Using PDA for data collection

Does anyone have any examples of using PDAs for data collection in a post emergency situation? I know that theoretically they can be used but my experience has been that they are just too fragile for hard field work, too expensive, and too easily misplaced. If anyone has any contradictions or experiences or comments I would love to hear from you.
Cheers,

I don't really have any experience in that department.

What types of scenario might you be using these in?

Hi,

Last year a colleague of mine presented on the topic "Humanitarian Disaster Management on a Wireless PDA" (ANU Dept of Computer Science). If you would like to drop me a note offlist, (email link at left of this post), I would be happy to provide an introduction.

Cheers, Don

The scenario would be when one or several humanitarian organizations try to collect information on the population that has been impacted by a disaster. Basically they would be conducting a survey or assessment and would use the PDA to record the information which would then be upload and compiled. By using the PDA they would be able to avoid the data entry process. The theory is that this would save time and be more accurate but I have never found anyone that has actually used a PDA in this manner.

Hi Janet,

I've sent you an Email - although would you mind expanding on your reasons for this analysis? Are you considering deploying PDA's for field disaster data collection?

Cheers, Don

Hi Donc,
I did not get your email - hope I did not type it in wrong. Anyway I am looking into better methods of collecting assessment data after a disaster. One idea that has been discussed for awhile is to use PDAs but I am concerned that the costs may out weight the benefits at lest with current technology. But I really do not know and was hoping to talk to someone who has tried to to this to see if it might be beneficial.

Another method was to use cell phones. This is a new one and I am still looking into it but the idea seems more usable since there would not need to be an investment in hardware.

Paper forms will still be around for a long time but if we can make it easier for the data collectors and get the information gathered out as quickly as possible the investment in PDAs or special cell phones might be worth it.

Hi Janet,

The use of PDA's throughout the disaster management and response community is pervasive - they are used in a great many circumstances, by a great many people and organizations.

I have previously used PDA's connected to GPS and mobile modems from helicopters to download realtime data to ARMS (Automated Real-Time Mapping Systems) used in Emergency Operations Centres. This is vital to develop very quick and accurate details on the boundary of a disaster zone.

PDA's are also used by a lot of first-response agencies to capture that critical first assessment data from the field (ambulance and rescue units etc.) - and for data capture at evacuee camps in some parts of the world.

Any assessment of PDA suitability would probably first need to analyze your intended use, and secondly consider the environment in which they would be used... PDA's are not suitable for all circumstances, but they certainly are a valuable tool widely used throughout the disaster community.

PS - Not sure what happened with the Email (?)

Don

We are currently in the processing of evaluating smartphones/PDA's to do data entry for homeless outreach services into a web-based application. The trouble we're coming across is that the web-based application is secured with a certificate that doesn't seem compatible with Windows Mobile OS. So we're going to try other OS's to get past that hurdle. We know that this will work technically as we've attempted it on a training/non-secured site. We've noted a couple of things so far:
1) The screens for our web-based applications just aren't laid out that great for a PDA's small screen. So we'll have to scroll a lot more in our case (horizontally and vertically).
2) Some of the outreach workers that will use the PDA to help the homeless may not be technically savvy enough to operate it. So that may be a factor in how successful this is.
Hope that helps.
-Kevin

Hi Janetocal,

While we don't have any customers of our PDA data collection software using it in post-emergency situations, many of our customers use PDAs in non-ideal situations like:
- outdoor areas, such as rivers, lakes or forests, with inclement weather
- factories or industrial plants

Not sure if you've looked at the ruggedized PDAs made by Symbol or Aceeca yet, but their devices can withstand drops, moisture and extreme temperatures.

For issues re: misplacing them, many come with a strap on the back (to slide onto your hand or wrist) and can be hooked to your belt (think Batman's utility belt!). Typically, these devices aren't made too small either, given their heavy-duty usage. They've been designed for these conditions and may even have stylii

Finally, for cost, it really depends on your needs. You're really deciding between Pocket PC (Windows Mobile) or Palm devices. PocketPC devices tend to be more sophisticated and over $200 each (non-ruggedized), while Palm devices operate on a simpler system and cost less ($100). Your data collection needs may be very straightforward and thus , a simpler less expensive solution could be suitable.

The use of cellular/wireless communications will probably add to the cost. But for pure data collection needs, it may not even be needed. If you were to do something on a cell phone, you have dependencies on how your data collection is done (e.g., is it done with a custom application loaded on each phone, is it a Web application accessed by the phone browser?). These resources may also be limited in the time of an emergency as well. Use of specialized paging networks has worked well for organizations typically operating in this area.

Anyways, hope that can shed some light on your inquiry. You can find some links to the companies I mentioned on Google or on our page: http://www.lokilogic.com/pda_data_collection.htm.

If you have any questions, feel free to ping me.

Steve

http://www.lokilogic.com

sorry. I mistyped the link with a period incorrectly embedded in the URL. click here for our take on PDA data collection