Manual KoboToolbox

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Data Collection with KoboToolbox
Presentation · August 2019
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Victor Olajide
Teaching at the Right Level
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Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
Real Sector Performance and Policy Analysis View project
Nigeria's Growth Performance and the Role of the ECOWAS View project
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S.A.L.T Training/Workshop
DATA MANAGEMENT AND

DATA ANALYSIS
(Data Collection: KoboToolbox)
Form Programming: KoboToolBox
KoboToolBox is a collection of both web applications and mobile

applications that allows for the authoring of complex forms,
collection of data using mobile devices, analysis of data and storage
of data – either online or offline.
KoboToolBox has an easy to use ONLINE FORM BUILDER, allows for
importing and exporting XLSFORMS (this shall be addressed later
on), allows for online data collection using ENKETO on any modern
browser and offline data collection using KoboCollect, provides
storage of data and allows for summary analysis of the data.
To set up the tools in KoboToolbox, type: www.kobotoolbox.org in the

address bar and hit the ENTER button – remember that there is the
need for an internet connection. This opens up the Kobotoolbox
home page.
Scroll downwards till the section titled GET STARTED is reached.
Select the account best suited (it be of help to take a look at:
http://support.kobotoolbox.org/articles/2566202-which-server-
should-i-use) and for the purpose of this tutorial the account marked
as: RESEARCHERS, AID WORKERS & EVERYONE ELSE is selected.
In the web page that opens up, enter the necessary details to create
an account and click on CREATE ACCOUNT. If the account is
successfully created, the web page showing ACCOUNT CREATED
comes up with an instruction to click the activation link in the email
sent to the email address used for creating the account.
On clicking the ACTIVATION LINK a new web page comes up
showing the KOBOTOOLBOX interface necessary for CREATING
NEW PROJECTS.
Next it is necessary to install the KoboCollect App on the ANDROID

OS MOBILE DEVICE and configure it for collecting data. To do this
locate the GOOGLE PLAY MOBILE APP on the android device, click
it, search for KOBOCOLLECT APP, select the appropriate result and
install the app on the android device.
Now that the KoboCollect app has been installed on the android
device, some settings are needed to ensure that data collected from
the field and sent from the android device gets stored on the
dedicated KoboToolbox server and can be retrieved from there.
To effect these settings, locate and click on the KoboCollect app in
the menu to trigger the app. Locate the 3DOT icon which shows the
menu options: ABOUT, GENERAL SETTINGS and ADMIN SETTINGS.
Select GENERAL SETTINGS to reveal the next screen with the items:
SERVER, USER INTERFACE, FORM MANAGEMENT and USER AND
DEVICE IDENTITY.
Select SERVER, to reveal the next screen with the items: TYPE, URL,
USERNAME and PASSWORD. TYPE allows one to determine the
platform that the KoboCollect app interacts with respect to
retrieving FORMS and sending DATA. On selecting TYPE three
options popup and these are: KOBOTOOLBOX, GOOGLE
DRIVE/GOOGLE SHEETS and OTHER. Leave the default selection
KOBOTOOLBOX intact.
URL (which stands for Uniform Resource Locator) provides a digital
address for the server where FORMS are retrieved and where DATA
is stored. Click on the URL field, change the default SERVER URL
from: https://kc.kobotoolbox.org/kobodemouser to
https://kc.kobotoolbox.org and click OK.
Next select USERNAME and enter the username used to create the
Kobotoolbox account which in this case is: “saltanalytics” and consequently
click OK. Select PASSWORD and enter password used in creating the
kobotoolbox account and consequently click OK.
This concludes the SERVER SETTINGS required for the KoboCollect app to
connect with the KoboToolbox server created during the sign up process.
Leave the settings in the USER INTERFACE section intact and select FORM
MANAGEMENT in the GENERAL SETTINGS menu. There are 3 main sections
in the FORM MANAGEMENT menu and these are: FORM SUBMISSION, FORM
FILLING and FORM IMPORT. In the FORM SUBMISSION section, ensure that
AUTO SEND is set to OFF and that the checkbox corresponding to the item:
DELETE AFTER SEND is unchecked.
Leave all other sections intact and exit the FORM MANAGEMENT menu. Also
leave the USER AND DEVICE IDENTITY settings intact. This concludes the
GENERAL SETTINGS needed.
At this juncture, return to the KOBOTOOLBOX web application. Select the

