FAIMS

FAIMS Mobile is a native Android application, paired with an Ubuntu server component, designed to support human-mediated field research through configurable, offline-capable digital data capture. The system provides a general-purpose platform implemented in core Java (mobile client) and Ruby (server-side services), and is deeply customizable via “definition packets” that specify data schemas and user interfaces in XML and implement fieldwork automation/logic using BeanShell scripts; these packets can be generated from an XML-based domain-specific language.

FAIMS targets disciplines where primary data are produced in situ (e.g., archaeology, geoscience, ecology, oral history) and where methodological transparency, interoperability, and reuse of field datasets are often limited by ad hoc paper workflows or fragmented digital tools. It supports rich, efficient capture of structured observations and associated metadata in field settings, and it is designed to improve reproducibility by producing comprehensive datasets that can be aligned to controlled vocabularies or ontologies during data collection. The platform emphasizes redeployability across projects (as “generalized” field software) and includes capabilities oriented to field environments such as flexible form/UI design, automation hooks, and infrastructure for integrating heterogeneous data types and sensors.