As mobile devices have reduced in value over time – and as millions worldwide have risen out of desperate poverty – it has become fairly common to see a mobile phone in every person’s hand, or at least in every family, and this means that we can apply an additional approach to data collection that was simply not imaginable before.
The ramifications of this technological advance have presented international networks, researchers and cooperation are with boundless opportunities to collect and gather information from different corners of the globe in real time from local indigenous people or traveling professionals. In this article, we will explain the following;
- Fundamental benefits of remote data collection and real-life examples.
- The automated impact of remote data collection on reducing the cost of your efforts.
- How to start the process of choosing the right option for your needs.
Fundamental Benefits of Remote Data Collection
Using the word "Remote" will often make people think they need to have a data-capture project located on a distant mountaintop. Although that's a perfect application for the technology, many people use technology like Array in a land, farm or factory environments.
Example: Fifteen years ago, a coffee plantation would have regularly used paper forms to measure the growth rate, rainfall, sunlight exposure or even humidity. In order to pass these results back to the coffee buyer or manufacturer, the plantation owner or the farmer would have to embark on a cumbersome process. It would involve posting paper-based results via sometimes untrustworthy postal-services which may take days or even weeks.
However today with remote data collection apps such as Array, these farmers can capture these variables in real time on their smartphone – which will, in turn, be sent in real-time to the coffee manufacturer or buyer. Now everybody has a clear picture of what variables will affect a particular year’s yield.
The benefits of remote data collection with apps such as Array can be clearly demonstrated by the above example. However, these data collection apps can also be used by Ski Areas, Researchers, and Transportation Departments, Recreational Property Owners, City Water and Sewage Treatment Plants. Environmentalists and Land Developers alike benefit from the data the apps can collect. The mobility and flexibility of remote data collection apps make the function and possibilities for automation limitless.
Field Teams and Field Team Management
In many situations there won't just be one person collecting data., you will have a whole team collecting an abundance of data at one time, another fundamental benefit of mobile data collection, more than one person can be collecting data at the same time enabling real-time insight to be provided to Team Leaders, Managers, Investors, etc.
Managing teams has only become easier as time passes, having an idea of what your team is up to in real time before you contact them enabling you to determine a course of action, whether to continue in that area or move to an area more populated, better suited to the campaign or data you need to collect, all can be seen in real time right there from the screen in front of them. This coupled with the capabilities for chatting within an application such as Array makes Data collection with Array more powerful that you could ever imagine.
Remote Data Collection on Reducing the Cost of Your Efforts
Now that the digital revolution has presented us with these remote data collection apps, a situation where fewer people need to physically be transported and accommodated as they travel to remote places to manually capture data has arisen. This means that if your company or enterprise embraces a remote data collection app such as Array there will be dramatic decreases in the cost of acquiring information from remote locations.
The vast volume of data that we now have access to is also rising, equally because as the cost of a unit of data drops we can afford to “buy” more data, and also our devices are in many cases producing data as a side-effect of their operation – for instance, even low-level smartphones are generating location data all the time, that apps like Array utilize.
Choosing the Right Option for Your Needs
Fortunately for you, we have answered all of these questions in the Array buyers kit – A brilliant resource which can be downloaded today for free.
Array offers a free 14 day trial on all accounts for you to try and ensure the features are what you need. To find out more on each package and what it can offer your business, take a look here.