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Remote Data Collection
From PicoForms
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[edit] Introduction
PicoForms' application platform runs on mobile devices such as phones and PDAs. Given that it also has excellent support for online forms it is a natural for mobile data capture applications. To make our platform ideal for cost-effective, mobile GIS applications we have added support for GPS and mapping. Applications can be built quickly using standard Web technologies on the client, and existing technologies, such as databases, running server-side.
To give an idea of what can be done we have put together a simple, but useful application designed to allow a user to record data on a PDA or phone whilst moving around, and then upload data to a central repository at their convenience.
[edit] The Setting
The charity Sustrans, amongst other things, is helping to create and maintain a national network of cycle routes in the UK (The National Cycle Network - NCN). Routes are a mixture of dedicated cycle track and on-road routes and runs to well over 10,000 miles across the whole country.
Sustrans relies on a small paid staff and a large number of volunteer rangers to help maintain existing routes. Volunteers are assigned stretches of the NCN, which they ride regularly on the lookout for problems. Rangers deal with a wide range of maintenance tasks such as:
- Signing - adding, repairing and reporting signing issues.
- Surfaces - reporting problems with surfaces (potholes, etc).
- Vegatation - clearing encroaching vegatation, reporting bigger problems.
- Rubbish - clearing rubbish, reporting larger items such as abandoned vehicles.
Clearly it would be useful for rangers to be able to record information about potential tasks whilst riding their stretch of NCN and for that information to be made available centrally to help with planning activities, both by rangers themselves and by Sustrans employees.
Whilst it is possible to record data on paper, perhaps using preprinted forms, and to include a map reference so that data can later be plotted on a GIS, a computer-based system would is more convenient.
- Data can be collected using standard, predefined terms, which can be easily and cheaply updated.
- Digital photographs can be conveniently included (if device has a built-in camera).
- GPS data can be associated with data automatically.
- Data collection is quicker and less vulnerable to wind and rain than a paper-based system.
- There is no need to key data into a database after collection.
For a mobile application to be practical for deployment to rangers it must run on a wide range of devices and be as simple as possible to use.
[edit] The Application
So, we need something that allows a wandering ranger to record information about points along a stretch of cycle route and then do something useful with that data once they have collected it.
[edit] Requirements
Nothing fancy or out-of-the-ordinary is required to use the application. The ranger will need a PDA or mobile phone capable of running a small application with a colour user interface and sufficient memory to store data. The data capture device must be connected to a GPS receiver.
The ranger will probably also want a home computer onto which data can be transferred, and then uploaded to a central database, although if the capture device can connect to the internet this isn't strictly necessary.
[edit] Look and Feel
The application is built using the same technology used for standard Web pages, so its controls can be familiar enough to be used by most people with minimal instruction.
Here we see the application running inside a mobile phone emulator. The emulator is an application on a normal PC that pretends to be a mobile phone, so that software can be tested conveniently.
It is useful to keep mobile applications fairly simple and uncluttered to help users to cope with a small screen and sometimes fiddly controls.
Here we see the Sustrans logo, borrowed from the Web site, and four options.
- The first option invites us to collect data for our current physical location.
- The second option allows us to review the data we have already collected on this trip. The data will only be stored locally until it is transferred.
- The third option allows us to record the route we are taking, so that it can be viewed later on a digital
- The last we use once we have collected some data and want to transfer it to a PC.
Navigation between options is managed by using the up and down arrow keys below the phone screen, just as one would expect.
PicoForms' platform allows application look-and-feel to be customised very quickly, so it is possible to try out many different schemes on users, before a final design is established.
[edit] Location
If we select the first option we are presented with information about our current location. There are a number of options here. The simplest, and cheapest choice would be just to display latitude and longitude. However, it may be more useful to also display a map, with some indication of position. Here we see a section of Ordnance Survey map, with a ring indicating position.
Maps can either be downloaded dynamically - if the user has an internet connection whilst using the application, or be transferred from a PC or other source before setting out.
PicoForms' platform allows digital maps from many different sources to used, so the screenshot should be considered purely illustrative.
Although the map centres on the user's current position, it is possible to scroll around and zoom in and out, dependant on the actual map data stored on the device.
[edit] Data Entry
We can scroll down the screen using the arrow keys to reach the data entry part of the screen.
The application is intended to collect very specific kinds of information that lend themselves to presentation as simple lists. This is ideal for mobile applications as selections can be made, or remade, very easily using the arrow keys.
PicoForms' technology offers allows for regular updating of categories and the terms used to describe them.
There is also the option to compose a note to attach to the standard data collected - in this case to qualify information about a broken sign. The user can go on to record information under signing category, if appropriate.
As the user has a device that includes a camera, the application offers the option to take a photo that will be included with the rest of the data collected.
The key thing is that data is associated with the user's location, collected quickly and easily and in a standard format that can be stored centrally.
[edit] Conclusion
PicoForms' platform for mobile, location-aware applications makes it an ideal choice for efficient collection of structured, standard information by people using readily available devices.
