FAQ
External Service Providers
Survey Solutions, while being an open-source product, is capable of consuming various services from external providers to deliver specific functionality to the end users.
Among these services some are free, some are charging per unit consumed, some require a payment plan, some allow for a limited use.
Warning:
This page may present information that is not up-to-date.
Always consult the corresponding service provider for any conditions of service to avoid unexpected charges!
Provider | Service | Usage | Costing | Price info | Configurable |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
reCAPTCHA | Optional. A CAPTCHA is used to keep malicious software from engaging in abusive activities. Administrator may opt for not using Google CAPTCHA and use built-in CAPTCHA instead. documentation | Free per use, unlimited use Administrator must obtain the key and supply it to Survey Solutions. | info | Per server setup | |
Mapping API | Optional. Online map report and online map dashboard will not show the map layer if not set up. | Free per use, unlimited use. Administrator must obtain the key and supply it to Survey Solutions. | pricing | Per server setup | |
Esri | Online maps in web applications | Preset. Base layer is used to show a superimposed map extent or map preview. documentation | Unmetered use (no authentication). | Not configurable | |
Esri | Esri Basemap Services | Optional. Online maps are used to show map dashboard and answer geography-type questions in mobile applications for interviewers and supervisors. Users can select their own offline maps, or pick among the 3 online maps sourced by ESRI. If key is not supplied, online maps will not be selectable in the mobile applications. | Paid use. Metered use. 2,000,000 free tiles per month. Administrator must obtain the key and supply it to Survey Solutions. | pricing (see "basemap tiles") Esri can be contacted at Official_Statistics@esri.com to discuss licensing and obtain an access key to use within the Survey Solutions application. | Per workspace setup |
Amazon | AWS SES - Sending emails to respondents | Optional. Used in CAWI surveys for sending invitations or reminders to respondents. If the key is not specified, this method of sending emails to respondents will not be available. Other alternatives are listed here. | Paid use. Metered use. 3000 free emails within 12 months of starting using the service. Administrator must obtain the key and supply it to Survey Solutions. | pricing | Per workspace setup |
Twilio | SendGrid - Sending emails to respondents | Optional. Used in CAWI surveys for sending invitations or reminders to respondents. If the key is not specified, this method of sending emails to respondents will not be available. Other alternatives are listed here. | Paid use. Administrator must obtain the key and supply it to Survey Solutions. | pricing plans | Per workspace setup |
Amazon | AWS S3 - Storage of binary data | Optional. Used for storage of binary data collected during surveys (images, audio). If the service is not used, binary data will be stored on the file system. | Paid use. Administrator must obtain the key and supply it to Survey Solutions. | pricing | Per server setup |
Survey Solutions Server Hosting
Here are just some of the options you may have for placement of your Survey Solutions data server:
for The World Bank projects request the server using the eServices request :
“Integrated Survey Solutions Infrastructure Provisioning”
(internal link, accessible for WB staff/consultants).for studying Survey Solutions application use a PDS (personal demonstration servers).
Do not use PDS for any real data collection.for new surveys setup a server as described in Survey Solutions Server using any of the following hosting options
February 13, 2024
(any service providers below are mentioned as examples and should not be interpreted as a recommendation):
Language
The Survey Solutions questionnaire can be designed in any language supported in Unicode. See details in this article.
A questionnaire may be multilingual. See details in multilingual questionnaires
For the langauges applicable to Survey Solutions software components refer to the following table:
Language | Interviewer (App) | Headquarters | Designer | |
---|---|---|---|---|
English | + | + | + | |
Russian | + | + | + | |
French | + | + | + | |
Spanish | + | + | + | |
Chinese | + | + | + | |
Czech | + | + | + | |
Ukrainian | + | + | + | |
Arabic | + | + | - | |
Portuguese | + | + | - | |
Georgian | + | + | - | |
Romanian | + | + | - | |
Indonesian | + | - | - | |
Khmer | + | - | - | |
Thai | + | - | - | |
Vietnamese | + | - | - | |
How to switch the language? | readme | readme | readme | |
See also: Instructions for the Translators of the Survey Solutions Interface
January 30, 2024What tablets should I buy?
Technical Requirements
Survey Solutions software works with Android tablets with the following specifications:
Version of Android OS:
- Android 7.0 or better is required;
- All versions of Android below 9.0 are no longer supported by the manufacturers and correspondingly tablets that can’t be updated to Android 9.0 or above should be considered unsafe for the World Bank projects.
