Android app for manual data logging? 5

[KirbyWan]

Howdy all,

I am looking for an Android App that will do manual data logging. This seems like an easy search, except I'm inundated with specialized apps for watching your weight or tracking you car mileage. We have a process line here and there are a series of daily, weekly and monthly values that need to be recorded to track things like water usage, waste water pH, etc. I would like something where I can walk around with a tablet, look at a dial and record that value. I would also like it to be integrated with a calendar so I can have the schedule for all the different values to be recorded. I can come in pick up may tablet and know what needs to be checked that day, go around, check those values and be done. I'll keep looking, but I was hoping someone who has already faced this issue could point me in the right direction.

Thanks,

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

 

[MintJulep]

Look for To Do apps.

Many integrate with Google calendar.

 

[KirbyWan]

Yeah, that would be the other half of it, but most to do lists have a simple check, that's done thing. I was thinking of something that put those two things together. I'll look through the to do list apps to see if I can find one that has the functionality I'm looking for. Thanks for the suggestion.

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

 

[IRstuff]

How about Google Quick Office?

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[MintJulep]

Maybe this or similar?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sailforms.sailform

 

[jhardy1]

I would suggest you start with Google Drive Spreadsheets and Forms, and see if you can accomplish what you need there.

Spreadsheets are a pretty obvious tool for entering data, but if you want something that is designed for ease of data entry and validation, and distinguishing between free text and numeric fields etc, then Forms might be a good tool. From the Google Forms help page:

Google Forms is a useful tool to help you plan events, send a survey, give students a quiz, or collect other information in an easy, streamlined way. A Google form can be connected to a Google spreadsheet. If a spreadsheet is linked to the form, responses will automatically be sent to the spreadsheet. Otherwise, users can view them on the “Summary of Responses” page accessible from the Responses menu.

https://support.google.com/drive/answer/87809?hl=en

A huge advantage of using Drive is that it is easy to share (e.g. multiple users entering data in the field), and it will also be easy to access the data on a PC for aggregation and reporting - no need to export from your Android device and then import to your PC.

http://julianh72.blogspot.com

 

[electricpete]

I'll second Google spreadsheets / Drive for web-connected devices.

A form is coordinated with a spreadsheet to provide easy input including radio buttons, check marks, pulldowns, number fields, text fields, whatever you want.

I'm not sure how well it works if the device is not connected when gathering data. When I last looked about a year ago, there was no ability to input data while offline.

Something I use for my personal databases is memento database. Similar to Google Forms, it can give you a variety of types of fields for data input.





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[electricpete]

If you are familiar with SQLITE and interested in programming... there is an SQLITE engine built into the Android operating system and available through a number of SQLITE Android apps. It probably will give you the most flexibility, but would probably also be the most difficult to get up and running of any of the options here.

If I were starting from scratch I would definitely look at Google Docs/spreadsheets / forms first.

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[jhardy1]

@electricpete

Yes, you're right - "Forms" doesn't work when you are offline, but Spreadsheets can be set-up to work offline (as well a Documents, Presentations and Drawings), so if the OP needs to allow for the possibility that the people collecting the data may not have an internet connection, then Spreadsheets might be a better choice.

https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2375012?hl=en

http://julianh72.blogspot.com

 

[electricpete]

Thanks Julian for helping my vague recollection. It's too bad that forms can't be used offline..they provide a much more convenient interface for input.

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[KirbyWan]

Thanks all for the many excellent suggestions. I had thought in the back of my mind that I may create something from scratch to satisfy that itch and I may still go there, but I'll check out Google Drive, spreadsheet and Forms first.

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

 

[GregLocock]

If you do decide to roll your own the Ellipse SDK for Android is a nice bit of free software. The emulator is a bit slow to boot but once it is running it is fine.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[Strong]

Here are a couple of off-line database apps that can sync with Desktop PC:

http://www.droiddb.com/products/droiddb.php

http://www.ddhsoftware.com/handbaseandroid.html

Walt