Elephants! ODK Help!

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work great and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our form we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets (we turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). Please, if you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be greatly appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on) it appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS) GPS function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun, however).

Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that means), do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map options in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites).

I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and if we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to download Tanzania maps.

If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana!

Dave

David Olson, PhD
Conservation Earth Consulting
www.conservationearthconsulting.com
conservationearth@live.com

David,

2 km accuracy sounds like something is horribly wrong with those
tablets (or they don't have an actual GPS chip). Most Android devices
with GPS on the market today can get 5 m accuracy and don't need to
connect to the cell or WiFi network. They don't need to be unlocked
and you don't need to download any maps.

If you are looking for a recommended tablet, I like the Nexus 7. The
2012 version is great if you don't need a camera. If you do, the 2013
is recommended because it has a rear facing camera. If you want a
phone, I like the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 is good too.

Yaw

··· -- Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 7:31 AM, Conservation Earth conservationearth@live.com wrote:

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the
field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work great
and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all
cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest
high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is
boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our form
we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets (we
turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the
capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). Please, if
you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be greatly
appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on) it
appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone
network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS) GPS
function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on
satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is
removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will
ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun,
however).

Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that means),
do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map options
in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why
this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites).

I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and if
we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS
capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to download
Tanzania maps.

If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana!

Dave

David Olson, PhD
Conservation Earth Consulting
www.conservationearthconsulting.com
conservationearth@live.com

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Thank you all for your replies. They are all very helpful. It seems that
the problem is the weak or lousy recievers in the Tecno P9 when used in
remote areas. They work fine in towns with networks and fortunately we have
another project in Zanzibar where we can use them. Samsung smartphones are
VERY expensive here in East Africa, although they do work well I think, so
we are looking at Huawei phones. Any other recommendations are most
appreciated. The elephants thank you...

Another issue overall is that the screens are very hard to read in the
field on both tablets and smartphones, especially when it is sunny, and we
actually take readings in fields (crops) in the field where elephants have
snacked on maize.

··· On Friday, April 25, 2014 5:31:42 PM UTC+3, Conservation Earth wrote: > > Jambo ODK Gurus, > > We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the > field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work great > and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all > cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest > high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is > boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our > form we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets > (we turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the > capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). Please, > if you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be > greatly appreciated.... > > We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on) it > appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone > network or the internet (we have neither). > > We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS) GPS > function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on > satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is > removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will > ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun, > however). > > Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that means), > do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map options > in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why > this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites). > > I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and if > we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS > capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to > download Tanzania maps. > > If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana! > > Dave > > David Olson, PhD > Conservation Earth Consulting > www.conservationearthconsulting.com > conserva...@live.com > > >

Ian, Can you clarify if you were able to get readings in areas with no cell
towers or internet? Several smartphone makers say that their products do
not have the capacity and we are wondering if the phones are pinging off of
cell towers even when the network and wifi are turned off? On the ODK form,
we also cannot set a location if the GPS page is still processing, so it
will be difficult to know if it is actually taking a location and at what
accuracy. Thank you again for your help.

··· On Friday, April 25, 2014 5:31:42 PM UTC+3, Conservation Earth wrote: > > Jambo ODK Gurus, > > We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the > field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work great > and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all > cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest > high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is > boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our > form we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets > (we turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the > capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). Please, > if you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be > greatly appreciated.... > > We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on) it > appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone > network or the internet (we have neither). > > We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS) GPS > function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on > satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is > removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will > ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun, > however). > > Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that means), > do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map options > in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why > this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites). > > I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and if > we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS > capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to > download Tanzania maps. > > If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana! > > Dave > > David Olson, PhD > Conservation Earth Consulting > www.conservationearthconsulting.com > conserva...@live.com > > >

Thank you for all of your help. Given the various

responses, I still am not certain if the smartphones are using cell towers
to ping off of to find their location even if the SIM card is removed and
internet is off. I talked to SAMSUNG tech help and they said none of the
smartphones can get GPS using only satellites, all of their phones use
A-GPS. Some folks mentioned that they use smartphones and tecno tablets in
remote areas, but it is still unclear if their phones are using cell
towers
to triangulate or using an internal chip to read satellite data only. Do
you

··· > have any suggestions on how we can get a definitive answer?

