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Demo: open data kit 2.0 tool suite
Abstract
Open Data Kit (ODK) is an open-source, modular toolkit that enables organizations to build application-specific mobile information services in resource-constrained environments. Feedback from users and developers about limitations experienced with the ODK 1.x set of tools led to a redesign of the system architecture and the creation of new tools. This demonstration presents a revised tool suite called ODK 2.0. This expanded ODK toolkit aims to increase an organization's data collection and management capabilities by supporting data synchronization, adaptable workflows, more configurable presentation screens, and increasing the diversity of input types by enabling new data input methods on mobile devices.
... The survey followed the format of the Multidimensional Poverty Assessment Tool (Cohen, 2009;Saisana and Saltelli, 2010). The survey was coded by using the OpenDataKit (ODK) tool (Brunette et al., 2014). A stratified random sampling approach was applied to select approximately equal numbers of beekeepers and non-beekeepers from each village in each community (Bryman, 2015). ...
The estimated economic potential for the apiculture sector in Africa is currently unmet, and in part due to a lack of training in appropriate beekeeping techniques. Development agencies promote beekeeping widely in developing nations to alleviate rural poverty and simultaneously provide an incentive for forest conservation. There is little robust evidence to suggest that beekeeping interventions target the most suitable beneficiaries, or that training length and content are adequate to sustainably promote beekeeping in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to determine predictors of both beekeeping adoption and levels of dependence on beekeeping. We also assessed whether the type and quantity of external assistance appeared to influence beekeeping success. We applied a mixed methods approach to identify beekeeper characteristics and identify key drivers and barriers to beekeeping in four communities in central Tanzania. Income and food provision were the main drivers for beekeeping adoption, but the effects of these were moderated by both the respondents’ cultural background, and the perceived human health risks posed by African bees. Land ownership, technical knowledge, initial capital inputs and hive theft were important constraints to adopting beekeeping. We found that formal beekeeping training did not result in increased yields and propose that training provided by the majority of development agencies is inadequate to address the technical capacity requirements of local beekeepers. We also propose that the requirement to form associations to access project benefits creates divisions in communities and needs to be handled with more care than is currently done.
Open Data Kit (ODK) is an open-source, modular toolkit that enables organizations to build application-specific information services for use in resource-constrained environments. ODK is one of the leading data collection solutions available and has been deployed by a wide variety of organizations in dozens of countries around the world. This paper discusses how recent feedback from users and developers led us to redesign the ODK system architecture. Specifically, the design principles for ODK 2.0 focus on: 1) favoring runtime languages over compile time languages to make customizations easier for individuals with limited programming experience; 2) implementing basic data structures as single rows within a table of data; 3) storing that data in a database that is accessible across applications and client devices; and 4) increasing the diversity of input types by enabling new data input methods from sensors. We discuss how these principles have led to the refinement of the existing ODK tools, and the creation of several new tools that aim to improve the toolkit, expand its range of applications, and make it more customizable by users.
This paper presents Open Data Kit (ODK), an ex-tensible, 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.