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This collaborative paper presents three case studies on four scholars' experiences with remote data collection. The authors highlight the challenges and strengths of online qualitative research across three disparate projects: an interdisciplinary exploration of matrilineal heritage, an examination of Irish women's sexual identity and an investigation of dress practices among Tz'utujil-Maya.

Qualitative researchers traditionally go into the field to explore and understand social phenomena. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, while people faced the daily realities of a worldwide crisis from within their homes, remote data collection became a necessary strategy to pursue knowledge. As a result, researchers adapted to unknowns regarding recruiting, scheduling, technology, interviewing and analysis.

Participant and researcher experiences during the adaptation to remote interviewing yielded important lessons on research strategies.

Outcomes from these studies highlight the potential value of online data collection alongside the necessity for flexibility in designing and conducting qualitative research.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issues in studying hard-to-reach or dispersed populations, with particular focus on methodologies used to collect data and to investigate dispersed migrant entrepreneurs, illustrating shortcomings, pitfalls and potentials of accessing and disseminating research to hard-to-reach populations of migrant entrepreneurs.

A mixed methodology is proposed to access hard-to-reach or dispersed populations, and this paper explores these using a sample of Brazilian migrants settled in different countries of the world.

This paper explores empirical challenges, illustrating shortcomings, pitfalls and potentials of accessing and disseminating research to hard-to-reach populations of migrant entrepreneurs. It provides insights by reporting research experiences developed over time by this group of researchers, reflecting a “mixing” of methods for accessing respondents, contrasting to a more rigid, a-priori, mixed methods approach.

The main contribution of this paper is to showcase experiences from, and suitability of, remote data collection, especially for projects that cannot accommodate the physical participation of researchers, either because of time or cost constraints. It reports on researching migrant entrepreneurship overseas. Remote digital tools and online data collection are highly relevant due to time- and cost-efficiency, but also represent solutions for researching dispersed populations. These approaches presented allow for overcoming several barriers to data collection and present instrumental characteristics for migrant research.

The purpose of this paper is to better understand the efficient use of remote monitoring systems (RMS) to create business value for industrial services in manufacturing firms. A business view to RMS is a key prerequisite for the successful application of the Internet of Things (IoT) in industrial services.

A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted in six engineering companies. The main source of data was semi-structured interviews with 16 managers.

The findings highlight the role of RMS in enabling manufacturing firms to collect data from customers to complement their limited knowledge about their customers. The study demonstrates the business value of using RMS in industrial services and the necessity of capturing the business value through advanced IT technologies.

The qualitative research design and choice of six target companies limit the findings to business-to-business manufacturing firms. Further, the focus is on the manager’s viewpoint. The findings imply new business value through an efficient use of RMS to complement direct customer contact.

The study draws attention to the skilled use of advanced RMS and information and communication technology as a prerequisite for the successful application of the IoT in manufacturing firms that provide services for complex solutions and customers dispersed globally.

The research shows that using information collected through RMS is an important factor in creating business value in a manufacturing firm’s customer relationships. The study contributes by integrating RMS into the customer information collection process to increase the amount, validity and quality of data.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel and systematic framework for bridge inspection and management to improve the efficiency in current practice.

A new framework that implements camera-based unmanned aerial systems (UASs) with computer vision algorithms to collect and process inspection data, and Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) to store and manage all related inspection information is proposed. An illustrative case study was performed using the proposed framework to test its feasibility and efficiency.

The test results of the proposed framework on an existing bridge verified that: high-resolution images captured by an UAS enable to visually identify different types of defects, and detect cracks automatically using computer vision algorithms, the use of BrIM enable assigning defect information on individual model elements, manage all bridge data in a single model across the bridge life cycle. The evaluation by bridge inspectors from 12 states across the USA demonstrated that all of the identified problems, except for being subjective, can be improved using the proposed framework.

The proposed framework enables to: collect and document accurate bridge inspection data, reduce the number of site visits and avoid data overload and facilitate a more efficient, cost-effective and safer bridge inspection process.

This paper contributes a novel and systematic framework for the collection and integration of inspection data for bridge inspection and management. The findings from the case study suggest that the proposed framework should help improve current bridge inspection and management practice. Furthermore, the difficulties experienced during the implementation are evaluated, which should be helpful for improving the efficiency and the degree of automation of the proposed framework further.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss implications of human-technology interaction in organizational change, especially where mobile phones are introduced to replace paper-based reporting.

The paper employs a case study approach, focusing on implementation of mobile technology for health (mHealth) solutions to support remote data communication, between health facilities and a district health office (DHO), in Malawi.

The findings suggest that mobile phones are relevant to parts of multi-stage tasks such as data reporting, which comprise compilation, transportation, and digitization of data, and delivery of feedback. Consequently, innovation due to the introduction of mobile phones, is found in their interaction with other artefacts (paper, desktop computers, etc.), and existing paper-centric and emerging work practices.

Although lessons from this study could be transported across contexts, practitioners, and researchers should pay particular attention to contextual differences.

In accounting for the mutual shaping between technology and context/work practices the paper demonstrates that mHealth innovation demands significant practical work.

mHealth research is often preoccupied with capabilities of mobile devices. First, the authors account for interaction between artefacts, existing, and emerging use contexts, and the use process, at multiple levels of organization. Through this, the authors argue for a need to seriously consider idiosyncrasies of artefacts and tasks at hand, as well as distributed affordances across artefacts, in mHealth implementations. Second, the authors argue that contrary to the general focus on mobile phones as tools for supporting people on the move, their relevance might actually be found in reducing people’s mobility.

