Data Collection

Overview

The Data Collection module lets you build custom forms, deploy them as shareable public links, and automatically route submissions into indicator reports. No spreadsheets, no email attachments — field staff fill in a URL on their phone and the data appears in the dashboard.

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Forms

Form Data Structure

Field	Type	Description
id	uuid
orgId	uuid	Owner org
projectId	uuid	Linked project
indicatorId	uuid	Optional — auto-populate indicator report
reportingPeriodId	uuid	Which period submissions count toward
title	string	Form title shown to respondents
description	text	Instructions
publicToken	uuid	URL-safe share token
isPublished	boolean	Whether form is accepting responses
closesAt	timestamp	Optional auto-close date

Form Fields

Type	Description
text	Short text answer
textarea	Long text / paragraph
number	Numeric input
select	Single choice from options
multi_select	Multiple choices
date	Date picker
boolean	Yes / No
location	GPS coordinates or text location
file	File upload (PDF, photo)

Conditional Logic

Fields can be shown or hidden based on previous answers:

{
  "type": "select",
  "label": "Do you have a handwashing station?",
  "key": "has_station",
  "options": ["Yes", "No"]
},
{
  "type": "text",
  "label": "Describe the station",
  "key": "station_description",
  "showIf": { "field": "has_station", "equals": "Yes" }
}

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Building a Form

Via the UI

1. Navigate to Data Collection in the sidebar
2. Click New Form
3. Add fields using the drag-and-drop builder
4. Set conditional rules using the Logic panel
5. Link to a project, indicator, and reporting period
6. Click Publish to generate the public link

Via API

POST /orgs/:orgId/forms
{
  "title": "WASH Household Survey",
  "projectId": "uuid",
  "indicatorId": "uuid",
  "reportingPeriodId": "uuid",
  "fields": [
    { "type": "text", "label": "Household name", "key": "hh_name", "required": true },
    { "type": "number", "label": "# of members", "key": "hh_members", "required": true },
    { "type": "select", "label": "Water source", "key": "water_source",
      "options": ["Piped", "Borehole", "River", "Other"] }
  ]
}

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Sharing a Form

Once published, the form is accessible at:

https://app.impactmel.com/form/:publicToken

No login required. The respondent fills in the form and clicks Submit.

You can:

• Copy the link from Data Collection → form row → Share
• Generate a QR code (from the share dialog)
• Reset the token to invalidate old links

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Submissions

Each submission creates a FormSubmission with FormAnswer records for each field.

View submissions

GET /orgs/:orgId/forms/:id/submissions

Returns all submissions with answers, timestamps, and optional geolocation.

Auto-populate indicator report

If the form is linked to an indicatorId:

1. On submission, the service checks Form.indicatorId and Form.reportingPeriodId
2. Finds or creates an IndicatorReport for this project + indicator + period
3. Increments the value by 1 (count-based) or extracts a specific field value
4. The indicator report status stays draft until an M&E officer reviews it

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Public Form Page

The public form page (/form/:token) is:

• Fully responsive (mobile-first)
• No login required
• Branding shows "Powered by ImpactMEL"
• Submission confirmation shows a thank-you message

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API Reference

Method	Path	Description
GET	/orgs/:orgId/forms	List forms
POST	/orgs/:orgId/forms	Create form
GET	/orgs/:orgId/forms/:id	Get form with fields
PATCH	/orgs/:orgId/forms/:id	Update form
DELETE	/orgs/:orgId/forms/:id	Delete form
POST	/orgs/:orgId/forms/:id/publish	Publish form
POST	/orgs/:orgId/forms/:id/unpublish	Unpublish form
GET	/orgs/:orgId/forms/:id/submissions	List submissions
GET	/forms/public/:token	Load public form (no auth)
POST	/forms/public/:token/submit	Submit response (no auth)