Mobile Data Collection Systems; A Review of the Current State of the Field

Mobile Data Collection (MDC) is the targeted gathering of structured information using devices such as smartphones, PDAs, or tablets. In the last few years, in addition to continuous improvements of earth-observation and web mapping techniques, the increasing use of new sources of geo-information based on new mobile technologies has emerged. This has created insights and opportunities into the mechanisms of sudden onset crisis related data collection, analysis and mapping.

The humanitarian community also recently discovered that mobile phones are useful tools for collecting data in the field. The arrival of devices allowing geo-localization of data collected also raised interest in the humanitarian community for new technologies such as mapping SMS incident reports or SMS based data collection. As a result, an abundance of mobile data collection applications and initiatives appeared in the last seven years in the humanitarian and early warning field.

Mobile Data Collection Systems (MDCS) ask questions that are answered on mobile devices, therefore requiring two-way communication, either immediately or with delayed synchronization of data.