On Friday, April 25, 2014 5:31:42 PM UTC+3, Conservation Earth wrote:

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the
field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work great
and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all
cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest
high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is
boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our
form we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets
(we turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the
capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). Please,
if you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be
greatly appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on) it
appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone
network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS) GPS
function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on
satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is
removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will
ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun,
however).

Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that means),
do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map options
in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why
this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites).

I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and if
we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS
capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to
download Tanzania maps.

If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana!

Dave

David Olson, PhD
Conservation Earth Consulting
www.conservationearthconsulting.com
conserva...@live.com <javascript:>

Hi

These cheap Tecno devices seem to be really catching on in Africa.
I just did a project in Ethiopia using P5, D1 and Q1 phones and in general
the cheaper the model the worse the GPS (the p range are actually the
best). Whatever you choose from Tecno they will take an extremely long
time to get a GPS reading especially if the network is poor or non existent

The Tecnos mostly run 4.0 so you should be able to select to use GPS
satellites in settings

  1. Tap Menu
  2. Tap Settings
  3. Tap Location & security
  4. Tap to Use GPS Satellites

You should also be aware that for a long time we thought that GPS was not
working when looking at the collected data map on formhub. This was because
it seems formhub maps on the first GPS question it finds so if this
question is contextual and other repeats or groups also contain GPS
questions the subsequent GPS questions will not show on the map (their
locations will however be in the Excel export).

Hope this helps

··· On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 4:29 PM, Yaw Anokwa wrote:

David,

2 km accuracy sounds like something is horribly wrong with those
tablets (or they don't have an actual GPS chip). Most Android devices
with GPS on the market today can get 5 m accuracy and don't need to
connect to the cell or WiFi network. They don't need to be unlocked
and you don't need to download any maps.

If you are looking for a recommended tablet, I like the Nexus 7. The
2012 version is great if you don't need a camera. If you do, the 2013
is recommended because it has a rear facing camera. If you want a
phone, I like the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 is good too.

Yaw

Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server
setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 7:31 AM, Conservation Earth conservationearth@live.com wrote:

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the
field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work
great
and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all
cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest
high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is
boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our
form
we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets (we
turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the
capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt).
Please, if
you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be greatly
appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on)
it
appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone
network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS)
GPS
function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on
satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is
removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will
ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun,
however).

Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that
means),
do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map
options
in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why
this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites).

I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and
if
we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS
capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to
download
Tanzania maps.

If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana!

Dave

David Olson, PhD
Conservation Earth Consulting
www.conservationearthconsulting.com
conservationearth@live.com

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I agree with yaw the nexus are the best value for money but hard to source
in Africa.
Stick with samsung. The samsung trend in particular is extremely impressive
for the money.

··· On Friday, April 25, 2014, Yaw Anokwa wrote:

David,

2 km accuracy sounds like something is horribly wrong with those
tablets (or they don't have an actual GPS chip). Most Android devices
with GPS on the market today can get 5 m accuracy and don't need to
connect to the cell or WiFi network. They don't need to be unlocked
and you don't need to download any maps.

If you are looking for a recommended tablet, I like the Nexus 7. The
2012 version is great if you don't need a camera. If you do, the 2013
is recommended because it has a rear facing camera. If you want a
phone, I like the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 is good too.

Yaw

Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server
setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 7:31 AM, Conservation Earth <conservationearth@live.com <javascript:;>> wrote:

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the
field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work
great
and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all
cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest
high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is
boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our
form
we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets (we
turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the
capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt).
Please, if
you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be greatly
appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on)
it
appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone
network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS)
GPS
function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on
satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is
removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will
ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun,
however).

Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that
means),
do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map
options
in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why
this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites).

I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and
if
we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS
capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to
download
Tanzania maps.

If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana!

Dave

David Olson, PhD
Conservation Earth Consulting
www.conservationearthconsulting.com
conservationearth@live.com <javascript:;>

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Thank you all for your replies. They are all very helpful. It seems that the problem is the weak or lousy recievers in the Tecno P9 when used in remote areas. They work fine in towns with networks and fortunately we have another project in Zanzibar where we can use them. Samsung smartphones are VERY expensive here in East Africa, although they do work well I think, so we are looking at Huawei phones. Any other recommendations are most appreciated. The elephants thank you...

Another issue overall is that the screens are very hard to read in the field on both tablets and smartphones, especially when it is sunny, and we actually take readings in fields (crops) in the field where elephants have snacked on maize.

