Printable Guide

What's the big deal about EpiSurveyor?

EpiSurveyor is the first web 2.0 application for global health and international development. It's software that allows anyone to set up a worldwide, mobile-phone-based data collection system in minutes, for free. Our philosophy is that anyone who needs to collect critical data for public health or development should be able to do so quickly and efficiently, without consultants or meetings or grants or contracts. EpiSurveyor lets you do that. And that's one of the reasons our team has won so many awards: we're really building worldwide  capacity to collect, analyze, and use data worldwide -- for public health, for development, for anything!

How much does EpiSurveyor cost? And who pays?

For most users, EpiSurveyor doesn't cost anything at all. Yes, you read that right: for most users, EpiSurveyor is completely free. We do charge those users who want additional levels of service or support or training, and use that funding to pay for free access for everyone else.

EpiSurveyor has so far been funded by grants from the United Nations Foundation, the Vodafone Foundation, and the World Bank, and by DataDyne.org with funds we receive from providing extra services to a subset of users. The majority of EpiSurveyor users don't pay a single dollar, and never will, but we do charge those users who want additional levels of service or support or training. This is a very new way of funding and scaling technology, and we think it's the only way that will result in building capacity for everyone, not just the richest organizations.

You would need to pay if you wanted any of these things:

• a Pro account at episurveyor.org -- for $5000 per year, this removes the 500 record-per-form limit, the 20 form limit per userid, and the 100 question limit per form. A Pro account will also be needed to use our API, which will be released in 2010, and which will allow you to access your EpiSurveyor.org data from another piece of software. If you're planning to use the API, or to collect thousands and thousands of records from many, many users, then at least one of those users needs to have a Pro account. The Pro account also allows for priority 24-hour email tech support.
• custom reports -- please contact us if you would like any custom reports created. These custom reports will work with the data you collect in your forms, letting you run them at the press of a button on whatever data you've collected.
• custom support or training -- if your work with EpiSurveyor requires phone support, training, or other extra work on our part, we'll have to charge you for it (but don't worry: we'll plow the money right back into improvements for EpiSurveyor that will benefit you and everyone else).

What phones can I use?

Find the list of supported phones at www.episurveyor.org/m

How do I create forms?

First, create a free account at www.episurveyor.org and follow onscreen directions.

Where do I download the application for my phone?

Go to www.episurveyor.org/m and click on the model of your phone to start downloading. System messages may pop up depending on your mobile phone and service.  Press "Yes" and "Accept" for prompts requesting access and/or downloading rights.

What's the best way to learn how to use the software?

Read the user guide, and watch the video tutorials! See the links at right for more info.

I don't have a phone, can I still try the software?

Yes, use the Online Phone Emulator, which is software in your browser that acts just like a phone (you can even enter real data). Go to www.episurveyor.org/emulator

I want to replace my paper data collection process with EpiSurveyor. Can somebody help me get started?

Absolutely! First, we recommend that you read the user guide, and watch the video tutorials. That will give you a good idea about the software. Then, email  "support at datadyne dot org" with a description of what you'd like to do.

I have some ideas for new features for EpiSurveyor. Who do I talk to?

Email your thoughts/questions/ideas to "support at datadyne dot org".

I am having problems connecting to the internet. What should I do?

Contact your cellular service provider to configure the internet settings on your mobile phone.

How reliable and secure is EpiSurveyor.org?

We have taken key precautions to make sure your data is secure, backed up, and always available online. Episurveyor.org is hosted by Rackspace.com, a leading provider of hosted online applications.

Where is my data stored?

Right now, your data is stored on DataDyne's servers.  In 2010 we'll release an API (Application Programming Interface) that will allow you to access your stored data via your own software (such as MS Access, MySQL, etc).

Who owns the data once it's stored on the EpiSurveyor website

YOU do, of course! Your data belongs to you, and can be seen ONLY by you, unless you explicitly give someone else permission to look at it. DataDyne does not want to own your data, control your data, look at your data or EVER restrict your access to your data.  You are always free, at any time, to download your data to your own computer and delete your data from our site (or delete your whole account).

I don't want to store my data on your servers. What can I do?

No problem: we don't force you to upload the data via our servers. Once you've created a form and downloaded it to your mobile phone (or phones), and then collected data on the phone, you can always download the data from your phone to a memory card, and then transfer it to your laptop or desktop.

Can I host EpiSurveyor myself?

At this time, there is no way for you to host a copy of EpiSurveyor on your own servers. However, with our API, due out in 2010, you will be able to access your EpiSurveyor data from your own software systems.  We are also considering allowing paying customers to host their own version of EpiSurveyor completely on their own servers.  Ask at info at datadyne.org.