Survey Automation Report and Workshop Proceedings (2003) / Chapter Skim
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Prospects for Survey Data Collection Using Pen-Based Computers
Prospects for Survey Data Collection Using Pen-Based Computers
Pages 211-225
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From page 211... ...
~ . ~ ~ ~ PROSPECTS FOR SURVEY DATA COLLECTION USING PEN-BASED COMPUTERS fay Levinsohn and Martin Meyer CORIC: Continuing and building on some of the themes addressed in the last talk, we invited Marty Meyer and Jay Levinsohn to talk about prospects for data collection using handheld portable pen-based computers.
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From page 212... ...
And it's been around for a long time. We're using this in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and we've had it in the field for three and a half
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From page 213... ...
We're doing fairly complicated screening with it; sample selection is built into the screening algorithm. And we're using it nationally, in every state, so we have used it in every climatic condition you can think of: freezing in Alaslca in the winter, summers in DC and New Orleans, and we have people in Hawaii.
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From page 214... ...
In the laptop environment, you might be looking at a Windows environment and if you're looking at Blaise or standard questionnaire devel
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Blat yol1 have a huge screen difference. This one is a Windows 2000 capable machine; they're reasonably fast computers, 400 to 800 MHz machines so that they're beginning to rival what's on a desktop; an 800 MHz machine is a pretty current desktop PC.
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From page 216... ...
There are a class of design and performance trade-offs that you have to evaluate based on the application you're looking at. The different screen types ...
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From page 217... ...
After "the check's in the mail," the "four-hour battery life" may be the next big lie. You can get four hours, maybe, but it depends very much on what you're doing, and if you're using the device continnously.
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From page 218... ...
If cost is a very big issue, then you're looking at Palm devices. To get below $200 per unit, you're looking at Palm.
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The Visual Basic environment has less control and is less integrated into the system APIs and the other applications. That may change over time; people are beginning to do a lot of development for these devices, and I think it's a big commercial marlcet for software as these devices spread around.
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From page 220... ...
" Deslctop software ports easily to Tablet PCs, and it's easy to move it. You can provide .
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But that model has worlced very well with that device, and that model is available with the newer devices; they all are able to have a modem connected to them and do dial-up activities. We're looking at things lily doing more complicated access, where they would be doing SQL server transactions, getting access to and from the database.
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From page 222... ...
There's a lot of overlap in the price, and the Poclcet PC is a much more capable device. That's a good and a bad thing; it's a much more complicated device, and if you're looking for a calendaring, simple e-mail, expense report machine the Palm may be it, because it's simple.
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From page 223... ...
The Tablet PCs are pretty expensive. And these are ballpark prices; these are not GSA prices or what you could negotiate if you were buying a large number of them.
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From page 224... ...
These are 10-inch screens, so they're smaller; so they're going to old age homes, to collect elderly people together, have them do the interview on this and see if this is OIL. Or how does this compare with doing the interview on the Gateway laptop with the bigger, brighter screen.
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From page 225... ...
SO, these are beginning to show up in industry for sort of vertical applications, inventory applications. There, they do wireless transmission back to the database.
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