As part of a growing global community creating standards in mobile data collection, Cell-life is driving a new data capture tool to be the first of its kind in this area.

Cell-Life is currently working in conjunction with the Medical Research Council (MRC) to produce a new version of Cell-Life’s original Cellphone Data Capture Tool (CDCT). The new tool uses Java and XML languages to create a more flexible and customisable solution that can use the increased features of today’s mobile phones.

In late September 2007 the MRC organised a workshop at M.I.T. in Boston, to introduce the tool to parties interested in using mobile data capture in developing contexts. A core theme was the use of the XML standard XForms (http://www.w3.org/TR/xforms/) which will allow the mobile application to be used with many different data servers. The presentation of the tool’s design also highlighted the importance of:

• Java, for use on different devices;
• Open-source, for code re-use and flexibility;
• Mobile technology, for improved communication;
• XML, for inter-operable systems.

The ideas put forward were well received and much interest was generated in both the application and the mobile XForm standard. The groups EpiSurveyor and EpiHandy, committed to initial efforts at making their data servers XForm compliant and thus compatible with the new CDCT application. These two groups currently use mobile PDA solutions to collect health data in many developing countries, and see much potential in converting to mobile.

Due to the success of the workshop, a follow-up meeting has been arranged for December in Nairobi, Kenya. At this meeting the groups hope to asses the progress made on the applications and further establish how interested parties can join the standard and harness the power of mobile applications.