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work great and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our form we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets (we turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). Please, if you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be greatly appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on) it appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS) GPS function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun, however).

Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that means), do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map options in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites).

I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and if we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to download Tanzania maps.

If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana!

Dave

David Olson, PhD
Conservation Earth Consulting
www.conservationearthconsulting.com
conserva...@live.com

Hi Dave
We have project running in East Africa as well and use Samsung GS5301 phones.
They are very efficient and very cost effective.
They cost about USD130 and have a lifespan of 2 years at least and we use them without simcards so you don't need to worry about that either.

··· On Saturday, April 26, 2014 12:31:39 PM UTC+3, dave olson wrote: > On Friday, April 25, 2014 5:31:42 PM UTC+3, Conservation Earth wrote:

Dave,

The easiest way to answer your question is to test the device under
the following conditions.

  1. Remove the SIM. You can now be sure you aren't using cell localization.
  2. Turn off WiFi. You can now be sure you aren't using WiFi localization.
  3. Install GPS Status
    (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2)
  4. Go outside and make sure you have a clear view of the sky and
    launch GPS Status.

If you have true GPS and you have a clear view of the sky, you should
get a lock in <10 minutes and it should be about 5 meter accuracy.

Yaw

··· -- Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Mon, Apr 28, 2014 at 7:29 AM, dave olson veikau1@gmail.com wrote:

Thank you for all of your help. Given the various

responses, I still am not certain if the smartphones are using cell towers
to ping off of to find their location even if the SIM card is removed and
internet is off. I talked to SAMSUNG tech help and they said none of the
smartphones can get GPS using only satellites, all of their phones use
A-GPS. Some folks mentioned that they use smartphones and tecno tablets in
remote areas, but it is still unclear if their phones are using cell
towers
to triangulate or using an internal chip to read satellite data only. Do
you
have any suggestions on how we can get a definitive answer?

On Friday, April 25, 2014 5:31:42 PM UTC+3, Conservation Earth wrote:

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the
field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work great
and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all
cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest
high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is
boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our form
we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets (we
turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the
capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). Please, if
you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be greatly
appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on) it
appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone
network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS) GPS
function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on
satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is
removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will
ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun,
however).

Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that means),
do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map options
in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why
this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites).

I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and if
we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS
capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to download
Tanzania maps.

If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana!

Dave

David Olson, PhD
Conservation Earth Consulting
www.conservationearthconsulting.com
conserva...@live.com

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Matt,

Caveat about Samsung devices. They don't always implement
getExternalStorageDirectory() and so some of them have weird /sdcard
behavior.

See thread at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/opendatakit/y0gnGTULdoE/nocV3a8lYnkJ

Yaw

··· -- Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 1:32 PM, Ian Lawrence irlawrence@gmail.com wrote:

Hi

These cheap Tecno devices seem to be really catching on in Africa.
I just did a project in Ethiopia using P5, D1 and Q1 phones and in general
the cheaper the model the worse the GPS (the p range are actually the best).
Whatever you choose from Tecno they will take an extremely long time to
get a GPS reading especially if the network is poor or non existent

The Tecnos mostly run 4.0 so you should be able to select to use GPS
satellites in settings

Tap Menu
Tap Settings
Tap Location & security
Tap to Use GPS Satellites

You should also be aware that for a long time we thought that GPS was not
working when looking at the collected data map on formhub. This was because
it seems formhub maps on the first GPS question it finds so if this question
is contextual and other repeats or groups also contain GPS questions the
subsequent GPS questions will not show on the map (their locations will
however be in the Excel export).

Hope this helps

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 4:29 PM, Yaw Anokwa yanokwa@nafundi.com wrote:

David,

2 km accuracy sounds like something is horribly wrong with those
tablets (or they don't have an actual GPS chip). Most Android devices
with GPS on the market today can get 5 m accuracy and don't need to
connect to the cell or WiFi network. They don't need to be unlocked
and you don't need to download any maps.

If you are looking for a recommended tablet, I like the Nexus 7. The
2012 version is great if you don't need a camera. If you do, the 2013
is recommended because it has a rear facing camera. If you want a
phone, I like the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 is good too.

