Benchmarking: MDC Tools with strong GIS component

This resource was originally published on the CartoBlog in 2017 by CartONG. It was transferred to the IM Resource Portal in May 2021. The CartoBlog will be decommissioned in early 2022.

This resource is available as a ZIP file containing two pdf files: the full benchmarking and its recap.

This benchmarking compares and contrasts different mobile data collection (MDC) tools that have a strong GIS component. The GIS component can be implemented very differently within each one of those tools which is why this document categorizes the tools into three groups:

• Simple Applications
• Advanced survey-centered applications
• Advanced map-centered applications

We come to the conclusion that there is not one mobile data collection application that will be the “perfect” solution for all field data collection efforts. But the different tools should be seen as being complementary to each other meaning that different applications are useful in different scenarios depending on:

1. The type of assessment: coordinated (standardized between different collectors) or uncoordinated data collection
2. Server availability: Which servers are available/already in use or is there enough time and resources to allow a new server setup?
3. Type of questionnaire: Is the focus on the form features (you need skip logic, cascading select questions etc.) or rather on the geographic and geometry information?
4. Which output formats are needed: Is it best to have the output in a geographic database or rather as excel table?
5. Should the data be integrated into OpenStreetMap