Epihandy uses mobile technology for data collection

Uganda's Makerere University and the University of Bergen in Norway have leveraged mobile technology to launch the Epihandy survey data management suite, which aims to simplify data collection and entry in the field.

The tool replaces paper questionnaires and reduces the factor of human error that comes with manual data entry, Epihandy's creators claim.

"We have been able to get questionnaires to sit on the device and used different formats, which means formats can be changed to suit a specific user, and that makes it easy for people to enter data," explained Michael Niyitegeka, corporate affairs manager at Makerere University's Faculty of Computing and IT.

Demonstrating the device at a launch event, Niyitegeka explained how a specific questionnaire is loaded onto the device, which is connected to a wireless central database. The device is then used to enter, save and instantly deliver information to the central server from any field location connected to a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) or GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network. If network coverage is unavailable at a given research site, the data is transmitted to the server automatically as soon as it moves into an area of coverage.

The Makerere faculty, in collaboration with a U.S. technology firm, is already seeking to approach the Uganda Bureau of Statistics with a proposal that would enable the statistics body to undertake the 2012 population census using the Epihandy tool.