---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:strategies/Commit-to-carefully-selected-metrics-that-can-be-r"
type: "GovLab policy strategy"
title: "Commit to carefully selected metrics that can be reported on consistently and regularly (do not select too…"
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/commit-to-carefully-selected-metrics-that-can-be-r"
summary: "Commit to carefully selected metrics that can be reported on consistently and regularly (do not select too many metrics). Governments should be cautious to select a small number of useful and informative metrics that can be reported on consistently,precisely,and accurately. Committing to too many metrics may lead to the inability to accurately and precisely track the data."
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Commit to carefully selected metrics that can be reported on consistently and regularly (do not select too…

Commit to carefully selected metrics that can be reported on consistently and regularly (do not select too many metrics). Governments should be cautious to select a small number of useful and informative metrics that can be reported on consistently,precisely,and accurately. Committing to too many metrics may lead to the inability to accurately and precisely track the data.

- Timeframe: 3-6 Months (medium)
- Audience: Healthcare Providers, Government Workers
- Type: Policy/Legislative/Regulatory, Data
- Recommendation: [Metrics](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/metrics)
- Part of: [Smarter Crowdsourcing in the Age of Coronavirus](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/)

## Actions governments should take

1. Review existing databases and data collection processes and only select metrics that can be reported on consistently and regularly.

## Examples from around the world

1. [In Germany, the national government worked to establish standards and baselines that local administration should follow - such as a minimum of contact tracers per thousand inhabitants, and a threshold for establishing lockdowns - while state health agencies were responsible for collecting and interpreting data, based on the standards set by the national government.](https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2522)