The SFD is a good first step for a city or town that wants to address sanitation challenges.  It represents a preliminary assessment which can help to identify important data gaps, priority areas for further analysis or to gain consensus on the need for critical interventions.  The process of assembling the data for an SFD can facilitate better information sharing and a more accurate appraisal of the current situation from a wide range of stakeholders. The potential of the SFD process is being documented by the SFD Promotion Initiative. Case studies can be found here.