ACIAR MAD Masterclass Canberra, 7-9 June 2016

Transcription

1 ACIAR MAD Masterclass Canberra, 7-9 June 2016

2 Mobile Acquired Data Hardware and Fieldwork Tips Stuart Higgins Director Agricultural Impact International Pty Ltd T: +61 (0) E: 2

3 Size of Device What size device will suit your project s needs? Would a smart phone or tablet best suit your needs? 3

4 Considerations Are you planning on using a lot of images and videos? Do you need to refer to multiple questions at a time? Will you be conducting measurements which requires the use of one hand, for instance crop heights or animal lengths? It may be better suited for deployment on a tablet; it is easier to view media on a larger screen. A tablet may be more suitable. Tablets can display 5 to 7 questions per page, while phones can view 3 to 5. It may be desirable to have a smaller device to measure with one hand and enter the information into the device with the other. Phones or smaller tablets, e.g. 8 inch tablets, can achieve this. 4

5 Buying the Device Consider sourcing the tablets in-country: Generally more cost effective. Easier to access maintenance and replacements. Avoids potential import tax issues. Spend some additional money on a good quality case. Always budget for a couple of spare devices. 5

6 Battery Life Charge batteries every evening. Keep at least one spare battery pack with supervisors/team leaders. The more enumerators, the more spare packs. Change batteries between surveys once device gets low (10%) to reduce the risk of running out of power in the middle of a survey. CommCare fact sheet for really off the grid situations - Solutions for Charging Phones in Areas with Poor Electricity. 6

7 Internet Connectivity Two is one and one is none If real time data collection is critical then use a tablet with dual sim card functionality. For larger teams, purchase mobile broadband devices (e.g. dongles) that enumerators can access at the end of the day to upload data. Ask the in-country partners what mobile carriers are used in the survey areas. 7

8 Managing Data Use Use of data for non-work purposes requires proactive management. Remind the enumerators that tablets are for surveys and their personal phones are for personal matters. App data usage can be viewed on the device s settings. Project supervisor/s should have additional data packages available in case they are required. Provide to enumerators in the field via access codes. 8

9 Connecting the Field Team Social media apps can enhance the coordination between your field team. Instant messenger apps aid in coordinating activities and schedules in the field. Examples include: WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, Messenger. Explore local options of instant messengers; check with your enumerators what they might be using. 9

10 GPS Capture Capturing GPS coordinates can take time. Put the GPS capture at the end of the survey as this will not disrupt the survey flow. There is a trade-off between accuracy and time when it comes to GPS. By altering the settings on your mobile device you can get a rough estimate of the coordinates within seconds (+/- a few hundred meters) or a very accurate estimate (+/- a few meters) in a number of minutes. 11

11 GPS Capture Go into the device SETTINGS>LOCATION>METHOD and select one of the following three options*: High Accuracy if you need to be accurate and can afford the time. This option uses a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks to estimate the coordinates. Battery Saving if you need to be fairly accurate but need to be fairly quick. This uses options Wi-Fi and mobile networks. GPS only if you need to be roughly accurate but quick. Uses GPS only to determine the location. 12

12 Paper Surveys Recommend training enumerators in paper first, to avoid them getting caught up in the technology. Always have some copies of the surveys in the field in case app or technology fails. 13