Abstract
The MobiQ app for Android smartphones is a feature-rich application enabling a novel approach to data collection for longitudinal surveys. It combines continuous automatic background data collection with user supplied data. It can prompt users to complete questionnaires at regular intervals, and allows users to upload photographs for social research projects. The app has the capability to collect GPS location data, and calls and text frequency (excluding content) unobtrusively. The app transmits data to a secure cloud rather than storing research data on the phone, but can also store data temporarily if a data connection is unavailable; hence, MobiQ offers data security advantages over text- or web-based surveys using phones. MobiQ has been pilot tested in the field in a social science research project and is able to collect longitudinal social research data. Due to its modular and flexible design, MobiQ can easily be adapted to suit different research questions. Furthermore, its core design approach which allows for long-term power efficient data collection can be re-used outside the social sciences domain for other kinds of smartphone-based data-driven projects. Projects that have a requirement for communications-based, sensors-based, user-based data collection or any combination of these may find our code and design approach beneficial. For example, MobiQ code and architecture has been successfully adapted to build an app for a project investigating smartphone-based implicit authentication for mobile access control.
Highlights
MobiQ is a smartphone application developed to enhance longitudinal survey data capture
In addition to enabling EMA on the android platform, MobiQ offers a novel approach to measuring real-time social connection free from recall bias by using phone and text message contact as a measure of social interaction
MobiQ has been applied in the field where 200 secondary school pupils (16–18 year olds) from two schools in Northern Ireland were invited to take part in a pilot study
Summary
MobiQ is a smartphone application developed to enhance longitudinal survey data capture. One approach to this challenge has been the manufacture of bespoke devices, used for ‘Ecological Momentary Assessment’ (EMA, i.e., real-time administration of survey items) around phenomena which readily fluctuate [1,2,3] While issuing devices such as accelerometers and pedometers to participants is standard in physical activity research where distance or acceleration are being measured [4,5], the quality of data is dependent on participant compliance in carrying the device. Since the app was developed primarily to collect data over a long period of time, the design has been leveraged in other smartphone-based data-driven projects outside of the social sciences, for example in [7,8] and [9] for behaviour-based user implicit authentication
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