icon, at the top right corner of the screen to show the menu options:
ACCOUNT SETTINGS, LANGUAGE and LOGOUT.
Select ACCOUNT SETTINGS and in the screen that comes up, under the
privacy field, check the checkbox corresponding to REQUIRE
AUTHENTICATION TO SEE FORMS AND SUBMIT DATA. This ensure that no
one except the owner of the KoboToolbox account admin who created the
account has access to see forms and submit data. Remember the username
and password settings necessary for the KoboCollect app.
Next enter your name in the NAME field and email address, that is the email
with which you created the KoboToolbox account, in the EMAIL field. Enter
the organization name in the ORGANIZATION field and specify all other
necessary details. Click SAVE CHANGES after entering all the necessary
details.
Now all is set for authoring a form using KoboToolbox. To commence

authoring forms, select the blue button labeled NEW. This opens up a dialog
box labeled CREATE PROJECT: CHOOSE A SOURCE. Four options are
provided and these include: BUILD FROM SCRATCH, USE A TEMPLATE,
UPLOAD AN XLSFORM and IMPORT AN XLSFORM VIA URL.
Since there is yet to be a previous form authored the USE A TEMPLATE
option should not be selected and also since there is yet to be an already
authored XLSForm the two options UPLOAD AN XLSFORM and IMPORT AN
XLSFORM VIA URL should also not be selected.
This leaves just one option which is BUILD FROM SCRATCH. Select BUILD
FROM SCRATCH.
On selecting BUILD FROM SCRATCH, a new dialog box comes up labeled

CREATE PROJECT: PROJECT DETAILS. Here the details of the form that will
be authored shall be entered here.
The form that shall be authored using KoboToolBox can be assessed at:
https://www.rwe.com/web/cms/mediablob/en/1173976/data/1159262/3/rwe-
turcas-gueney-elektrik-ueretim-a-/Annex-F.pdf
This form is a SOCIO-ECONOMIC SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE to be
administered to a sample of persons in KAKLIK, TURKEY concerning the
social impacts of a natural gas power plant. This questionnaire is a typical
questionnaire that contains essential elements of complex questionnaires
and it can suitably be authored with the help of the KoboToolbox web
application.
Now return to the screen with the label CREATE PROJECT:PROJECT