Yaw

Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server
setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 7:31 AM, Conservation Earth conservationearth@live.com wrote:

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in
the
field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work
great
and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all
cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest
high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is
boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our
form
we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets
(we
turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the
capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt).
Please, if
you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be
greatly
appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on)
it
appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone
network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS)
GPS
function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on
satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is
removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will
ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun,
however).

Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that
means),
do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map
options
in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why
this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites).

I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and
if
we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS
capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to
download
Tanzania maps.

If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana!

Dave

David Olson, PhD
Conservation Earth Consulting
www.conservationearthconsulting.com
conservationearth@live.com

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Yaw thanks for flagging that didn't realize that.

··· On Saturday, April 26, 2014, Yaw Anokwa wrote:

Matt,

Caveat about Samsung devices. They don't always implement
getExternalStorageDirectory() and so some of them have weird /sdcard
behavior.

See thread at
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/opendatakit/y0gnGTULdoE/nocV3a8lYnkJ

Yaw

Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server
setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 1:32 PM, Ian Lawrence irlawrence@gmail.com wrote:

Hi

These cheap Tecno devices seem to be really catching on in Africa.
I just did a project in Ethiopia using P5, D1 and Q1 phones and in
general
the cheaper the model the worse the GPS (the p range are actually the
best).
Whatever you choose from Tecno they will take an extremely long time to
get a GPS reading especially if the network is poor or non existent

The Tecnos mostly run 4.0 so you should be able to select to use GPS
satellites in settings

Tap Menu
Tap Settings
Tap Location & security
Tap to Use GPS Satellites

You should also be aware that for a long time we thought that GPS was not
working when looking at the collected data map on formhub. This was
because
it seems formhub maps on the first GPS question it finds so if this
question
is contextual and other repeats or groups also contain GPS questions the
subsequent GPS questions will not show on the map (their locations will
however be in the Excel export).

Hope this helps

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 4:29 PM, Yaw Anokwa yanokwa@nafundi.com wrote:

David,

2 km accuracy sounds like something is horribly wrong with those
tablets (or they don't have an actual GPS chip). Most Android devices
with GPS on the market today can get 5 m accuracy and don't need to
connect to the cell or WiFi network. They don't need to be unlocked
and you don't need to download any maps.

If you are looking for a recommended tablet, I like the Nexus 7. The
2012 version is great if you don't need a camera. If you do, the 2013
is recommended because it has a rear facing camera. If you want a
phone, I like the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 is good too.

Yaw

Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server
setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 7:31 AM, Conservation Earth conservationearth@live.com wrote:

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in
the
field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work
great
and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all
cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps
interest
high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is
boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on
our
form
we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets
(we
turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the
capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt).
Please, if
you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be
greatly
appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS
on)
it
appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a
phone
network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS)
GPS
function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on
satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card
is
removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we
will
ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the
sun,
however).

Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that
means),
do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map
options
in order for the satellite based GPS

Leah,

Thank you for the advice on the Samsung. They are quite expensive in Nairobi and Dar so we opted for the Tecno tablet, but you get what you pay for. Are you working in a remote area without cell service or towers? If not, the phones might still be pinging off of towers to get locations even without SIM cards. I am not sure if this is the case, but need to make sure before we buy 5 smartphones. Thank you very much.

David

David Olson, PhD
Conservation Earth Consulting
www.conservationearthconsulting.com
conservationearth@live.com

··· > Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 08:55:05 -0700 > From: leah.ndikuwera@evidenceaction.org > To: opendatakit@googlegroups.com > CC: conservationearth@live.com > Subject: Re: Elephants! ODK Help! > > On Saturday, April 26, 2014 12:31:39 PM UTC+3, dave olson wrote: > > Thank you all for your replies. They are all very helpful. It seems that the problem is the weak or lousy recievers in the Tecno P9 when used in remote areas. They work fine in towns with networks and fortunately we have another project in Zanzibar where we can use them. Samsung smartphones are VERY expensive here in East Africa, although they do work well I think, so we are looking at Huawei phones. Any other recommendations are most appreciated. The elephants thank you... > > > > Another issue overall is that the screens are very hard to read in the field on both tablets and smartphones, especially when it is sunny, and we actually take readings in fields (crops) in the field where elephants have snacked on maize. > > > > On Friday, April 25, 2014 5:31:42 PM UTC+3, Conservation Earth wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Jambo ODK Gurus, > > > > We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in the field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work great and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps interest high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our form we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets (we turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). Please, if you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be greatly appreciated.... > > > > We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on) it appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a phone network or the internet (we have neither). > > > > We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS) GPS function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the sun, however). > > > > Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that means), do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map options in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure why this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites). > > > > I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and if we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to download Tanzania maps. > > > > If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante sana! > > > > Dave > > > > > > > > > > David Olson, PhD > > Conservation Earth Consulting > > www.conservationearthconsulting.com > > conserva...@live.com > > > > > > Hi Dave > We have project running in East Africa as well and use Samsung GS5301 phones. > They are very efficient and very cost effective. > They cost about USD130 and have a lifespan of 2 years at least and we use them without simcards so you don't need to worry about that either.

