The term 'mobile', when applied to interviewing, may be used to refer to any survey mode that is conducted away from the company's DASH server site at either a temporary or a constantly-changing location. Under this broad umbrella are surveys at malls and trade shows as well as personal, onsite and 'one-on-one' interviews. For these applications, DASH provides three major advantages in each single licence:
In each of the applications cited above, it is the DASH system which is mobile. The term 'mobile' may also be used to describe situations in which the respondent rather than the survey application is not at a fixed location. Typically this refers to a survey in which respondents are interviewed via their cell phone. Once again, DASH provides the options for conducting such interviews as an interviewer-mediated or as a self-complete survey.
The full DASH system can be installed and operated on any device that runs the Linux operating system. This includes a full range of devices from high-end PC portables and notebooks through tiny handheld PCs to tablets. The choice depends on the application. A full-functioning PC with a reasonable-sized screen and keypad is appropriate for continuous interviewing if the mobile site is a temporary fixed one. A small PC or a tablet is advisable when an interviewer is 'on the go' and requires the lightest and smallest option possible.
Each standalone system requires a separate DASH user licence, and this is a simple add-on to the company's existing DASH licence.
When the mobile system is able to network to the company server through wireless connections, any appropriate computer or device may be used. The application is then just an extension of the company's existing operations and may be used for CATI or web interviews with no additional licence required specifically for the wireless device.
There are two ways in which respondents may use their cell phones for an interview:
DASH is 'blind' as to the devices on which both CATI and web surveys are received.