Process-Driven Data Collection with Smart Mobile Devices

Paper-based questionnaires are often used for collecting data in application domains like healthcare, psychology or education. Such paper-based approach, however, results in a massive workload for processing and analyzing the collected data. In order to relieve domain experts from these manual tasks, we propose a process-driven approach for implementing as well as running respective mobile business applications. In particular, the logic of a questionnaire is described in terms of an explicit process model. Based on this process model, in turn, multiple questionnaire instances may be created and enacted by a process engine.
For this purpose, we present a generic architecture and demonstrate the development of electronic questionnaires in the context of scientific studies. Further, we discuss the major challenges and lessons learned. In this context the presented process-driven approach offers promising
perspectives in respect to the development of mobile data collection applications.