Mobile Data CollectionAndroid App based Systems

ODK for Beginners

Resources

• MDC tool selection assistant: http://humanitarian-nomad.org/online-selection-tool/

• USAID mHealth Compendium: http://www.jhsph.edu/departments/international-health/_documents/USAIDmHealthCompendiumVol2FINAL.pdf

• mHealth Project Databases: https://www.k4health.org/toolkits/mhealth-planning-guide/project-repositories

• A list of every mHealth system out there: https://fusiontables.googleusercontent.com/fusiontables/embedviz?viz=CARD&q=select+*+from+1Lmrf9lUAiXxIQ-wBxs9ApJG4GL2CE7hHgb2GHm8+order+by+col5+asc&tmplt=5&cpr=2

• A great review of Mobile Data Collection systems by the curator of the mHealth fusion table: http://craigappl.github.io/Decisions-Decisions/

Why use MDC?

M. Goodman, EPI Methods I, Fall 2014, RSPH

Research Question

Interpretationand

Conclusions

StudyResults

Data collection

StudyDesign

Data analysis

error error

error

What is ODK?

ODK

• Closest thing to a standard in MDC

• Open-source

• Works in low-tech and low-resource settings

It’s a suite of applications

• ODK Survey – drag and drop interface for survey design

• XLS Forms – Excel interface for survey programming

• ODK Collect – Android based application for data collection

• ODK Aggregator – Cloud based data aggregation

• ODK Briefcase – Physical data aggregation

• And many more…

Why use ODK?

It turns anybody who can use Excel into a programmer!

Very easily translatable

Lot’s of systems use ODK

Tech Process

Design form •Excel

Convert and Validate

Form

•XLS Form Converter

•ODK Validate

Load form on Tablet

•ODK Aggregate Server or Hard Connection

•ODK Collect

Aggregate Data

•ODK Aggregate Server

•ODK Briefcase

We will spend most of our time today on these steps.

We will get to this if we have time, but will focus on this in the second ODK class.

Let’s build some forms!

Requisites

1. Laptop with Excel

2. Internet connection

3. ODK reference spreadsheet

4. Sample hand washing Survey

Step 1: Set up your Excel Sheets

• Two sheets, one named “survey”, the other “choices”

• Survey should have three columns:• “type” “name” “label”

• Choices should have three columns:• “list_name” “name” “label”

ODK Skills

1. Entering different types of variables into the form

2. Working with selection lists (multiple / single)

3. Creating question lists

4. Contraints

5. Relevancy

Step 2: Start creating your variables

• Look at the ODK reference sheet to determine what type of variable you’re interested in and insert them step by step into the excel sheet

• Be comfortable with:• Entering different types of variables into the form • Working with selection lists (multiple / single)• Creating question lists• Contraints• Relevancy

• You can use the sample Hand Washing form or one of your own

Step 3: Convert and Validate

• Go to: http://opendatakit.org/xiframe/• Upload and convert your excel form, remember it should be titled “form”

• Validate your form. You can download the ODK Validate application here: https://opendatakit.org/use/validate

• Or you can validate your form against the CommCare Standard online here: https://www.commcarehq.org/formtranslate/

Future Sessions

• 3/18 : ODK programming (part 2) and Treatment Algorithms

• 4/1 : Google Maps API and real time data visualization (guest speaker)