The Schisto Track: A System for Gathering and Monitoring Epidemiological Surveys by Connecting Geographical Information Systems in Real Time

Abstract

BackgroundUsing the Android platform as a notification instrument for diseases and disorders forms a new alternative for computerization of epidemiological studies. ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to construct a tool for gathering epidemiological data on schistosomiasis using the Android platform. MethodsThe developed application (app), named the Schisto Track, is a tool for data capture and analysis that was designed to meet the needs of a traditional epidemiological survey. An initial version of the app was finished and tested in both real situations and simulations for epidemiological surveys. ResultsThe app proved to be a tool capable of automation of activities, with data organization and standardization, easy data recovery (to enable interfacing with other systems), and totally modular architecture. ConclusionsThe proposed Schisto Track is in line with worldwide trends toward use of smartphones with the Android platform for modeling epidemiological scenarios.