Open Data Kit (ODK) is a free and open-source set of tools for mobile data collection. It allows researchers to create online forms, interface with a data server to download blank forms and submit completed forms from mobile devices even without internet access. Key components include ODK Build for authoring forms, ODK Collect for mobile data collection, and ODK Aggregate for storing submitted data. The tools make data collection more efficient, robust and cost-effective compared to paper-based methods. ODK has been successfully used in various deployments including surveys, project monitoring, and crisis mapping.

1. Charles Gatama K
cgatama@megasixsolutions.com
+254-727-094-536
Using Open Data Kit
and Google Maps

2. Data Collection using mobile device is easy,
efficient and fun!

3. ◦What?
◦Why?
◦How?
◦Where?
◦Who?

5.  Open Data Kit (ODK) is a free and open-
source set of tools which help researchers
author, field, and manage mobile data
collection and management solutions.
 It allows data collection using mobile
devices and data submission to an online
server, even without an Internet connection
or mobile carrier service at the time of data
collection.

6.  ODK Collect
◦ Android app/ Mobile data collection engine
◦ Download forms/collect data
◦ Upload data
 ODK Build
◦ Creating forms/ Authoring forms
◦ Publishing forms to Aggregate or XML
 ODK Aggregate
◦ Store data/ Data server (Google AppEngine or web
server)
 ODK Manage – For supervision of research
assistants
Among other tools
ODK components

7. ODK Build/Notepad
Editor
XML Forms
XML Data
Form Authoring
(ODK Build/XML Editor)
Mobile Engine
(ODK Collect)
Data Server
(ODK Aggregate)
XForms
XML Data

8. ODK Collect
http://opendatakit.org/use/collect/
 Getting Forms from the aggregate server
 Filling/Editing Forms (Data collection)
 Submitting/ sending Data to the aggregate
server
 Deleting Saved Forms

9. open to fill a blank form
Open to edit filled I forms before submitting
Submit the finalized forms to the aggregate
server
Get/ download a blank form from the
Aggregate server
Delete blank saved forms from the mobile

11. Enter different data types

17. Saving the form after capturing the data

18. Open to edit saved forms before finalizing
Open to send finalized forms

19. Review and edit fields/ data of
the form, check for errors
before submitting the finalized
form to the aggregate server

20. Select the finalized forms to
upload the data to the
aggregate server after they
have been finalized
Upload the data of
the selected forms

22. • Pie Chart
• Bar Graph
• Map
Visualize
Viewing Data in the aggregate

23. Map

24. Viewing Data on Map

25. Exporting Data
Export
Data Formats
• CSV
• KML

26. ODK Aggregate
 Only considering the Google AppEngine here
in presentation

27. Aggregate Front Page

28. Aggregate: Site Access
• Allow anyone with the
aggregate account
permissions to
download forms and
submit data
• Allows one to create
permissions with
account and
password
• data collector
• data viewer
• form manager
• site admin

29. Aggregate: Form Management
Add New Form
Two methods of
form uploading:
• Upload XML file
• Upload a form by
publishing from
ODK build

30. ODK Build (build.opendatakit.org)
Questions/Fields:
• Text
• Numeric
• Date
• Location
• Media
• Barcode
• Choose One
• Select Multiple
• Group
• Branch
Sign in/Create an
account
Add questions/fields
Menu Bar

31. Creating a Form using Build
• Can create forms
using the ODK
build GUI
• More complex
forms easier to
write in XML

32. Publishing the Form • Publishing to
Aggregate uploads
the blank form/
questionnaire to the
host on the Google
AppEngine where it
can be downloaded
using ODK collect
App for data
collection
• Publishing XML
allows the user to
customize the simple
form (logic,
appearance, etc)
Publish to
Aggregate
P
Publish to
XML

34. – Harder to skip questions
– Range checking
– Eliminates branching errors
– Eliminates transcription
errors
– Immediate access to data
from the server – rapid
data aggregation and
analyses (Real-time data
access)
– Portability
– Data security
– Minimize workforce -Better
supervision is possible

35. – Unlimited data types;
Form + GPS location +
picture + video + string+
numeric + audio +
barcode
– Branching sequence
– Get GPS location of
respondent easily
– Cleaner data –
standardization of data
– Easy connection to other
health records e.g.
openMRS