UPDATE FROM THE FIELD!

The Tecno tablets worked in the field after we tried them again, I do not
know why they worked the second time in the field, but someone had
suggested they take a really long time to register GPS at first and we also
downloaded some GPS app and now they work with good accuracy and without
internet or cell network. The first time I had done everything that I
thought was correct, turned on all the GPS and other location settings, but
they did not work. The second time to the field they did. Using the larger
tablets facilitates interest on the part of the data collectors and farmers
we are working with in the field, more so than smartphones (we bought some
and they work too and will use them for another project) or paper and
pencil.

A few reminders, make sure to check the forms as finalized before sending.
Also, four of our questions do not show as marked on the tablets, even in
the editing phase and after new information is put in on the tablet, so we
sent them to aggregate anyway and the data that was entered in the field
showed up - this is a bug in the system I guess, but we will proceed as the
data is being collected and received.
And when the data collectors added their code to the form name at the end
it does not show in aggregate so we had to add the form codes to the first
question that says the data collectors name, another thing that could be
fixed in future versions.

Thank you again for all your help.

David

··· On Monday, April 28, 2014 5:41:25 PM UTC+3, Yaw Anokwa wrote: > > Dave, > > The easiest way to answer your question is to test the device under > the following conditions. > > 1. Remove the SIM. You can now be sure you aren't using cell localization. > 2. Turn off WiFi. You can now be sure you aren't using WiFi localization. > 3. Install GPS Status > (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2) > 4. Go outside and make sure you have a clear view of the sky and > launch GPS Status. > > If you have true GPS and you have a clear view of the sky, you should > get a lock in <10 minutes and it should be about 5 meter accuracy. > > Yaw > -- > Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server > setup, professional support, and software development for ODK. > > > On Mon, Apr 28, 2014 at 7:29 AM, dave olson <vei...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Thank you for all of your help. Given the various > >> responses, I still am not certain if the smartphones are using cell > towers > >> to ping off of to find their location even if the SIM card is removed > and > >> internet is off. I talked to SAMSUNG tech help and they said none of > the > >> smartphones can get GPS using only satellites, all of their phones use > >> A-GPS. Some folks mentioned that they use smartphones and tecno tablets > in > >> remote areas, but it is still unclear if their phones are using cell > >> towers > >> to triangulate or using an internal chip to read satellite data only. > Do > >> you > >> have any suggestions on how we can get a definitive answer? > > > > > > On Friday, April 25, 2014 5:31:42 PM UTC+3, Conservation Earth wrote: > >> > >> Jambo ODK Gurus, > >> > >> We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in > the > >> field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work > great > >> and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all > >> cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps > interest > >> high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is > >> boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on our > form > >> we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets > (we > >> turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the > >> capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). > Please, if > >> you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be > greatly > >> appreciated.... > >> > >> We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS on) > it > >> appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a > phone > >> network or the internet (we have neither). > >> > >> We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted GPS) > GPS > >> function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on > >> satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card is > >> removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we will > >> ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the > sun, > >> however). > >> > >> Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that > means), > >> do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map > options > >> in order for the satellite based GPS capacity to work well (not sure > why > >> this would work any different for simple triangulation of satellites). > >> > >> I need to know specifically what smartphones we should use with ODK and > if > >> we need to ensure they are 'unlocked', confirm they have unassisted GPS > >> capacity (none of the specs ever tell this), and whether we need to > download > >> Tanzania maps. > >> > >> If you can help with any of this, we greatly appreciate it. Asante > sana! > >> > >> Dave > >> > >> David Olson, PhD > >> Conservation Earth Consulting > >> www.conservationearthconsulting.com > >> conserva...@live.com > >> > >> > > > > -- > > -- > > Post: opend...@googlegroups.com > > Unsubscribe: opendatakit...@googlegroups.com > > Options: http://groups.google.com/group/opendatakit?hl=en > > > > --- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups > > "ODK Community" group. > > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send > an > > email to opendatakit...@googlegroups.com . > > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >

Another reason to "hate" SS is that they're shipped with lots of junky apps
which you can not uninstall.

