Mobile Data Collection - opportunities

Brownbag Centre for Development Innovation

mirjam schaap, May 2014

Data collection approaches

respondent enumerator data-entry

respondent enumerator

respondent

respondent enumerator

a-synchronous

wifi/GPRS/3G

SMS - USSD

F2F paper

F2F mobile

Direct response

Phone interview

IVR

call centre

respondent Online survey wifi/GPRS/3G

synchronous

Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection, Demombynes

Mobile data collection

Using smartphones or tablets for data collection (instead of paper forms)

Data storage

build collect aggregate results analyse - report

Advantages

Manage surveys across regions; Faster to fill + compile; Data more accurate:

● collect+digitize at source ● no more data entry ● data cleaning limited ● pre coded ranges,

restrictions, skip logic user friendly / motivating; easy monitoring of data

collection team

Costs

Hardware Training Collection form design Data transmission (recurring)

Data aggregation (hosting)

Management

Data types - what to collect

Geographic data GPS coordinates

Choice boxes Radio buttons

Multiple choice

Multimedia data Videos

Audio

Pictures

Sensors Signatures

Barcodes

Electronic sensors

Manual entry Text

Numbers

Time - date Time

Date

Think ......

How could mobile data collection be useful in your work?

Possible use cases

Surveys Assessments Tracking M&E etc.

kivafellows.wordpress.com

In CDI

ISSD – with KIT Genevieve

Cascape ? SBN ? IFAD evaluation

Many possible tools

Magpi (episurveyor) Formhub Mobenzi researcher Commcare m-farm Do forms AKVO flow Text to change

CSPro mOpenMRS Epicollect FrontlineSMS RapidSMS Ushahidi

ODK – Open Data Kit

Considerations in selecting tool - provider

Survey question types Control + management

(self or pay service provider)

Data security Time-frame Costs (set-up / service)

Customizability (by whom)

Tools already used (partner)

Things to keep in mind before deployment

How ‘fast’ do you need the data? Real time, daily, ... Network availability / affordability Materials

● Smartphone – tablet?

● Screensize?

● Operating System (Android, iOS, windows mobile)

● Extra spare devices

● Settings + installing device

● Battery pack

Planning 1. Ongoing activities

2. One-time activity

Mobile based technology for monitoring and evaluation (Thakkar, M. et al, 2013)

Yaw Anokwa http://nafundi.com

ODK - open data kit version 1.x

Open Source + free, used by many (10s of thousands) Basis for many other apps (Enketo, Magpi, Kobo toolbox)

http://opendatakit.org/

ODK Build or XLSform

http://opendatakit.org/use/xlsform/

http://opendatakit.org/help/form-design/

Gaetano Borriello http://opendatakit.org

ODK collect

ODK aggregate

hosts data + provides extraction interfaces

https://opendatakit.appspot.com/Aggregate.html

http://datavisualization.ch/tools/google-fusion-tables/

Google Fusion Tables Google App engine + ODK aggregate

Google Map

Pitfalls - risks

Data security Broken devices / power Training enumerators – teamleaders

Resources

ICT for Data Collection and Monitoring & Evaluation: Opportunities and Guidance on Mobile Applications for Forest

and Agricultural Sectors (Worldbank, December 2013)

Mobile based technology for monitoring and evaluation (Thakkar, M. et al, 2013)

Multi-Channel Data Collection for Social and Economic Development (Froumentin, M. 2013)

Collecting data with smart forms on mobiel phones (Anokwa, Y, 2013)

Mobile applications for monitoring and evaluation in agriculture (USAID briefing paper, December 2012)

Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Phone-Based Data Collection (Demombynes, G. et.al, January 2013)

Enjoy !

mirjam.schaap@wur.nl www.delicious.com/mirjamschaap www.delicious.com/mirjamschaap/mobile www.delicious.com/mirjamschaap/datacollection www.twitter.com/mirjamschaap/ nl.linkedin.com/in/mirjamschaap/

www.wageningenUR.nl/cdi www.facebook.com/CDIwageningenUR www.twitter.com/CDIwageningenUR