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5fc56cb37a6847288b78b547 - Using Kobo Toolbox

Some key features of KoboToolbox highlighted are that it allows for quick and easy design of survey forms, supports over 20 question types, and enables data to be collected offline and synced when an internet connection is available. Step-by-step instructions are given for creating an account, designing a survey, downloading the survey for data collection on mobile devices via a URL, and uploading collected data. The Market Cities initiative survey tool was developed using this platform.

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pouya rahmany
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88 views4 pages

5fc56cb37a6847288b78b547 - Using Kobo Toolbox

Some key features of KoboToolbox highlighted are that it allows for quick and easy design of survey forms, supports over 20 question types, and enables data to be collected offline and synced when an internet connection is available. Step-by-step instructions are given for creating an account, designing a survey, downloading the survey for data collection on mobile devices via a URL, and uploading collected data. The Market Cities initiative survey tool was developed using this platform.

Uploaded by

pouya rahmany
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Market An initiative of: In partnership with:

Cities
Using KoBoToolbox to Collect Market Mapping Data
The Market Mapping survey tool used the Market Cities Initiative was developed using Kobo Toolbox.
KoBoToolbox is a suite of tools for field data collection for use in challenging environments. The
software is free and open source. There are many benefits to collecting information via KoBoToolbox:
• Quick and easy to design forms.
• Includes more than 20 question types (open ended, GPS reading etc…).
• Allows you to create teams and share data with your colleagues.
• Allows you to collect the data while you are off-line and will let you upload the data
when you have an internet connection. This is handy as it will help you avoid using
your mobile data.
• Creates summary reports, graphs, and maps.
• Allows you to export your data into files that can be used by Excel and SPSS.

KoBoToolbox is well worth learning as it may be helpful for many of your surveys.

Step 1: Create an account – visit www.kobotoolbox.org

In order for you to create or upload surveys you will need to have a Kobo account. Your options are
to register for a “Humanitarian Organization” account or a “Researcher, Aid Worker, and Everyone
Else” account. Make sure you and your team choose the same type of account. You can’t create
teams with organizations that have different accounts.

Step 2: Create your survey

KoBoToolbox has an easy to use design form. To create a new survey click on “New” button on the
top right of screen.

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You’ll be given four options.

“Build from Scratch” is the first option. If you build from scratch, you’ll be able to design your own
specific survey.

One of the other options is to “Upload an XLSForm”. We are sharing the XLSForm we used in
Tanzania and Kampala in case it is helpful:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s6kjfn1jerbe67v/Market_Mapping_Survey.xlsx?dl=0

Once you have created your survey, you can preview then deploy it. Or if you make chances to the
survey you can redeploy it. Make sure to deploy or your team won’t be able to download onto their
devices.

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Step 3: Download your Survey for Data Collection.

You can use any tablet or smart phone to collect data. If you have an Android device, you can
download Kobo Collect App and use that as the platform to collect the survey information. However,
we have found that the easiest method is to use the URL created by KoBoToolbox and save that URL
to your device. This uses WebForms to collect the data.

To use the URL option, ensure the drop box under “collect data” has “Online-Offline (multiple
submissions)” selected. Then copy the URL. You will send an email of that URL to the team collecting
the data.

Data collectors will then copy the URL to their mobile device. They will
need to visit the URL once before going offline, and then save it on to
their device (for example with a bookmark on the mobile browser).
Once your form has been fully loaded and cached, you'll see the offline
availability icon (empty "signal bars" and a check mark) in the top-left
corner indicating that you can access the form offline until your
browser's data has been cleared. The form will be displayed afterward
even without any Internet connectivity, and it will store and queue your
data until you are online again.

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Step 3: Collecting and Uploading Data

1. Once you have entered the URL of the survey you wish to use, the survey will automatically
load.
2. Go through all the questions.
3. At the end hit “submit” and you will get a message that the survey is queued for submission.
4. Once you are online again, open the web page. Queued records, except those marked “draft”
are uploaded automatically in the background, every 5 minutes when the web page is open
and an internet connection is available. To force an upload in between automatic attempts,
hit the number on the left top corner and then hit “Upload”.

Once all of your data has been collected and uploaded it will be ready for cleansing and analysis.

If you have problems with KoBoToolbox, there is a Help Centre and Community Forum where you can
review questions and helpful hints.

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