Hi Kas

LiveCode is open source (www.livecode.org) and can build for multiple platforms - Windows, MacOS, Linux + mobiles. Might be worth having a look at - it has an english-like scripting language and drag + drop GUI builder. You can develop on multiple platforms too so not limited to Windows.

You're probably already finished, but maybe someone else will find it useful.

Hi @kierancamb 

A colleague of mine let me know about this thread as it's very similar to lots of things we've built (Angel Shark sightings map, Thames Marine Mammal sightings map for example). Thinking about it more this could be a simple online free and open source tool.

It could use a JSON schema compiled form made through an interface much like: https://jsonform.github.io/jsonform/playground/index.html?example=schema-morecomplex

And take a parameter for an email address to send the results to.

You could then save the form schema and the email address in a bookmarkable URL and it could just let people fill the form out and send the results on. Annoyingly URLS have a 2000 character limit but we could take a parameter of a configuration file stored elsewhere (Office Online, Google Docs, PasteBin, GitHub) that way the form would be editable by who created it too.

If anyone has any ideas on this or could also use something like it I'd happily start an open source GitHub project and build the basics.

Have been thinking about doing this for a while.

Hi Kieran and all,

I jump into the topic as I am doing research on data collection through mobile application in conservation. (I currently have a test in Cambodia in the education sector with a mobile app and the possibility for the ngo to push questions through notifications on the user's smartphone).

Kieran could you tell me what are the main problem of downloading an app for your users ? it seems it is a general concern, any idea why ?

i really believe in a system where people providing data should be incentivised for it so the data becomes of higher value and of higher quality.

Fabien

I'm part of a citizen science  biodiversity project and we ask our citizen scientists to use Kobo Toolbox's webforms to collect field data using a smart phone.  Kobo was started by Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, and gets funding from various organizations including branches of the United Nations.  https://www.kobotoolbox.org

KoBoToolbox is a suite of tools for field data collection for use in challenging environments. Our software is free and open source. Most of our users are people working in humanitarian crises, as well as aid professionals and researchers working in developing countries.

Project leaders design a webform and send people a link to the form. People load the  form in a browser when they have internet connection, then go into the field and fill out the form. The forms work both online and offline. If the users fill out the form when there is no internet  connection, the next time the users open the form when there is internet connection, the data is synced to the Kobo servers. 

Kobo has an admin interface where project leaders can view, edit, and download the data. Project leaders can use condtional logic when designing the questions on the  webform (if user answers yes, show question A; if users answers no, show question B).

Hi. I'm picking up on an older post but i'd love to know if a ruggedised tablet with a long battery life at a price NGOs can afford is still an  issue? Are there limitations to what you can find on the market still? What features do you need that you can't find currently? I ask as I work for Arm Ltd (supporters of Wildlabs.net) and I'm prototyping a tablet for the WHO to use for healthcare in rural communities in developing countries as they can't purchase anything suitable. If this sort of tablet would be useful in other sectors i'd be very interested to know. I'm not trying to sell anything (I promise!) I'm gathering evidence that there is market interest for such a device. I'm championing the need for tech to be designed for use cases that it currently isn't designed for eg off the shelf tablets don't help if you can't charge a device for 4 days and you face challenging physical conditions where you use it but you can't afford, nor do you need, military grade tablets. Thanks, Fiona

I haven't done research on the options recently. But last time I did, from a value perspective, I've been recommending a solid consumer tablet which you can then “ruggedize” with a case, screen protector, or even an underwater case. That plus one or more power banks will be cheaper than a rugged desiged version. Use the extra $ you save to get a backup tablet and swap out the case/protective gear if it fails.

Best way to get a decent deal on tablets (or anything really) is use Amazon Warehouse Deals or Blinq to buy open box returns. And get an Amazon Prime credit card for an additional 5% cash back on your purchases.