DETAILS. Enter in the PROJECT NAME field: “ Socio-Economic Survey
Questionnaire”. In the DESCRIPTION field enter the following short
description: “This questionnaire aims to collect data on the socio-economic
status of a sample of respondents in Kaklik, Turkey.” In the SECTOR field
select Economic/Social Development and in the COUNTRY field select
Turkey.
Depending on the sensitivity of the data to be collected and the permission
of the stakeholders responsible for the design of the data policy, you may
check or uncheck the checkbox marked as: PLEASE SPECIFY THE
COUNTRY AND THE SECTOR WHERE THIS PROJECT WILL BE DEPLOYED.
After entering these click on CREATE PROJECT.
Prior to authoring the form there is the need to ensure that the necessary
METADATA needed for identifying or describing the data is collected. The
important METADATA needed are: start time, end time, today and deviceid.
START TIME is a DateTime value which marks the time the interview was
started using KoboCollect, END TIME is also a DateTime value which marks
the time the interview was marked as FINALISED and TODAY is a Date value
that signifies the date in the format: Month, Day, Year that the interview took
place using KoboCollect. Deviceid is a string value that is uniquely assigned
to the mobile device used for the interview.
To effect the collection of these METADATA, click on LAYOUT SETTINGS at
the top right corner of the screen beneath the SAVE button. In the pop up
menu locate the sub-menu options in the METADATA field and check the
checkboxes associated with START TIME, END TIME, TODAY and DEVICEID.
Close the LAYOUT SETTINGS menu by clicking on it again.
On turning to the questionnaire, the first item to enter into the questionnaire
is the INTRODUCTORY NOTE which the interviewer is to read out to the
respondent.
The appropriate FORM ELEMENT to represent this is NOTE. To effect this in
the KoboToolbox platform, select the PLUS icon at the bottom left corner of
the field marked with the text: THIS FORM IS CURRENTLY EMPTY…Next,
select the +ADD QUESTION button to add a FORM ELEMENT.
In the following screen, select the FORM ELEMENT that allows for the entry
of a NOTE and this form element is marked as NOTE.
Now that the NOTE field is active type in the INTRODUCTORY NOTE into the
field and click ENTER.
Next FORM ELEMENT to add to the questionnaire is the HOUSEHOLD
NUMBER. This is clearly an INTEGER (OR A WHOLE NUMBER). To add this
form element click on the PLUS icon at the bottom left corner of the NOTE
field that was just created. Type in the question label Household number
and click the +ADD QUESTION button.
In the next screen, select the FORM ELEMENT marked as 123 NUMBER
since the household number should be an INTEGER OR WHOLE NUMBER.
Though the METADATA, today collects the date the interview was
conducted it is sometimes necessary to create a FORM ELEMENT that
allows the interviewer enter the date the interview was conducted. This is
the case with this questionnaire as it is required to collect the DATE the
interview was conducted. To effect this, click the PLUS icon and in the text
field type in Date and click +ADD QUESTION.
In the next screen select the FORM ELEMENT marked as DATE. This creates
the DATE element of the questionnaire.
The first few elements of the questionnaire entered show that for every
question or element of the questionnaire there is a corresponding FORM
ELEMENT in the KoboToolbox app that is suited to it.
At this juncture, the different FORM ELEMENTS in KoboToolbox are briefly
examined to provide an understanding of how to match them to the elements
of the questionnaire.
These FORM ELEMENTS include: Select One, Select Many, Text, Number,
Decimal, Date, Time, Date & Time, Point, Photo, Audio, Video, Line, Note,
Barcode/QR Code, Acknowledge, Area, Rating, Question Matrix, Ranking,
Calculate, File and Range.
SELECT ONE
This form element allows for questions that require that ONE AND ONLY
OPTION be selected. E.g To what extend do you agree with this statement:
“Women are smarter than men”? [OPTIONS: Strongly agree, agree, Neither
agree nor disagree, Disagree, Strongly disagree]. Clearly only one of the
options in this question can be selected so the appropriate form element for
this question is SELECT ONE.
SELECT MANY
This form element allows for questions that may require MORE THAN ONE
response. E.g Where did you attend your antenatal visits? [OPTIONS: At
home, Traditional birth attendant, Private medical facility, Government
medical facility, Primary health care centre, Health post/dispensary,
Religious centre, Other (Specify)]. There is the possibility that the
respondent could have visited more than one location from among the
options for ANC. Hence SELECT MANY is the appropriate form element for
this question.
TEXT
This form element allows for collecting alphanumeric information, that is,
information including numbers and a string of alphabets and/or other
characters. E.g What is the name of the health provider that attended to
you? What is the address of the pregnant woman? While the first question
will be made up of words (a string of alphabets) the second question could
be made up of words, numbers and other characters (like commas) e.g 12,
Sanya Street, Samba Road, Kano.
NUMBERS
This form element is suited for questions that require responses in the form
of INTEGERS (OR WHOLE NUMBERS) and is suited for questions that
require COUNTING. E.g For how many hours was the health provider on duty
yesterday? The response to this question is a whole number, say, 3 or 8.
DECIMAL
This form element permits the entry of FLOATING POINT NUMBERS and is
mostly suited for questions requiring MEASUREMENTS. E.g What is the
weight of the child? The response to this question will be in the form of a
decimal with the number of decimal places determined by the precision of
the measuring instrument, e.g 10.5kg
DATE
This form element allows for the collection of the DATE strings in the format
YY-MM-DD.
TIME
This form element allows for the collection of the TIME in the format
HH:MM:SS
DATETIME
This form element allows for the collection of both the TIME and the DATE
together in the format YY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
POINT
This form element allows for the obtaining the Global Positioning System
(GPS) coordinates which is composite of the LATITUDE, LONGTIUDE,
ALTITUDE and ACCURACY.
PHOTO
This form element allows for taking SNAPSHOTS or loading up IMAGES on
the device memory and storing IMAGES to be exported as part of the data.
AUDIO
This form element allows for recording AUDIO live or loading up AUDIO files
already in the device memory and storing it to be exported as part of the
data.
VIDEO
This form element allows for recording a VIDEO live or loading up a VIDEO
in the device memory and storing it to be exported as part of the data.
LINE
This form element allows for collecting several GPS coordinates that link a
START POINT on the map to an END POINT on the same map. It should be
noted that the START POINT and the END POINT must not be the same if the
LINE form element is used. This form element is suited when there is the
need to evaluate the DISTANCE between any two points along a PATH
defined by the GPS coordinates.
NOTE
This form element allows for DISPLAYING ALPHANUMERIC INFORMATION
which in most cases could be read out loud to a respondent or could simply
notify the interviewer of some details concerning the data to be collected.
BARCODE/QR CODE
This form element allows for SCANNING BARCODES (1-DIMENSIONAL
CODE) or QR (QUICK RESPONSE) CODES using a scanner in the
KoboCollect app. The successful scan produces the NUMERIC, TEXT or
ALPHANUMERIC INFORMATION encoded into the BARCODE or QR CODE.
ACKNOWLEDGE
This form element is particularly useful for MAKING A CONFIRMATION prior
to continuing the process of data collection. E.g Take GPS coordinates of
the primary health care centre. Confirm that the GPS coordinates are those
of the primary health care centre. The later statement requires a
confirmation of the former.
AREA
This allows for the capturing of a series of GPS COORDINATES,
commencing from a STARTING POINT and ending at the STARTING POINT.
Note, that unlike LINE where the STARTING and ENDING points are not the
same, in AREA these two nodes are the SAME. Also note that the AREA
covered by the POLYGON formed from by the set of GPS coordinates can be
computed.
RATING
This allows for collecting data on THE DEGREE OF INTENSITY with the
SCALE HAVING LABELS. E.g How satisfied are you with the services at the
primary health care centre?[OPTIONS: Very satisfied, Indifferent, Very
unsatisfied] This form element can also be used for a COMPACT
PRESENTATION of questions with the same OPTIONS.
QUESTION MATRIX
This form element allows for collecting DATA about of a list of items (which
could be a list of persons or objects) with the items presented in ROWS and
the DATA to be collected presented in the COLUMNS thus creating a
QUESTION MATRIX. E.g: During your first, second and third visits to the
PHC, did you find it open? Who attended to you? Note that QUESTION
MATRICES do not display in KoboCollect but there is a workaround for this.
Items Was the PHC open? Who attended to you?

