Thirty years ago, Sistemas Integrales designed a data-entry platform which proved hugely popular and was used in hundreds of household surveys around the world. Over time, it was rewritten for Windows and became known as 'LSD', from the initials of the French words for 'Data Entry Program'. LSD-2010 can perform the full range of data quality assessments, from the simplest range-check to the most complex consistency controls such as budget balances and nutritional assessments. 

What puts LSD ahead of other data-entry software, though, is that it follows not only the logic of the paper questionnaire but also its visual design. In other words, what the operator sees on the forms is exactly the same as what s/he sees on the screen. This reduces training time enormously and means that the data can be entered by non-specialists (often the interviewers themselves); field-teams can thus correct any flagged inconsistencies by re-interviewing, before they move on to their next location. LSD-2010 is fully integrated with automatic data transmission programs which are available as free downloads, so that data that have been entered in the field can easily be sent to a central database for further processing. Its simplicity means that it can be - and has been - used in the most challenging environments.

The most recent release builds on the success of earlier versions and increases its capacity. It will have a touch-screen option, which will be useful in CAPI (Computer-Aided Personal Interview) applications. It can also be easily adapted for use in CATI (Computer-Aided Telephone Interview) surveys, as it was in the Youth Employment impact evaluation in the Dominican Republic.

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