Choosing suitable software
There is a huge variety of software that can be used for various tasks in a community-based monitoring system. Some of these have been developed for specific tasks, while others support multiple tasks. Different software can be cloud, mobile or computer based. In many cases software are compatible and interchangeable, enabling projects to pick and choose the most appropriate.
The comparative table below shows some of the most widely used software programmes in this rapidly evolving space, to help with selecting the right option for a particular project or context (click on each name for more details).
Name![]() |
Internet | Phone Network | Smart Phone | Literacy | Level of Expertise |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) | No | No | No | Yes | Medium |
Smap | No | No | Yes | No | High |
Sapelli | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Low |
OpenForis | No | No | Yes | Yes | Medium |
Open Street Map | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Medium |
Open Data Kit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | High |
Moabi DRC | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Medium |
iNaturalist | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Low |
Google Earth Engine | Yes | No | No | Yes | High |
Global Forest Watch - mobile version | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Medium |
Geographical Open Data Kit | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | High |
Geo-Wiki | Yes | No | No | Yes | Low |
CyberTracker | Yes | No | Yes | No | Low |
C7-LDFN | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Medium |