RAM: Minimum 1.5GB
Storage: 8GB of flash memory storage. At least 1GB of available space must be available for Survey Solutions’ use. The Survey Solutions software installation package (.apk) is less than 200MB, but more space will be required during the operation of the software. The ultimate requirements for space depend on the kind of survey (questionnaire) and the mode of use of the tablet (number of assignments, simultaneously started interviews, rejections, use of offline maps, audio recording, etc.
September 19, 2023
Server Requirements
Server requirements are periodically revised. The characteristics below are outlined for a server facilitating a survey of no more than 100,000 interviews. You may need a more powerful server if:
- your survey is larger, or
- you plan to host several surveys, or
- if you plan to collect any multimedia data (photos, audio recordings, etc), or
- there are other non-standard circumstances.
Requirements for the server depend on the use and the type of the survey. Below is a minimal configuration. Better hardware allows better performance.
August 28, 2023Password issues
Click on the description of the case (1-15) below. Instructions vary depending on the type of password/login you are having an issue with.
1. Forgot your password for the Designer tool?
- Go to the Designer tool online: https://designer.mysurvey.solutions
- Click
FORGOT PASSWORD?
- Enter your login (account name) or email address into the form field and click
RESTORE
. - Check your email inbox for a new message with a password reset link.
IMPORTANT: The email address here is always the same email address that you’ve used to register.
June 22, 2023Changing password
This article describes who can change passwords and for whom in the hierarchy of Survey Solutions users.
In the following table users assuming the role mentioned in the rows can change passwords of users mentioned in the columns.
ROLES | administrator | headquarters | supervisor | interviewer | observer | API |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
administrator | only own password | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
headquarters | no | only own password | only if controlling this supervisor in all workspaces, to which the supervisor has access | only if controlling this interviewer in all workspaces, to which the interviewer has access | no | no |
supervisor | no | no | only own password | no | no | no |
interviewer | no | no | no | only own password | no | no |
observer | no | no | no | no | no | no |
API | no | no | no | no | no | no |
Note also:
To change own password the user needs to enter the old password in addition to the new password. To change the password of another user (when permitted) there is no need to enter the value of the old password.
June 22, 2023
Navigation to Destination
This article describes the features of Survey Solutions related to guiding the field workforce (interviewers and supervisors) to the particular destinations (typically dwellings/households).
This is especially useful when the target location for interview is known (coordinates known), which helps finding the proper way to the destination in the situations of:
- panel surveys (coordinates are known from previous wave of the survey);
- cross-sectional surveys on geo-coded frames (households comprising the sampling frame are recorded with their coordinates during the precedeing listing or census enumeration);
- cross-sectional multi-visit survey (coordinates are recorded during the first visit, then re-used for subsequent visits);
- audit survey (coordinates are recorded by the interviewers during the main survey, then reused by auditors during the audit survey).
While we are mainly thinking of the location of the household or dwelling, it is not essential for Survey Solutions, and the destination can equally be the location of an enterprise, farm, plot, school, hospital, a generic facility, a landmark, a water source, etc.
April 25, 2023Android App Permissions
Android permissions regulate access of apps to particular functionality. When it comes to Survey Solutions the following permissions are requested:
- Access to camera: is used to:
- recognize qrcodes when setting up the application (enter synchronization point address);
- recognize qrcodes/barcodes when answering the corresponding question type in the interview;
- take pictures (answer picture type question).
- Access to microphone is used to:
- answer audio type question;
- record audio audit data during interview (all the time from the point of opening the interview to the point of closing the interview).
- Access to location is used to:
- answer GPS location question;
- answer geography question with automatic or semiautomatic modes;
- permit near field communication for synchronization between the Interviewer and Supervisor apps.
- Access to files and media is used to:
- pick photographs from the gallery as answers to picture questions;
- store maps received from the HQ;
- store troubleshooting packages.
- Access to nearby devices is used to:
- establish connection for synchronization between the Interviewer and Supervisor apps.
The apps generally request the permissions when they are about to execute the action, for which the permission is needed. For example, a camera permission may be requested when the user wishes to answer a picture question.
April 24, 2023Solutions website
Q: I am trying to access the website https://solutions.worldbank.org, but it shows an error. What do I need to do?
A: In the past, the address https://solutions.worldbank.org has led to the Designer tool from the Survey Solutions tool set. Now the Designer is accessible from this page: https://designer.mysurvey.solutions.
Some older presentations or instructions guides may still refer to the older address if they were not updated in the meanwhile.
April 21, 2023