odk

Open Data Kit: Tools to Build Information Services for Developing Regions

Posted by MarkWeingarten on Jan 13, 2011

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Open Data Kit: Tools to Build Information Services for Developing Regions data sheet 1136 Views
Author: 
Hartung, Carl, Yaw Anokwa, Waylon Brunette, Adam Lerer, Clint Tseng, and Gaetano Borriello
Publication Date: 
Dec 2010
Publication Type: 
Report/White paper
Abstract: 

This paper presents Open Data Kit (ODK), an extensible, open-source suite of tools designed to build information services for developing regions. ODK currently provides four tools to this end: Collect, Aggregate, Voice, and Build. Collect is a mobile platform that renders application logic and supports the manipulation of data. Aggregate provides a “click-to-deploy” server that supports data storage and transfer in the “cloud” or on local servers. Voice renders application logic using phone prompts that users respond to with keypad presses. Finally, Build is a application designer that generates the logic used by the tools. Designed to be used together or independently, ODK core tools build on existing open standards and are supported by an open-source community that has contributed additional tools. We describe four deployments that demonstrate how the decisions made in the system architecture of ODK enable services that can both push and pull information in developing regions.



 




  
Enabling Data-Driven Decisions with the Open Data Kit (ODK) 


Posted by AnneryanHeatwole on Feb 12, 2010





 

        
      
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Enabling Data-Driven Decisions with the Open Data Kit (ODK)  data sheet 5465 Views

	
A research group at the University of Washington has done what few others manage – turn a research project into a real-world application. Open Data Kit (ODK) is a collection of tools that allows organizations to collect and send data using mobile phones. The system, in operation for about a year, has already been used for projects such as counseling and testing HIV patients in Kenya to monitoring forests in the Brazilian Amazon.  


What is ODK?


The project began when University of Washington (UW) professor Gaetano Borriello began a sabbatical at Google to build a mobile data collection system. He brought along some of his PhD students from UW’s Computer Science and Engineering program to work on the idea as their intern project, and ODK was born.  


Basic Information

      
Website URL: 

    

            

                    http://code.google.com/p/open-...        

        





      
Organization involved in the project?: 

    

            

                    University of Washington        

        





      
Project goals: 

    

            

                    
The project goals were:


    

  • Create a mobile, open source data management system
    • 

  • Grow a community around an open source project 
    • 


        

        





      
Brief description of the project: 

    

            

                    
ODK is an open-source collection of tools that makes collecting, sharing and managing data easier. 

        

        





      
Target audience: 

    

            

                    
Workers who want to reduce the amount of paper form processing could be:


    

  • Community Health Workers
    • 

  • Human Rights Monitors
    • 

  • Researchers
    • 


        

        






Detailed Information

      
Mobile Tools Used: 

    

            

                    Open Data Kit (ODK)        

        





      
Length of Project (in months) : 

    

            

                    13        

        





      
Status: 

    

            

                    Ongoing        

        





      
What worked well? : 

    

            

                    
    

  • The rapid pick-up of the technology by different users around the world
    • 

  • The use of open-source software allowed for the quick development and easy adaptation of ODK
    • 



 

        

        





      
What did not work? What were the challenges?: 

    

            

                    
    

  • Managing the system in conjunction with day-to-day research responsibilities
    • 

  • Convincing users to overcome the initial high-cost of an Android phone (necessary for the ODK system)
    • 



 
        

        












 




  
Lessons in Interoperability


Posted by KatrinVerclas on Oct 23, 2009






















This post is reposted from the Open Mobile Consortium, a community of mobile technologists and practitioners working to drive open source mobile solutions for more effective and efficient humanitarian relief and global social development.  It is written by Neal Lesh. 


One of the Open Mobile Consortium's (OMC) primary goals is to maximize interoperability and data-sharing capabilities among the open-source mobiles technologies so that the whole of our collective effort is greater than the sum of the individual parts.



 

        
      
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Open Data Kit (ODK)


Posted by yanokwa on Oct 06, 2009





 

        
      
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Open Data Kit (ODK) data sheet 11689 Views

	

      
Website for the Tool: 

    

            

                    http://opendatakit.org        

        





      
Organization that developed the Tool: 

    

            

                    University of Washington        

        





      
Main Contact: 

    

            

                    Open Data Kit        

        





      
Problem or Need: 

    

            

                    
Collecting data and delivering information developing regions is hard.

        

        





      
Main Contact Email : 

    

            

                    contact@opendatakit.org        

        





      
Brief Description: 

    

            

                    
Open Data Kit is a set of free tools used all over the world to make data collection and information delivery easier.

        

        





      
Tool Category: 

    

            

                    App resides and runs on a mobile phone        

              

                    App resides and runs on a server        

              

                    Is a web-based application/web service        

        





      
Key Features : 

    

            

                    
Open Data Kit primarily provides an out-of-the-box solution for users to:


    

  • Build a data collection form or survey
    • 

  • Collect the data on a mobile device and send it to a server
    • 

  • Aggregate the collected data on a server and extract it in useful formats
    • 



See http://opendatakit.org/about/tools for a listing of all our tools.

        

        





      
Main Services: 

    

            

                    Interactive Voice Response (IVR)        

              

                    Multi-Media Messaging (MMS) or other Multi-Media        

              

                    2D Barcodes        

              

                    Voting, Data Collection, Surveys, and Polling        

              

                    Location-Specific Services and GIS        

              

                    Information Resources/Information Databases        

              

                    Stand-alone Application        

        





      
Display tool in profile: 

    

            

                    Yes        

        




A HIV counselor in Kenya scans a patient’s demographic information into ODK Collect.



      
Tool Maturity: 

    

            

                    Currently deployed        

        





      
Release Date: 

    

            

                    2009-10        

        





      
Platforms: 

    

            

                    Android        

              

                    Linux/UNIX        

              

                    Mac/Apple/iPhone        

              

                    Windows        

        





      
Program/Code Language: 

    

            

                    Java/Android        

              

                    Java        

              

                    Other        

        





      
Organizations Using the Tool: 

    

            

                    
http://opendatakit.org/about/deployments

        

        





      
Number of Current End Users: 

    

            

                    1,000-10,000        

        





      
Number of current beneficiaries: 

    

            

                    10,000-100,000        

        





      
Support Forums: 

    

            

                    http://opendatakit.org/about/contact        

        





      
Languages supported: 

    

            

                    All        

        





      
Handsets/devices supported: 

    

            

                    Primarily Android-based devices, but we do support other Java-based phones.        

        





      
Reviews/Evaluations: 

    

            

                    http://opendatakit.org/about/research
http://opendatakit.org/about/press        

        





      
Is the Tool's Code Available?: 

    

            

                    Yes        

        





      
URL for license: 

    

            

                    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0        

        





      
Is an API available to interface with your tool?: 

    

            

                    Yes        

        





      
Global Regions: 

    

            

                    Asia        

              

                    Australia and Oceania        

              

                    Central America and the Caribbean        

              

                    Europe        

              

                    Middle East and North Africa        

              

                    North America        

              

                    South America        

              

                    Sub-Saharan Africa        

        





      
Featured?: 

    

            

                    No        

        





      
Featured on homepage?: 

    

            

                    No