··· On Saturday, April 26, 2014 11:36:45 AM UTC+7, Matt Berg wrote: > > Yaw thanks for flagging that didn't realize that. > > On Saturday, April 26, 2014, Yaw Anokwa <yan...@nafundi.com > wrote: > >> Matt, >> >> Caveat about Samsung devices. They don't always implement >> getExternalStorageDirectory() and so some of them have weird /sdcard >> behavior. >> >> See thread at >> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/opendatakit/y0gnGTULdoE/nocV3a8lYnkJ >> >> Yaw >> -- >> Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server >> setup, professional support, and software development for ODK. >> >> On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 1:32 PM, Ian Lawrence wrote: >> > Hi >> > >> > These cheap Tecno devices seem to be really catching on in Africa. >> > I just did a project in Ethiopia using P5, D1 and Q1 phones and in >> general >> > the cheaper the model the worse the GPS (the p range are actually the >> best). >> > Whatever you choose from Tecno they will take an *extremely* long time >> to >> > get a GPS reading especially if the network is poor or non existent >> > >> > The Tecnos mostly run 4.0 so you should be able to select to use GPS >> > satellites in settings >> > >> > Tap Menu >> > Tap Settings >> > Tap Location & security >> > Tap to Use GPS Satellites >> > >> > You should also be aware that for a long time we thought that GPS was >> not >> > working when looking at the collected data map on formhub. This was >> because >> > it seems formhub maps on the first GPS question it finds so if this >> question >> > is contextual and other repeats or groups also contain GPS questions the >> > subsequent GPS questions *will not* show on the map (their locations >> will >> > however be in the Excel export). >> > >> > Hope this helps >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 4:29 PM, Yaw Anokwa wrote: >> >> >> >> David, >> >> >> >> 2 km accuracy sounds like something is horribly wrong with those >> >> tablets (or they don't have an actual GPS chip). Most Android devices >> >> with GPS on the market today can get 5 m accuracy and don't need to >> >> connect to the cell or WiFi network. They don't need to be unlocked >> >> and you don't need to download any maps. >> >> >> >> If you are looking for a recommended tablet, I like the Nexus 7. The >> >> 2012 version is great if you don't need a camera. If you do, the 2013 >> >> is recommended because it has a rear facing camera. If you want a >> >> phone, I like the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 is good too. >> >> >> >> Yaw >> >> -- >> >> Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server >> >> setup, professional support, and software development for ODK. >> >> >> >> On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 7:31 AM, Conservation Earth wrote: >> >> > Jambo ODK Gurus, >> >> > >> >> > We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in >> >> > the >> >> > field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work >> >> > great >> >> > and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all >> >> > cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps >> interest >> >> > high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is >> >> > boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on >> our >> >> > form >> >> > we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets >> >> > (we >> >> > turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the >> >> > capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). >> >> > Please, if >> >> > you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be >> >> > greatly >> >> > appreciated.... >> >> > >> >> > We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS >> on) >> >> > it >> >> > appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a >> phone >> >> > network or the internet (we have neither). >> >> > >> >> > We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted >> GPS) >> >> > GPS >> >> > function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on >> >> > satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card >> is >> >> > removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we >> will >> >> > ditch the tablets and get smartphones (both are hard to read in the >> sun, >> >> > however). >> >> > >> >> > Do we have to get 'unlocked' tablets or smartphones (whatever that >> >> > means), >> >> > do we have to download maps from one of the many apps or google map >> >> > options >> >> > in order for the satellite based GPS > >

Glad things are working Dave. What you describe below may or may not
be a bug. Best way to figure that out is to attach your XLS form to a
bug report at https://code.google.com/p/opendatakit/issues/list.

Yaw

··· -- Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Wed, May 14, 2014 at 2:42 AM, dave olson veikau1@gmail.com wrote:

Also, four of our questions do not show as marked on the tablets, even in
the editing phase and after new information is put in on the tablet, so we
sent them to aggregate anyway and the data that was entered in the field
showed up - this is a bug in the system I guess, but we will proceed as the
data is being collected and received.

