Welcome to the CyberTracker Wiki!

What is CyberTracker?

CyberTracker is a nonprofit organization which develops field data collection software. CyberTracker is most widely used in conservation, but it has also been successfully customized for other areas from healthcare to disaster relief to farming. CyberTracker is freeware and is supported through donors and community funded features.

Technology

The CyberTracker mobile app can collect data for several popular backends (see above). CyberTracker connects to a backend and downloads a form. Users capture data with the form and upload it for reports and dashboards.

Having a single mobile app has four key advantages:

  • Choosing a data capture system is complicated, because it is hard to know all your requirements up front. By having a single app, you can use different backends without impacting data collection. For example, if you begin with KoBo and later need advanced GIS functionality, you can move to ArcGIS without retraining or retooling field workers.

  • Organizations using the same tools can collaborate more easily. While this includes overlapping field work, it even extends to making improvements to the app. For example, if an organization wants to add a new feature, then it can be built once and benefit all others.

  • CyberTracker excels at simple and intuitive user interfaces which can be used by an incredibly broad range of users, including oralate rangers in remote regions. The app brings this level of customization to every backend. For example, by using the CyberTracker extensions, any ODK-based form can be made icon-only.

  • Mobile applications are expensive to create and maintain over time. Having a single data collector app which can be extended easily will reduce the cost of creating and maintaining one-off tools.

Support

CyberTracker is supported by a Forum. The group is monitored by the CyberTracker team and has many knowledgeable folks answering questions.