RE: Electronic Survey Forms

["Tim Gillespie" <tgillespie@sec-tn.com>]

We use an electronic survey system at ETTP (former K-25 site) in Oak Ridge.
It is a MS-Access based system developed specifically for the site. The
technicians use pen-based laptop-like PCs (Windows) to write the surveys,
and then upload the data to the server using RAM cards or Flash cards. I
will try to list the pros and cons:

Pros:

Data retrieval is easy. The surveys can be called up according to type,
area, building, technician, date, etc. This is probably the best feature.
Surveys are available at you fingertips, and do not go into a "black hole"
file cabinet.

The system also contains instrument data, and automatically inserts cal due
date, source check data, etc.

Paper surveys are only printed when needed so paper use is significantly
reduced.

Some of the technicians love the system.

Cons:

When the server is down, you are out of luck.

The system needs a fair amount of administration. It was developed about 6
years ago, and 3 different prime contractors have had control of it, making
configuration control and management difficult. It is also really too big
for its own architecture. Old surveys must be archived and removed from the
system to make it fast enough to be useable.

The technicians do not use the pen-based computers in the field as designed.
Instead, they typically take notes and then actually write the surveys at a
desk. If this had been known during development, the system probably should
have been designed to have the survey written and entered on a desktop
computer with a drawing tablet, thereby eliminating the added expense of the
portable computers and the data transfer step.

Maintenance of the pen-based units is expensive and difficult since they are
obsolete and no longer produced.

The database does not take full advantage of relational databasing
techniques, making some data retrieval difficult.

GIGO - Garbage-in, garbage-out.

Drawings are not very good. The pen-based units produce rather clunky
drawings with little detail, although some technicians have mastered drawing
better than others.

Some of the technicians hate the system.

If you decide to build, or have someone build a system for you, I offer some
free advice (worth every penny). First, make sure that someone with very
good databasing skill is involved with the database design. Preferrable,
this is someone who also has some HP skills and understands how the data
will be used. Also, make sure the system is robust enough to handle storage
of all surveys for the forseeable future. Finally, get input from the
technicians on the design of the system. They are the ones who will be using
it.

I could probably go on and on, but that is the nutshell. If anyone needs
more specific information please e-mail me directly.

Also, if anyone knows of any off-the-shelf systems, please let me know.

Tim Gillespie, CHP
SEC Program Technical Manager
Phone:	241-9384
Page:  	873-0642
Cell:  	548-9836


> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
> [mailto:radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu]On Behalf Of Cehn@aol.com
> Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2001 12:31 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: Electronic Survey Forms
>
>
> Who is using laptops, PDAs, etc. to collect survey data - replacing paper
> forms?  What works best? Do the techs have problems with it, or
> just don't
> like it?  Are you using off-the-shelf software?
>
> Please respond to me at cehn@aol.com, and I'll summarize
> responses to Radsafe.
>
> Joel I. Cehn, CHP
> 1036 Hubert Road
> Oakland, CA 94610
> 510.268.1571
> 510.268.8654 (fax)
> 510.914.6262 (cell)
> ************************************************************************
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