Mobile Data Collection (MDC) involves using phones and tablets instead of paper forms for field data collection. With MDC, electronic forms are created and deployed through an app, which allows data collectors to use the form on their phones or tablets to collect data while out in the field. The data may be stored on the device or where connectivity is available, sent to a server where it is analyzed in real time.

All existing paper-based data collection forms will need to be converted for mobile data collection. The resulting forms must be simple and not require lengthy completion time. Use check boxes, and have some of the fields pre-filled with data, such as the name or description of the activity being measured, the names of districts, towns and villages. Include fields for capturing geographic coordinates. Keep forms short, longer forms typically require more memory, which usually means a more expensive device.

Even if data capture forms do not need to be re-designed, they often need to be re-organized, and oftentimes, simplified for mobile data collection. Re-organizing, and/or simplifying data collection forms is not merely a reduction in the data typically collected with longer forms, but consolidating data capture fields in a way that does not compromise the usefulness of the data collected.