pre- and post-intervention interviews, satisfaction scores, and Likert scale statements. Quotable narratives help illustrate lived experiences of change, or lack thereof
• In-use performance testing, such as stove monitoring in real households