ODK tables: building easily customizable information applications on Android devices

Abstract

ODK Tables is an Android app that allows users to enter and curate tabular data. Users can explore the data through a variety of built-in views or build custom views using HTML/JavaScript. It also supports the linking of multiple data tables. Data values can be updated in a variety of ways, including using mobile data collection tools such as ODK Collect, that support rich data types including multi-media, or by communicating with low-cost phones over SMS. Additionally, ODK Tables supports a simple synchronization scheme appropriate for a distributed workforce and backed up on cloud servers. The goal of ODK Tables is to lower barriers to developing customized information applications by making it easy to customize data views using standard web technologieś that do not require recompilation. Our experience in working with many organizations in the developing world led us to make feature choices based on their input (through an on-line survey) with particular consideration to the potential pool of developers available. In this paper, we report on our implementation of ODK Tables and some of its performance parameters. We have designed it to be a flexible solution for a variety of use cases, including logistics management, public health, and environment monitoring where previously collected data is often revisited and updated.