iPad app for collecting door-to-door survey information?

Solution 1:

The apps from FileMaker sound like they would be good candidates:

Bento (iPad & iPhone)

Use standalone or synchronize with Bento for Mac. Create and edit custom databases directly on iPhone or iPad or choose from 25 pre-designed templates.

and

FileMaker Go (iPad & iPhone, with FileMaker for Mac)

Create solutions using FileMaker Pro and access them on the iPhone and iPad using FileMaker Go.

_{Trivia: FileMaker is actually a subsidiary of Apple; they used to be Claris.}

Solution 2:

You could use Bento for iPad. It allows you to create custom databases with great looking entry screens. It will also store information on the device until you sync it again.

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Solution 3:

You can build an Editable PDF using Acrobat Pro and then use PDF Expert to fill in the forms, each user could then email them to a central email box for data collection.

Solution 4:

From what you are asking you may want to try the iPad Survey App from Caretotell.

It will do this: - Automatically download the latest collected data when in range of a network. - Track the location the info was collected (difficult and imprecise, probably, since it's a wifi tablet only) - Allow hundreds of tablets to check in and upload to the central server at any time, including simultaneously - Prompts the survey recorder with a script - not just a form, but gives them what to say, what to ask, and leads them through a configurable tree of questions, some of which depend on previous questions answered. For instance once they indicate their political affiliation, it might skip questions not appropriate to save time.

But it will not automatically update directly to SQL server. You will have to manually export the CSV file from the web management interface and import it yourself (using phpmyadmin or similar). http://www.caretotell.com