Servitization centres on the transfer of risks from the customer to manufacturer. By providing real-time information about current and predicted health of a product in the field, remote monitoring technology can mitigate some of those risks. Although recognised as one of the key enablers of servitization, the mainstream servitization research community has shown very little interest in this topic. The aim is to identify and critically analyse relevant research addressing the topic of remote monitoring technology and servitization and, based on this analysis, propose an agenda to guide future research in this area.

The methodology adopted is literature review consisting of three steps: define purpose and research questions, select keywords and databases, and identify and analyse relevant papers.

Ten findings have been made, which characterise current state of research under categories of examples, benefits, and challenges of using remote monitoring technology to support servitized strategies. Several areas that call for further research are suggested, but general impression is that the understanding about the role and contribution of remote monitoring technology in service delivery and strategy is still in its infancy and much greater effort will have to be invested to change this. It is also suggested that this technology holds a great potential for service and business model innovation; hence, more research is needed to further the knowledge about these topics.

This paper qualifies as the first attempt to consolidate and analyse relevant research at the intersection of servitization and remote monitoring technology.

Examines two aspects of a new system being installed by BP engineering. First, the measurement of corrosion in hot, dangerous and inaccessible locations, both within process plants and on remote pipelines and, second, the automatic collection of data from widely separated measurement points at a single location for monitoring and assessment. Discusses recent advances in ultrasonic non‐destructive test instruments and low frequency electro‐magnetic communication techniques, showing how these have made this project possible.

This study aims to describe key elements that are critical to virtual qualitative research especially while working with practitioners as participants.

This paper takes a reflexive researcher approach using a case study to explore how researchers adopted a qualitative research approach using digital technology. We use five principles suggested by Boland et al. (2022) as a framework to consider and reflect on our experiences as researchers and those of our participants.

We highlight the gatekeeper’s support, trusted relationship with the organisations, interpersonal skills of interviewers, stringent measures of securing data and shared experiences of interviewee and interviewers helped complete virtual research. We recommend that four key factors such as digital competency, feasibility, flexibility and resilience should be considered while undertaking or commissioning virtual, qualitative research studies.

Social care practitioners and qualitative researchers increasingly negotiate with digital technologies to undertake their work. In this paper, we evidence how online qualitative approaches can be effective provided challenges are dealt with diligently in each stage of the research process.

This paper aims to address the role of Internet of Things (IoT) in preventing COVID-19. The IoT devices can be used in various ways to track the patients and suspected person. Remote data collection can be done with the help of IoT and sensors. Later, the data can be analyzed with the help of data science engineers and researchers to predict and prevent the COVID-19.

IoT is a creative mean of amalgamating clinical gadgets and their applications to associate with the human services and data innovation frameworks. An investigation on the conceivable outcomes of defying progressive COVID-19 pandemic by implementing the IoT approach while offering treatment to all classes of patient without any partiality in poor and rich. The information sharing, report checking, patient tracking, data social affair, investigation, cleanliness clinical consideration and so forth are the different cloud-based administrations of IoT. It can totally change the working format of the medical services while rewarding the huge volume of patients with a predominant degree of care and more fulfilment, particularly during this pandemic of COVID-19 lockdown. Health workers can quickly focus on patient zero and identify everyone who has come into contact with the infected person and move these people to quarantine/isolation. As COVID-19 has emerged from the Wuhan province of China, IoT tools such as geographic information system could be used as an effective tool to curb the spread of pandemics by acting as an early warning system. Scanners at airports across the world could be used to monitor temperature and other symptoms. This paper addresses the role of IoT in preventing COVID-19.

In the period of continuous pandemic of COVID-19, IoT offers many propelled cloud-based administrations and offices to serve a greater number of patients effectively. The remote medicinal services framework provides a lot of significance in such a crucial time of lockdown. The powerful interconnected arrangement of gadgets, applications, Web, database and so on encourages the consumers to benefit the administrations in smart way. IoT additionally advances its administrations by building up the quality culture of perceptive medicinal services or portable centre. It is a “distinct advantage innovation,” which may totally change the practices universally. Indeed, even its quality administrations in this extreme time make this methodology progressively productive and beneficial. IoT helps in observing and tracking more recognized people and patients in remote areas for their human service prerequisites. The customary medicinal services are probably going to observe a huge change in perspective sooner rather than later, as the computerized revolution would place cutting-edge innovation and its associated items in the possession of the patients and give both patients and doctors in remote areas better access to quality clinical services.

The contemporary exploration study focuses on the proposed IoT system for the treatment of patients in this progressing COVID-19. The working principle of IoT approach incorporates the mix of human services apparatuses, clinical treatment framework, Web organize, programming and administrations. IoT framework empowers the information assortment, report observing, understanding database, testing pictures and investigation and so forth. Data has been collected through online mode; in this study, the authors adopted empirical research design. Total 150 (118/150 = 78.66% respondent response ratio) online questionnaires were sent in the Chennai city of Tamilnadu, India. The participated nature of work is clinical examination in critical care division.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the design and capabilities of data acquisition systems, and review various interesting applications.

After a technical and market overview, a series of different applications is presented along with appropriate hardware and software.

Data logging over an extended period helps diagnose intermittent faults. Connectivity to PCs or remote networks is now an important feature of data loggers, and sophisticated logging stations gather data automatically and control floods and fires. Some tiny devices are available for in situ food and pharmaceuticals monitoring.

This paper shows how an apparently routine engineering tool takes many different forms and tackles exciting applications.