Open data kit: tools to build information services for developing regions

  • Authors:

  • Carl Hartung;Adam Lerer;Yaw Anokwa;Clint Tseng;Waylon Brunette;Gaetano Borriello

  • Affiliations:

  • University of Washington, Seattle, WA;Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA;University of Washington, Seattle, WA;University of Washington, Seattle, WA;University of Washington, Seattle, WA;University of Washington, Seattle, WA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 4th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development
  • Year:
  • 2010

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Abstract

This paper presents Open Data Kit (ODK), an extensible, open-source suite of tools designed to build information services for developing regions. ODK currently provides four tools to this end: Collect, Aggregate, Voice, and Build. Collect is a mobile platform that renders application logic and supports the manipulation of data. Aggregate provides a "click-to-deploy" server that supports data storage and transfer in the "cloud" or on local servers. Voice renders application logic using phone prompts that users respond to with keypad presses. Finally, Build is a application designer that generates the logic used by the tools. Designed to be used together or independently, ODK core tools build on existing open standards and are supported by an open-source community that has contributed additional tools. We describe four deployments that demonstrate how the decisions made in the system architecture of ODK enable services that can both push and pull information in developing regions.