Hardware Preparation for Data Collection

How to get the Android phones ready to be used as data collection instruments by field enumerators. These are the things I do to the Androids to prep them for use solely as data collection devices.

• Uninstall old versions of KoBo
• Install the current version
• Place the icon on the desktop
• Remove all non-relevant icons and widgets.
• Set the GPS to ON, WiFi off, data sync off, and destroy the widget. That way, no one can turn off GPS easily.
• Set screen time-out to be long for training, short for the field
• Airplane mode! saves battery.
• Set Language to the native language of the enumerator
• Turn off automatic orientation. Rotating the screen is no benefit in KoBo Collect.
• Set the keyboard to be Touch Input and change the settings to remove all suggestions and spell checking. Turn off vibrate, turn on sound.
• Calibrate the keyboard
• Copy the current survey(s) to /sdcard/odk/forms using the Android Debug Bridge, or copy and paste.
• Load the form the first time to make sure it's loaded, it's valid, and save time later. It loads much faster the second time.
• Get a Good GPS fix, the almanac can take a while to ready itself. The first time you use GPS in a strange place, it can take 20 minutes to load. Don't make the enumerators do that. Getting a GPS fix on all the Androids updates the almanac data and the next fix in the same city will be way faster.