mobile data collection · create a project website at epicollect.net; load the project into the...

EPICOLLECT AND GIS CLOUD APPS

Presented By:

ORBITAL AFRICA

2018

MOBILE DATA COLLECTION AND MAPPING

USING SMARTPHONE APPS

Mobile Data Collection and Mapping using Smartphone Apps

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1. INTRODUCTION

Before embarking on the field data collection, questionnaire variables shall be identified. The design of

digital questionnaires which will be used to capture the location and attribute information for Client

mapping exercise will follow thereafter. Amongst other things, the following considerations will be met prior

to the creation of the questionnaire: Firstly, identifying the goal of the questionnaire; choosing the question

type; developing the questions for the questionnaire; restricting the length of the questionnaire; identifying

the target demographic; ensuring questionnaire privacy is protected and ensuring data back-up; Currently,

as opposed to using handheld GPS devices in data collection, many GPS-enabled smartphone apps which

are easy to use and seamless in terms of data capture and transmission exist in the market. The handheld

GPS are quite expensive and static. As well, data collected need to be downloaded from time to time due

to storage space constraint and limited capabilities like capturing media files such as photos and videos.

The digital questionnaires using the apps are easily customisable and have capabilities of data editing once

an error has been realized. The main advantage of using digital questionnaire on mobile phones is that once

data is collected and sent to the cloud, it is easy to retrieve it should the smartphone malfunction or get lost.

During the execution of this project, we shall try as much as possible to avoid manual questionnaires

because of the challenges they pose. We propose to design and use the digital questionnaires on either the

GIS Cloud or EpiCollect app. In the subsequent sections, we have outlined the procedures of creating the

questionnaires, data collection, verification, validation and transmission to the cloud storage system.

2. EPICOLLECT APP

EpiCollect provides a web and mobile app for the generation of

forms (questionnaires) and freely hosted project websites for data

collection. The data is collected (including GPS and media) using

multiple phones and all data can be viewed centrally (using

Google Maps / tables / charts). As a generic data collection tool, EpiCollect allows the collection and

submission of geo-tagged data forms (along with photos) to a central project website (hosted using Google

AppEngine) from suitable mobile phones (Android or iPhone). For instance, questionnaires, surveys etc and

data are synchronised (i.e. a copy sent from the phone) from multiple phones can then be viewed /

charted/filtered at the project website using Google Maps/Earth or downloaded and analysed.

Furthermore, data can be requested and viewed/filtered from the project website directly on your phone

using Google Maps. The figure 1 shows the field data collection and transmission workflow using EpiCollect.

Fig. 1: EpiCollect Data Collection Workflow


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Basically, with EpiCollect, any kind of form field can be used, and each entry can be geo-tagged (using the

smartphones GPS) and a photo, audio or video attached (using the phones camera). You can collect

multiple entries on a single phone and all data are stored within the phones database and can also be

synchronised with a project website.

a. Designing Questionnaire Forms with EpiCollect

All entries collected with EpiCollect can include the GPS location and a photo, however in order to collect

the kind of text data you require for your project, you need to design a Questionnaire Form which, when you

load your project into a phone, it will specify the text data that can be entered. A form consists of any

number of Form Elements and the types of elements you can use within your form are as follows: Text,

Numeric, Phone Number, Date, Time, Dropdown List, Radio Buttons, Checkboxes, Text Box, Location (X, Y

and Accuracy), Photo, Audio, Video and Barcode. The GPS accuracy of EpiCollect is about 3-5 meters

which is ideal for this exercise. The figures below illustrate the EpiCollect user interface of the questionnaire

forms (Fig. 2) and the project we conducted on PEPFAR GIS Mapping and Analysis in October 2016 (Fig 3.)

b. The EpiCollect Workflow

Create a Project website at EpiCollect.net; load the Project into the EpiCollect app on your phone

Using the drag 'n' drop form builder design a Form of any kind of textual data you want to collect.

Collect multiple sets of geo-tagged data, with (or without) photos.

Synchronize the data from your phone with your project website.

View data using Google Maps and Google Earth at your Project Website, or on your phone.

Fig. 2: A Sample EpiCollect Questionnaire Form


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c. Mobile Forms and Web Mapping Platform

Fig. 3: Data Collection App and Web Platform


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3. GIS CLOUD APP

The GIS Cloud app is a powerful tool for mobile mapping. During the project, we

shall use either EpiCollect or GIS Cloud app. The GIS Cloud’s Mobile Data

Collection is a simple and easy solution for real-time field location, multimedia

and attributes data collection. GIS Cloud Mobile Data Collection enables

one to have media enriched location information from any place, any time

and on any device. With only a few taps of your finger you are populating data

into a map layer in real time. Easy to analyse, share and publish newly collected data or review and update

the previous data. Make your workflow and decision making effective by creating accurate and timely

information in a fast and user friendly way. The Figure 4 below shows the functionalities of GIS Cloud app.

