1. The REDCap Mobile App: Connecting The Offline World
Michelle Fernandez & Scott Pearson
Introduction
Why use the REDCap Mobile App?
Results
The REDCap Mobile App is an offline data collection tool that is ideal for use in areas with limited connectivity. Data can be collected anywhere when using the REDCap App. The offline feature of the REDCap Mobile App helps extend REDCap to areas where it could not be utilized before. The REDCap App was designed to help collect study data when a reliable connection is unavailable. It enables the REDCap Mobile App user to collect and save their data. Once a stronger connection is found, their data can be securely synced with their REDCap server.
The REDCap Mobile App was started in 2014 to extend the reach of REDCap to perform offline data collection. The REDCap App has gathered over 8500 downloads since it was launched in April of The REDCap App has been downloaded in over 110 countries, including 19 countries where traditional REDCap was never used before. Projects that under previous circumstances would have been laboriously recorded using pen and paper can now be captured electronically using the REDCap Mobile App.
Download
Project
Collect/Download Data
Send Data to server
Clean or Refresh Project
Create Project
To date there have been a total of 8500 Android and iOS downloads. Currently, there is an average of 800 downloads per month, or almost 30 downloads per day.
Global Impact
Close to 60% percent of the Android downloads are from countries other than the US. Of those countries the app has been most frequently downloaded in Brazil, South Africa, Kenya, Canada, and India.
The REDCap App has also been downloaded in 19 countries where REDCap servers currently don’t even exist. Some of those countries include:
The top map shows the average connection speeds in different parts of the world. The color symbolizes the speed of the connection, red areas being the slowest. The bottom map shows markers where REDCap servers exist. Comparing the two maps you can see that REDCap servers are available in some of those countries with the slowest connection speeds. Thanks to the REDCap Mobile App users in those areas are able to utilize mobile devices to efficiently collect their data despite the slow/unreliable connection.
Concept
Projects are created and designed in the REDCap installation.
Grant Mobile App Rights and get token.
Set Up project. While online, set up the project on the App using a QR/10-digit code.
Collect data.
This can be done online or offline.
Send app data to the REDCap server securely.
Refresh the project.
This step must be done online.
View and Analyze data.
Once the data is uploaded to REDCap, it is a living part of the project.
Albania
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Algeria
Georgia
Kyrgyzstan
Libya
Mali
Myanmar
Nicaragua
Sierra Leone
Senegal
Suriname
South Sudan
Swaziland
Uruguay
When your signal fails you, the REDCap Mobile App succeeds in keeping you connected!
References
Average Connection Speed Map: thinking/state-of-the-internet-report/state-of-the-internet-connectivity- visualization.jsp
REDCap Site Map: