What is ODK? (Open Data Kit)

ODK is a system for facilitating easier collection of data using mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones

It is open source and therefore freely distributed

It helps to ease the process of moving from a paper survey to quicker and larger amounts of data collection with a mobile device

Increases the quality of the data collected by use of built-in checks & skip patterns.

Able to monitor the progress remotely, able to make adjustments even once data collection has begun

Improved use of time and costs especially with no need for time-consuming data entry

ODK Aggregator This is where your data is uploaded to from a mobile device and where it can be downloaded from onto your computer. There are many different aggregators e.g. KoboToolbox & ONA. Choice depends on project needs.

XLSform A standardised styling format for producing survey forms in Excel which can be uploaded online for data collection using mobile devices

ODK Collect A data collection app which can be used on mobile devices to download forms from your project, collect data from respondents and then upload that data back to the server.

Ultimately the choice of aggregator is yours. Choices include:

• KoboToolBox - our default aggregator
• ONA - much of the same functionality as Kobo with additional features depending on level of service purchased
• Formhub - another open source data collection service
• ODK Aggregate - open source version direct from ODK developers