David,

Most of the specifications I saw online re that particular tablet state
that it only supports A-GPS That means, you can only use your location
with a data connection, and a phone signal from your network.

··· On Sunday, April 27, 2014, Trung Dang Le wrote:

Another reason to "hate" SS is that they're shipped with lots of junky
apps which you can not uninstall.

On Saturday, April 26, 2014 11:36:45 AM UTC+7, Matt Berg wrote:

Yaw thanks for flagging that didn't realize that.

On Saturday, April 26, 2014, Yaw Anokwa yan...@nafundi.com wrote:

Matt,

Caveat about Samsung devices. They don't always implement
getExternalStorageDirectory() and so some of them have weird /sdcard
behavior.

See thread at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/opendatakit/y0gnGTULdoE/
nocV3a8lYnkJ

Yaw

Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server
setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 1:32 PM, Ian Lawrence irlawrence@gmail.com wrote:

Hi

These cheap Tecno devices seem to be really catching on in Africa.
I just did a project in Ethiopia using P5, D1 and Q1 phones and in
general
the cheaper the model the worse the GPS (the p range are actually the
best).
Whatever you choose from Tecno they will take an extremely long time
to
get a GPS reading especially if the network is poor or non existent

The Tecnos mostly run 4.0 so you should be able to select to use GPS
satellites in settings

Tap Menu
Tap Settings
Tap Location & security
Tap to Use GPS Satellites

You should also be aware that for a long time we thought that GPS was
not
working when looking at the collected data map on formhub. This was
because
it seems formhub maps on the first GPS question it finds so if this
question
is contextual and other repeats or groups also contain GPS questions the
subsequent GPS questions will not show on the map (their locations
will
however be in the Excel export).

Hope this helps

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 4:29 PM, Yaw Anokwa yanokwa@nafundi.com wrote:

David,

2 km accuracy sounds like something is horribly wrong with those
tablets (or they don't have an actual GPS chip). Most Android devices
with GPS on the market today can get 5 m accuracy and don't need to
connect to the cell or WiFi network. They don't need to be unlocked
and you don't need to download any maps.

If you are looking for a recommended tablet, I like the Nexus 7. The
2012 version is great if you don't need a camera. If you do, the 2013
is recommended because it has a rear facing camera. If you want a
phone, I like the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 is good too.

Yaw

Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server
setup, professional support, and software development for ODK.

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 7:31 AM, Conservation Earth conservationearth@live.com wrote:

Jambo ODK Gurus,

We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information in
the
field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work
great
and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all
cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps
interest
high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is
boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on
our
form
we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 tablets
(we
turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the
capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt).
Please, if
you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be
greatly
appreciated....

We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS
on)
it
appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a
phone
network or the internet (we have neither).

We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted
GPS)
GPS
function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on
satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM card
is
removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we
will

--
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You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
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.
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--

Nik
Need help customizing Survey Instruments/Tools/Forms for ODK Collect? Drop
me an email.

Thank you all again for your comments. This has been a tough issue to get
certainty on. Some folks are having good luck in the field without networks
with the Samsung smartphones while others are cautious about them as the
specs say A-GPS only. We are also looking at Huawei which are very common
here. The true test is when we get to the field and try to use them (24 hr
bus ride....), so we are trying to pin things down as much as we can here
in Nairobi first. My big question is if the smartphones are still pinging
off of cell towers even if the SIM card is removed and the internet
switched off, or are they getting location solely from satellite? I read
they have to have a special chip to do this (NVASS?) but that all USA
phones are required to carry these now. Thank you again for everyone's
assistance.