First visit Yes Doctor
Second visit Yes CHEW
Third visit No Laboratory technician
RANKING
This form element allows for capturing THE ORDER OF PREFERENCE of a
specified list of options. E.g With 1 indicating your highest satisfaction and 3
indicating your least satisfaction, rank your choice course of choice.
CALCULATE
This form element allows the form or questionnaire designed, make
COMPUTATIONS that are stored into a NAMED VARIABLE for use in the
FORM.
FILE
This form element allows the data collector load up a FILE from the DEVICE
STORAGE to be exported along with all other data.
RANGE
This form element has a functionality quite similar to RATING but instead of
a SCALE WITH LABELS the rating scale is a WIDGET showing a NUMERIC or
GRAPHIC SCALE. E.g On a scale of 0 to 50, with 0 the least and 50 the
highest, tell me how satisfied you are with your performance?
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See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

Data Collection with KoboToolbox

Presentation · August 2019

Real Sector Performance and Policy Analysis View project

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

DATA MANAGEMENT AND

KoboToolBox is a collection of both web applications and mobile

To set up the tools in KoboToolbox, type: www.kobotoolbox.org in the

Next it is necessary to install the KoboCollect App on the ANDROID

At this juncture, return to the KOBOTOOLBOX web application. Select the

Now all is set for authoring a form using KoboToolbox. To commence

On selecting BUILD FROM SCRATCH, a new dialog box comes up labeled

Now return to the screen with the label CREATE PROJECT:PROJECT

Items Was the PHC open? Who attended to you?

View publication stats

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