Across programs, products, and project planning, quality data is a key component of evidence-based decision making to improve non-communicable disease (NCD) outcomes. A pioneering NCD data tool — the NCD Navigator— was created to provide policymakers and program implementors with the data to support comprehensive and collaborative NCD action plans.

The NCD Navigator is a locally managed digital information system that provides geographically specific information on NCD initiatives; the respective implementers, funders, and beneficiaries; the geographic distribution of these NCD initiatives within the country; and alignment of these initiatives with the national strategy. Since national and sub-national prevalence data is overlaid with the NCD Navigator information, it helps establish a common understanding of gaps and opportunities to better meet the needs of people living with NCDs.

With this open access data at their disposal, public health authorities and leaders in civil society can make informed decisions around resource allocation, strategy development and implementation, and stakeholder coordination.

This digital resource debuted in Kenya in 2018, expanded to Ghana in 2020, and is now being prepared for adaptation to other contexts within and beyond the African continent. Showcasing its versatility in different contexts, PATH also worked with leading global health agencies to initiate a high-level mapping of NCD stakeholders using the Navigator in Myanmar, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.

The relevance of data for NCDs is foundational in transforming perceptions of how widespread and pressing NCD needs truly are. Because NCD action is still nascent, fostering such knowledge and data-centric approaches is essential for priority-setting, while also helping to simplify the complexity of NCD needs.