The Open Data Kit (ODK) is a project of the Change Group at University of Washington’s Department of Computer Science & Engineering, a DIL Co-Investigator site. ODK provides an open-source collection of modules that can help resource-constrained organizations create information services using input from both humans and sensors.
The kit connects to all types of mobile devices and supports both cloud and local hosting. However, for the easier composition of applications, the majority of tools are based on mobile platforms (smartphones and tablets) that utilize the Android operating system. ODK works to create non-siloed systems where data can be easily imported and exported using common formats at many standard interfaces so that new modules can be easily introduced.
Each day, ODK tools are used in hundreds of projects around the world by many thousands of users. Diverse organizations, including universities, NGOs, foundations, governments, and private industry, have applied ODK tools to improve data collection in a wide range of domains, including public health, human rights, and environmental monitoring.
Watch a video that describes ODK’s approach and work.