The benefits of Nokia Data Gathering can be summarized in three words: speed, cost and accuracy. However, since it is an IT infrastructure investment, it requires a cost-benefit analysis to determine its usefulness for each organization.
Speed
The primary benefit of Nokia Data Gathering is the speed at which information can be gathered from the field and analyzed. This is because the data can be sent as soon as it is collected (or as soon as the personnel are within the coverage area of a mobile network).
By contrast, paper forms are usually collected and transported to a separate office location for manual data entry by another member of the organization. Transportation is rarely seamless, particularly in more remote areas. Delays often occur before and during transportation as well as afterwards, when the information awaits manual entry to the IT system.
Accuracy
When data is collected on paper forms, it needs to be re-entered later to a computer system. This leads to transcription errors because the information is recorded and entered by different people. Handwritten information inevitably results in some errors.
With data collected on mobile phones, the information only needs to be entered once. This can lead to greater accuracy in data entry and better-informed decisions.
Cost
Since many organizations provide their personnel with mobile phones, the use of Nokia Data Gathering often avoids the need to buy additional IT equipment: one device can provide voice, email and data transfer capability with GPS location information. Besides device cost, important factors to consider include the following:
- Transportation: this can be a significant cost, especially as it often requires dedicated transportation to and from a location for personnel or the forms.
- Duplication of work: if the data is collected in the field and manually entered to a computer system, the same work is done twice.
- Cost of inaction: as time passes, the decision-making environment changes and can result in organizations having to take a less favourable course of action. In the case of a disease outbreak or crop infestation, for example, delays can lead to significant human as well as financial costs.
- Error correction: the duplication of work also leads to errors that take time to detect and correct. This can lead to incorrect decisions.
- Mobile data service: since the quantity of data in most surveys is very small, data transfer costs should remain low. However, local data transfer prices depend on the regulatory and competitive telecommunications environment.
- Training the field personnel: some costs involved, though the system is simple to use and training can be carried out in just a few hours.
- Training the technical personnel: the ability of the organization to integrate and maintain the system is the main non-financial factor in the cost/benefit analysis. To achieve this, the organization needs to train internal personnel or outsource the service.
Summary
Compared to the alternatives, Nokia Data Gathering offers first-rate usability and connectivity, while yielding accurate results more quickly – complete with GPS location data. In addition to this, field personnel using mobile phones only need to carry a single, lightweight device.
The cost effectiveness of Nokia Data Gathering for an organization depends on the time sensitivity of the information being collected as well as on the scale of the organization and its surveying needs. Other issues to take into account include transport infrastructure, personal safety, data security, the availability of electricity, and the geographical location of the data collection.