Fig. 4: Capabilities of GIS Cloud App


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The figure 5 below shows GIS Cloud app field data collection forms for the roads’ project we did for the

Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) in January 2017.

a. Why Smartphones in Data Collection?

For mobile mapping we propose to use smartphones with the apps that we’ve described above and try as

much as possible to avoid manual questionnaires due to the challenges they pose during field data

collection. As well, whilst the handled GPS is an ideal tool for this project, the advantages of GPS-enabled

smartphones outweigh those of using the GPS. One of the main reasons of adopting the smartphones in field

data collection is their ability to capture additional media data such as the photos, videos and audio files

which are sent and stored in the cloud in real-time. The handheld GPS have high accuracy albeit with small

internal storage capacity. The use of EpiCollect mobile app is the most ideal in this exercise owing to its

ability to capture data in remote areas where internet connectivity is low or unavailable. This is because the

data is collected offline and later uploaded to the cloud when one accesses the internet connectivity.

The use of EpiCollect simplifies field data collection workflows due to its ease of use, ability to edit collected

data before and after it has been uploaded to the cloud. Unlike the GPS where the data collected cannot

be viewed on the map, the EpiCollect allows viewing and analysing data on the web map as it streams in

from the field in real-time. This is important during Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QC&QA) process of

checking the data integrity and accuracy hence ensuring that it is error-free. Most if not all smartphones

come with in-built GPS that gives accuracy to about 5 metres which is more or less the same as that

obtained from handheld GPS. Presently, the market price of an Android based smartphone goes for about

Ksh. 15,000 compared to the cheapest handheld GPS which goes for about KSh. 25,000!!

Hotspot Analysis Field Form Data Attributes

Fig. 5: Data Collection using GIS Cloud App


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b. Field Data Collection

We propose to conduct the field work by employing our field- tested experiences in similar activities and

collect all the data needed for the project. This will involve visiting the physical location of the demand

and supply i.e. location of producers and consumers of agro-products as stipulated in the ToR. The exercise

shall involve taking GPS coordinates, attributes as well as the coded photographs and collecting the

necessary information as per client’s requirements. At our disposal we have qualified university graduate with

GPS/GIS mapping skills, with previous experiences in mobile field data collection of similar and complex

projects. Based on our previous experiences, we intend to employ EpiCollect mobile app for field work data

collection because its usage outweigh that of GIS Cloud. The EpiCollect has high cloud storage capacity

compared to the GIS Cloud which limits the storage to only 100MB per user. The questionnaire forms in

EpiCollect are easily customizable with drag-and-drop capabilities. In addition, unlike the GIS Cloud, once a

form has been created in EpiCollect, it can easily be edited. Figure 7 below shows a simple workflow of field

data collection and transmission to the EpiCollect Cloud platform.

Fig. 6: A GIS Cloud Web Map

Application

Download

EpiCollect App

Login with Google

Account

Search for the

Project

Fig. 7: Field Data Collection

Workflow

Verification and

Validation

View Collected

Data on Web

Enable the Phone

GPS

Collect Field

Data/Mapping

Sync/Upload

Data to Cloud

Data Analysis &

Workflows

Interpret Results

& Make Decision


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Further, in line with the use of mobile phones for data collection, Orbital Africa has developed the capacity

to receive the data from the field on a real-time basis and back it up in our remote VPS. We often develop

our apps to directly connect to our cloud-hosted server from which data can be submitted directly from the

field. In the context of this project, we also propose to develop both online and offline capabilities such that

in areas of low or no reception or internet connectivity still the app can work. This has many benefits.

a) Data Quality Checks is near real-time – If any discrepancies are noted, the field officers are informed

immediately for correction before moving to another site.

b) Monitor Enumerators’ Performance – This will ensure we get daily reports on how many sites visited and

whether the sites where visited. This is our front-line in quality assurance and timely delivery.

c) Real-time visualization of Indicators – Once the data collection tools (questionnaire) is complete, our

system developers start developing the system right away. As the data streams in, basic and in-

development visualization tools are provided to the client to view and monitor our progress. We

provide basic yet powerful mapping and graphing tools for the client.

d) Real-time Feedback – By receiving data and reports on a real-time basis, we are able to adjust our

approach rapidly as soon as the need is noticed.

e) Low Risk of Data Loss - The risk of losing data during submission manually is higher compared to our live

transmission, this is because every data set is sent independently and the worst case is a one-time loss.

c. Data Verification and Validation

The collected field data will also undergo consistency checking, validation and verification using our QC

and QA procedures. This entails adherence to database design, attribute accuracy, logical consistency,

geometry, completeness, positional accuracy, graphic quality and correct database attribute information.

During project execution, assessments shall include but are not limited to field inspections, QC and QA

checks, surveillance, technical reviews, performance evaluations, and audits. The self-assessments and

independent assessments will be planned, scheduled, and performed as part of the survey exercise.

mobile data collection · create a project website at epicollect.net; load the project into the...

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