··· On Monday, April 28, 2014 6:52:54 AM UTC+3, ニコノコ wrote: > > David, > > Most of the specifications I saw online re that particular tablet state > that it only supports *A-GPS* That means, you can only use your location > with a data connection, and a phone signal from your network. > > > On Sunday, April 27, 2014, Trung Dang Le <trung...@gmail.com > wrote: > >> Another reason to "hate" SS is that they're shipped with lots of junky >> apps which you can not uninstall. >> >> On Saturday, April 26, 2014 11:36:45 AM UTC+7, Matt Berg wrote: >>> >>> Yaw thanks for flagging that didn't realize that. >>> >>> On Saturday, April 26, 2014, Yaw Anokwa wrote: >>> >>> Matt, >>> >>> Caveat about Samsung devices. They don't always implement >>> getExternalStorageDirectory() and so some of them have weird /sdcard >>> behavior. >>> >>> See thread at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/opendatakit/y0gnGTULdoE/ >>> nocV3a8lYnkJ >>> >>> Yaw >>> -- >>> Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server >>> setup, professional support, and software development for ODK. >>> >>> On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 1:32 PM, Ian Lawrence wrote: >>> > Hi >>> > >>> > These cheap Tecno devices seem to be really catching on in Africa. >>> > I just did a project in Ethiopia using P5, D1 and Q1 phones and in >>> general >>> > the cheaper the model the worse the GPS (the p range are actually the >>> best). >>> > Whatever you choose from Tecno they will take an *extremely* long time >>> to >>> > get a GPS reading especially if the network is poor or non existent >>> > >>> > The Tecnos mostly run 4.0 so you should be able to select to use GPS >>> > satellites in settings >>> > >>> > Tap Menu >>> > Tap Settings >>> > Tap Location & security >>> > Tap to Use GPS Satellites >>> > >>> > You should also be aware that for a long time we thought that GPS was >>> not >>> > working when looking at the collected data map on formhub. This was >>> because >>> > it seems formhub maps on the first GPS question it finds so if this >>> question >>> > is contextual and other repeats or groups also contain GPS questions >>> the >>> > subsequent GPS questions *will not* show on the map (their locations >>> will >>> > however be in the Excel export). >>> > >>> > Hope this helps >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 4:29 PM, Yaw Anokwa wrote: >>> >> >>> >> David, >>> >> >>> >> 2 km accuracy sounds like something is horribly wrong with those >>> >> tablets (or they don't have an actual GPS chip). Most Android devices >>> >> with GPS on the market today can get 5 m accuracy and don't need to >>> >> connect to the cell or WiFi network. They don't need to be unlocked >>> >> and you don't need to download any maps. >>> >> >>> >> If you are looking for a recommended tablet, I like the Nexus 7. The >>> >> 2012 version is great if you don't need a camera. If you do, the 2013 >>> >> is recommended because it has a rear facing camera. If you want a >>> >> phone, I like the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 is good too. >>> >> >>> >> Yaw >>> >> -- >>> >> Need ODK services? http://nafundi.com provides form design, server >>> >> setup, professional support, and software development for ODK. >>> >> >>> >> On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 7:31 AM, Conservation Earth wrote: >>> >> > Jambo ODK Gurus, >>> >> > >>> >> > We are trying to get elephant-farmer conflict incident information >>> in >>> >> > the >>> >> > field in a remote part of central Tanzania using ODK. The forms work >>> >> > great >>> >> > and the village data collectors picked it up easily as they are all >>> >> > cell-phone savvy (and the use of the software and tablets keeps >>> interest >>> >> > high which is very important - paper and pencil data collection is >>> >> > boring...). BUT.....when we use the GPS location finder question on >>> our >>> >> > form >>> >> > we cannot get a location within 2 km accuracy on our Tecno P9 >>> tablets >>> >> > (we >>> >> > turned on the GPS enabler, but am not sure if these tablets have the >>> >> > capacity to get satellite-based GPS without networks or internt). >>> >> > Please, if >>> >> > you have any insights into any of the questions below it would be >>> >> > greatly >>> >> > appreciated.... >>> >> > >>> >> > We have Tecno P9 tablets, but despite our best efforts (turning GPS >>> on) >>> >> > it >>> >> > appears they cannot get good GPS locations without connecting to a >>> phone >>> >> > network or the internet (we have neither). >>> >> > >>> >> > We are looking at smartphones that have independent (not assisted >>> GPS) >>> >> > GPS >>> >> > function, but we cannot find out if they get GPS locations based on >>> >> > satellites only without pinging on a cell tower even if the SIM >>> card is >>> >> > removed. If they can and they can get accurate (>50m) locations we >>> will >>> > >>> >>> -- >> -- >> Post: opendatakit@googlegroups.com >> Unsubscribe: opendatakit+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com >> Options: http://groups.google.com/group/opendatakit?hl=en >> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "ODK Community" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to opendatakit+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > > -- > -- > Nik > Need help customizing Survey Instruments/Tools/Forms for ODK Collect? Drop > me an email. > >