In a situation like a natural disaster, the ability to gather data quickly about its scope can make the critical difference between life and death. The consequences of any wrong information can be dire.
Hence, it’s necessary to make use of a robust data collection tool for such a situation. A customizable data collection app having a no-code platform can bring about numerous benefits to an organization.
It includes real-time data accessibility, automatic data entry, geo-localized data, and the like. Here are some ways by which these apps can prove to be a boon for natural disaster management.
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Automatic Data Entry When the Disaster Strikes
When you’re planning to pick a data collection tool, it’s essential you choose one that has access to a mobile ‘forms’ builder. Customized forms facilitate you to personalize them to the particular data you require for a specific situation.
It’s great functionality for disaster workers. It prevents them from experiencing the stress of creating a form for a particular situation. It also ensures cohesiveness in the kind of information collected and provides time efficiency by minimizing the time spent in transcribing paper forms.
Real-Time Accessibility to Data
Data collection tools like apps facilitate the transmission of information in real-time to the command center. In situations such as a natural disaster, every bit of information is critical for those analyzing the situation and making decisions about it.
The real-time data access enables them to have a more significant amount of data at any point. Thus, they are able to make the right decisions.
Ability to Work Offline
A robust data collection app can not only work online, it can also work offline. It functions like it should while it is distant from the internet and then syncs to the database in the presence of a connection.
During disaster emergencies, internet connections are easily knocked out. So, an app you can use in areas that do not have internet access significantly enhances their versatility and efficiency.
Geolocalized Information
Every information in a data collector app is geolocated, which connects the data and its place. Typically, a GPS is required to give the location data. It is an additional step that can be easily miscommunicated or forgotten.
It’s also time-consuming. Geolocalized tags give the user a comprehensive map of the place and the regions that are impacted automatically. Thus, it effectively optimally assists the command to organize and systematize the response.
Integration with Different Forms of Media
Similar to the geolocated tags, the different kinds of media recovered from the collection area are connected to the data automatically. This media integration functionality is immensely beneficial for those trying their best to assess the situation.
Media like video, audio, and images are all linked and kept in the database. The result of media integration is that it is not important to take the camera into the field.
It is also not essential to download images from your SD card, attach them to the information, and then georeference them in a manual way. Like the various other functionalities, media integration functions as a powerful way to bring about time efficiency during an emergency.
Undeniably, a data collection tool like an app plays a significant role in understanding the disaster and controlling the situation. The various functionalities pave the way for better comprehension of the emergency. It, in turn, allows people to make informed decisions
