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Researching Remotely with ICT

As part of our ongoing series on ‘Conducting Research at a Distance’, Dr Alexander Cullen led a fantastic workshop on using ICT in remote research, and the benefits and draws backs that this might pose. He has outlined his key thoughts and advice below.

One of the great aspects of Geography’s research potency is the richness that comes from being in the field. While the logistics and ethics of researching during the ‘new normal’ are greatly challenged by restrictive pandemic measures, that is not to say that there are not creative and innovative ways that we can rethink data collection and the forms it might take. For those looking at survey data collection there has been great technical progress made in the last 10 years. Advances in ease of use, access and affordability mean there are now applications available that can put survey collecting tools in the hands of an enumerator on the other side of the globe.

However powerful these tools are, and how enticing this might be as a strategy, there are important caveats to bear in mind. Consideration for this sort of approach requires a renewed critical and engaged reflection on methodological challenges, and the centrality of relationship building in the research process. The technical developments with ICT and similar survey software has improved so that anybody with an smart-phone is now a potential enumerator. With the correct software application and survey form, enumerators can identify interviewees and deliver a survey which can be uploaded immediately to a cloud storage database. As a research project coordinator, this offers opportunity for remote management that can get your survey into sites or regions that you cannot.

There are an increasing number of applications available, and while some with the highest functionality are paywalled, there are many that are free and open-source having been developed through the humanitarian and aid sector. These include Open Data Kit (ODK) and Kobotoolbox which ODK can make use of through its platform to visualise, map, store and analyse data collected from surveys.

Surveys for ODK have traditionally been built by writing simple scripts but increasingly there are desk based tools to assist in this process. As an open source application, it is adaptable to the needs of the survey, but its functionality enables enumerators to capture GPS, date/timestamps, photos as well as traditional survey answers. Such answers could be open ended or multiple choice but also be condensed into strings of conditionality so as to alleviate asking questions non-pertinent to the interviewee. Furthermore, it is possible to include pictures to assist in clarification, as well as incorporating previous survey answers into later questions. Be warned that the richer and more open ended the question the more difficult this will be to code and compare across scale. Typing answers on a phone also takes a significantly long time.

A great time saving aspect is that data input is automatic, saving time on database entry and errors that might occur. Two great aspects of ODK that assist in remote and cultural disparate areas are: (1) its ability to accommodate numerous languages (and change between them) across surveys; (2) its functionality without phone signal (storing the surveys until a cell signal is detected then automatically uploading them).

The functionality of such tools also grants great potential for thinking creatively about what sort of data and process is employed that gives researchers and enumerators scope outside the bounds of the survey format. Survey forms can be redesigned so the focus is on visual capture, GPS points or open-ended narratives that those in the field deem as valuable as conveying stories of landscape. Furthermore, written answers can be accompanied with mp3 recorded semi-formal interviews so as to capture stories or aural ephemera by enumerators and uploaded to a cloud server. This requires dedicated monitoring and regular checking and cleaning of the data.

While the power and possibility of such tools under remote research conditions might be obvious for those seeking field site data, ethical and qualitative considerations normative to survey work are amplified 10 fold through remote methodological complexities. Building relationships, trust, collaborative research practices and channels of communication with the enumerators you are working with is no mean feat. And this, along with testing, consultation and training is much harder and time consuming over video conferencing. The dangers of entrenching colonial research practices and uneven power imbalances become more salient as the ability to be better “attuned” to the social and historical minutiae of the everyday are muted by distance. The power and privilege of a phone brought into a social situation needs to critical consideration, and this can be difficult to ascertain remotely. Sustained and meaningful care needs to be given to how the communities and the enumerators benefit and become invested in the research. How might outcomes be beneficial at the field site and the impacts minimised?

Surveys require repeated consultative engagement and testing with stakeholders and sample populations. Often what might seem simple or expected varies drastically in the field and only comes to light through in-field engagement. Enumerators will only see value in the process of data collection if they can clearly identify ownership and investment in the design and outputs. Training and collaborative survey construction is the most vital component of ensuring this and is a central component of ensuring comprehension of the costs and benefits to stakeholder participation. Doing this remotely is therefore potentially fraught and requires significant time dedication. Presumptions about digital literacy or the ease of remote digital problem solving are often underestimated. Questions of how this data will be returned or clarified in the future with your interviewees needs careful assessment.

If you have any questions about using ICT to conduct research at a distance, feel free to get in contact with Dr Cullen.