Formulus

ode

About this app

Formulus is the mobile data collection app for the Open Data Ensemble (ODE) platform. Organisations, research teams, and public sector projects use it to capture structured field data offline and sync securely to a Synkronus server they control.

ONE APP, MANY PROJECTS
Forms and custom app experiences are delivered from your server as app bundles. You can run different data collection projects without waiting for a new app release in the store.

OFFLINE-FIRST
• Work with no connectivity: forms, observations, photos, audio, and files are stored on the device
• Sync when the network is available—manual or automatic
• Local database (WatermelonDB) helps prevent data loss in the field

RICH FIELD DATA TYPES
• Text, numbers, dates, and selections (JSON Forms)
• Photos and video from the camera
• Audio recording
• GPS location on observations
• QR code scanning
• File attachments and signatures
• Approximate dates for uncertain historical dates

CUSTOM APPLICATIONS
Host tailored web-based workflows in the app with your branding and navigation, integrated with the same form and sync engine.

SECURE SYNC
• Sign in with username and password to your Synkronus server
• HTTPS sync of observations and attachments
• You choose the server URL—data goes to your organisation, not a central ODE cloud

BUILT FOR DEMANDING ENVIRONMENTS
Suited to field research, monitoring and evaluation, environmental work, humanitarian programmes, health surveys, and other decentralised collection where connectivity is unreliable.

REQUIREMENTS
Formulus needs a Synkronus server for login, form distribution, and synchronization. Teams run their own server. Documentation and open source code are on our website.

OPEN SOURCE
Formulus is part of the Open Data Ensemble ecosystem—interoperable, standards-based tools for decentralized data collection.

Documentation: https://opendataensemble.org
Privacy policy: https://opendataensemble.org/docs/legal/formulus-privacy-policy
Source code: https://github.com/OpenDataEnsemble/ode
Contact: [e-mail]

What’s new

Formulus can now manage multiple profiles on the same device, each with its own custom app and Synkronus connection.
This makes it much easier to use one device across different projects, studies, deployments, or environments without repeatedly reconfiguring Formulus.
Profiles can be created and switched directly from within the app.