Mobile Data Collection with ODK, Kobo and XLSForms

For fieldwork with patchy connectivity, ODK and Kobo are the standard. This level takes you from an XLSForm in a spreadsheet to a deployed mobile form, offline data collection on Android, and a clean export, the full mobile-first workflow that fits low-connectivity settings.

Who this level is for

Data managers, field coordinators and anyone collecting data on phones or tablets, especially offline. Recommended after Levels 1-2. No coding required beyond a spreadsheet.

What you'll learn

• What the ODK ecosystem is and where Kobo fits (XLSForm to ODK or Kobo Collect to a server)
• The end-to-end workflow: write the survey in Excel, convert, deploy, collect, sync and export
• XLSForm structure: the survey, choices and settings sheets and their key columns
• The common question types (text, integer, select_one, select_multiple, date, note) with hints and appearances
• How to add skip logic, constraints and required fields (relevant, constraint, required)
• How to build a small survey, deploy it to KoboToolbox or ODK Central, collect on Android offline, and review and export the data

You finish with: A working ODK/Kobo form, deployed, with a few dummy records collected.