36. Branching sequence
Easy to branch

37.  Minimize workforce
 Data Collection the hard way
Data collection on
mobile phones is
easy, effective, and
fun!

38. Turnaround
 Typesetting
 Photocopy (bulk)
 Data Entry Screen
Programming
 Data Entry
 Data Cleaning
 Tedious & Bulky
 Easy to fake
 Time consuming
 Limited data type range
 Time consuming
• Clean data – Range checks, Skip
logics, Required fields
• Hastens the whole process
• No data entry exercise (reduce
costs)
• Reduced data loss
• Reduced bulkiness – just a phone
• Ease of monitoring
• Increased capacity in collecting
qualitative and quantitative data
(e.g. Videos, Images, locations,
audio recording, barcodes)
• Efficient for Mapping surveys
• Hustle Free
Mobile data collectionPaper questionnaire

39. Quantitative
Consider a two page paper questionnaire
and a sample size of 150 respondents with
a 100% response rate.

40. Option Activity Quantity Description Cost Each
Sub-total
Cost
Native Paper
Questionnaire
Administering
Typesetting 2 pages Typesetting draft questionnaire into a
word processor
25 50
Photocopy/
printing
(150*2pages)=300 Replicating the questionnaires equal to
the number of respondents
5 1500
Database and data
Entry Screen
Programming
1 Interface to be used during data entry and
the database design
10,000 10,000
Data Entry 4 data entry clerks Data entry exercise to be carried out in 1
day
1000 4000
Data Cleaning/
data management
1 Cost for eliminating data captured during
collection and/or entry erroneously
5500 5500
Grand Total 21,050/=
Using ODK Form Authoring/
Developing
1 Developing a two page
questionnaire in ODK
9000 9000
Data Management 1 Aggregating the data and delivery
in .CSV file (OR even SPSS, STATA
formats) and minimal data
cleaning if any
6500 6500
Grand Total 15500/=
Comparing the costs!
The difference widens as the number of pages and sample size
increases

41. The process
1. List questions 2. Design Questionnaire
An officer list the
questions a
survey may
consist with other
data types such
as Pictures, GPS,
Audio, etc
The officer designs the
forms with xForm designer/
Odk build with good
controls and features, in an
electronic survey form.
Access rights and controls
e.g. skip logics are then
assigned by officer. Uploads
the forms to aggregate
3. Download forms
Enumerators
download the survey
form remotely using
ODK Collect app on
their android phone.
4. View data on server
The officer manages and
conducts analysis of the
data collected or export
the data to external
systems like Google Fusion
Tables or ArcGis for further
analysis and sharing
information

42. Application
Designer
Server
Storage
Phone
Clients
.CSV, .KML, Google Spreadsheet,
Fusion Tables e.t.c
user
interaction
interface
create data store Collected data

43.  completing surveys about households
 Microfinance institution tracking transactions
from lenders and borrowers.
 Crisis mapper tasked to capture images and
locations of damaged areas after a hurricane.
 Collecting multimedia data –audio, video
 Baseline surveys and project evaluations for
collecting both quantitative data and
qualitative data (Audio recording)

45. Form Authoring
Mobile Engine
Data Server
XForms
Completed
XForms
CellLife, EpiSurveyor,
OpenXData, Open Data Kit
JavaROSA, OpenXData
mobile, ODK-collect
Cell Life, EpiSurveyor,
OpenXData, ODK aggregate
XML Forms
XML Data

46.  Open Data Kit provides organizations with a new
way to build information services for developing
regions. The modular, extensible and open-source
design allows picking and choosing tools best
suited for specific deployments.
 ODK differs from other platforms and has
unlimited set of tools
 Ongoing deployments has proven success.
 ODK system architecture of enables a large and
varied set of applications for developing regions.

47.  Using of Mysql Data server – No actual cost
incurred, no limitations on data accessibility

48.  http://opendatakit.org/about/deployments/ -
successful implementations
 http://opendatakit.org/about/tools/ - All ODK
tools
 http://build.opendatakit.org –Form building tool
 http://purcforms.appspot.com/FormDesigner.html
-Purcform form designer tool
 http://code.google.com/p/opendatakit/downloads
/list -ODK Downloads list
 http://opendatakit.org/2011/09/list-of-odk-
implementation-companies/

49. Visit our website at:
www.megasixsolutions.com
or
contact me via:
cgatama@megasixsolutions.com /
staff@megasixsoluutions.com
Cell: +254-727-094536

50. THANK YOU!!