Great lessons around stakeholder engagement and project management in this article. Users and developers alike are key to your project. User requirements gathering can provide a lot of insight if done well but it can be hard to prioritise the magic that some users want versus what can be practically achieved by a developer with your time and budget constraints. Find advice from a good project manager or business analyst if you can to help with technical language and project design barriers. Definitely agree with the above comments on getting your developers engaged with your users where possible. 

Field based users often want to spend as little time as possible with technology. You need to use their time wisely to capture their requirements. Make sure they feel listened to. You can never please them all but hopefully you can focus in on critical users and key priorities and they will bring the others along.

Lots of good ideas and advice from everyone.

Time/money/quality/speed/etc tradeoffs, as always. Start with your minimum viable product, get it out there (at least to your initial target users - early adopters/enthusiasts), and iteratively improve, if poss. Don't go for the Big Bang approach where everything is "perfect", because it won't be. Users expect a lot from apps - there are incredibly well-resourced companies putting out incredible apps for free - and users almost always expect more. So... if there's an existing app (like iNaturalist/eBird/...) that can do the job for you, use it, or work with them to adapt.

Additionally, mobile phone hardware/software upgrades can often result in app issues/upgrades being necessary, so plan on maintenance costs as well as enhancements along the way, as others have said. Particularly when targetting both major platforms (use a cross-platform dev tool!).

If you're lucky enough to have a volunteer development team, treat/reward them as well as possible, to keep the system going. Whether that's with money or publication co-authorship or beer, find a way.

Could probably comment more but should probably write a paper...!

Hello Malou

I hazard the guess that what you are looking for is already available for livestock monitoring, so I would look in that direction unless you want to re-invent that wheel. I admit I am not 100% sure what is out there as I am working on something unrelated. Homemade tags may be cheaper but don't underestimate the effort and experience required to make something reliable and robust.

Reliably monitoring body temperature and heart rate may also be more difficult than you expect. I looked into this some time ago for birds such as golden eagles and discovered that the most reliable option required attaching a sensor onto the skin. I then decided that I would have to do without this and moved on. I am in no way an expert on this and others may know much better so don't give up quite yet. Again, there may be ready-made solutions in the livestock tracking market that do these types of measurements already.

Anyway, I can offer you a few details on GPS components I have come across that may be of interest. Please note that although these components are on my tracker prototype, this is still under development and I cannot yet say how well they perform. But their technical details looked good enough to give them a try for my project.

GPS MODULE: uBlox EVA-M8M
- certainly not the cheapest, GBP 10 bought in single units, cheaper in bulk;
- stores GPS satellites' almanac and ephemeris data onboard and can interpolate future trajectories. This means that the module has to be switched on only once in 48 h to get all the satellite data (typically takes 45 s) and then fire up only for a few seconds to get a position fix. The key benefit of this is energy conservation, which on most tags is important.
Data sheet: https://www.u-blox.com/sites/default/files/EVA-M8-FW3_DataSheet_(UBX-16014189).pdf
Source: https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/u-blox-america-inc/EVA-M8M-1/672-1112-1-ND/9818030

GPS ANTENNA: ProAnt PRO-OB-430, GBP1.00
A very small and lightweight GPS antenna, much more so than the usual ceramic patch antennas. If weight and size are an issue then this may come in handy.
data sheet: http://www.proant.se/files/user/Application%20note%20-%20OnBoard%20SMD%20GNSS%20rev%202.0.pdf
Source: https://www.digikey.co.uk/products/en?keywords=1532-1000-1-ND

A hint for more inspiration and sources of useful information on lightweight and energy-efficient electronics: websites on remote controlled model aircraft and amateur weather balloons.

It would be useful if you could post here a summary of your results on the GPS module search, once complete, for the benefit of those looking for the same details in the future.

Good luck !

J

https://github.com/LoRaTracker/GPSTutorial/tree/master/GPS%20performance%20comparisons

I'm a bit late to this conversation, but in case anyone else is searching "gps" that link above is one of the best "gsp shoot outs" I've come across.

HTH