Connect health information to local action

DHIS2, Solstice and mWater can form a practical information architecture for health, WASH and environmental action. DHIS2 can remain the national foundation for routine health information, programme monitoring and surveillance. Solstice and mWater add detailed on-site observations, mapped infrastructure, environmental conditions, assignments and verified corrective work.

DHIS2 can remain the national reporting system. mWater and Solstice help teams act on what the data shows: inspect facilities, track infrastructure and environmental conditions, assign follow-up, and confirm that problems were fixed.

Different systems, clear responsibilities

A durable architecture gives every important dataset an authoritative home. DHIS2 can govern agreed health indicators, programme records and reporting hierarchies. mWater can maintain mapped records of water sources, sanitation systems, health-care facilities and repeated environmental observations. Solstice can coordinate configurable work across teams and sectors.

Only the information required for a named decision or workflow should move between systems. Stable facility and geographic identifiers, explicit indicator definitions, correction rules and institutional ownership matter more than a technically impressive connection.

From a signal to verified resolution

  1. A health-care facility reports that its water service is unavailable or unsafe.

  2. The event informs an investigation assigned to the responsible facility, district, utility or WASH team.

  3. Inspection teams examine the source and infrastructure, record observations and test results, and document the affected services.

  4. The responsible organisation repairs, mitigates or escalates the problem.

  5. A follow-up verifies restoration and records evidence of completion.

  6. An agreed status or indicator returns to the national reporting environment.

Reporting identifies the problem; resolution also requires ownership, action and verification. The operational platform should hold only the governed health information required to support that work.

Where the approach is useful

  • WASH and infection prevention and control in health-care facilities

  • Climate-sensitive disease preparedness and environmental surveillance

  • Cholera preparedness and response across health, water and local government

  • Facility readiness, water quality, waste management and resilient infrastructure

  • Community-health workflows requiring action outside the health sector

  • Humanitarian programmes contributing agreed indicators to national systems

Explore the health information systems series

DHIS2 and Solstice: connecting health information to local operations
The complete interoperability architecture, including governance, APIs, identifiers, privacy and national implementation principles.

Connecting WASH FIT, health-care facility assessments and DHIS2
How to preserve operational assessment detail while exchanging useful national indicators.

Connecting DHIS2 with climate, water, sanitation and environmental health data
A practical pattern for joining health intelligence to hazards, local services and coordinated response.

DHIS2, Solstice or both? A practical decision guide
When to extend DHIS2, when an operational platform adds value, and when integration or a specialist system is the responsible choice.

Build on national systems

A strong architecture gives each platform a clear role: DHIS2 for governed health information, mWater for on-site and environmental observations and infrastructure records, Solstice for cross-organisational workflows, and purpose-built systems for clinical care, laboratories and supply chains. Shared identifiers and carefully governed exchanges bring these records together for decisions and action.

Read the technical guide to connecting mWater or Solstice with DHIS2 →