There are a wide range of data collection tools available online and a number of options are listed below. Most of these options provide both free and paid subscription plans with varying levels of features. These tools are a great way to replace paper forms that allow you, or members of your team, to gather data in the field such as pictures, barcodes, signatures and more. Most of the applications listed below will allow for collection of data on a mobile device even whilst offline.
When evaluating data collection tools, it is important to consider if there are any restrictions which prevent you from hosting data on external cloud-based services. If in doubt, please check with the Research Office (Ethics).
The following data collection tools are open source and are free for use.
You can easily create basic mobile forms customising questions and saving data on your own servers
Note: Please be aware that FormHub is still available for use but is no longer supported or maintained by the Sustainable Engineering Lab.
The following popular data collection tools offer a range of free and paid subscription plans with varying levels of features.
Create and distribute mobile forms to teams and devices
GoFormz gives you a complete mobile forms solution that lets you capture data electronically with mobile forms that look exactly like your current paper forms
Design custom mobile forms in your web browser with a drag-and-drop form builder, and quickly deploy them out to field staff for fast mobile data collection
Smart forms have each section ready to fill out, including checklists and dropdowns. Deal only with relevant sections and let your mobile forms develop their own direction as the responses are provided
A complete “out-of-the-box” mobile data collection solution with the ability to build robust forms with included FormBuilder
Mobile Forms for iOS and Android Data Collection with no programmer required
Simplifies the creation and management of digital forms on a desktop environment
Note: Please be aware that Nexticy does not have the capability to submit a form without a stable internet connection.
The following data collection tools offer a range of advanced features for large cohorts through paid subscription plans.
Magpi provides tools for mobile data, messaging, and visualization that let you gather information, manage teams, gain understanding and more
Alternative to spreadsheets, legacy databases and complicated enterprise systems to track, manage and automate critical business processes or operational workflows