IntroductionThe pimss4tablets module was first released in 2012 and was developed in partnership with the Great Places Housing group They were keen to develop a solution to enable efficient onsite data collection and automatic synchronisation of survey data with the pimss4communities database As a result, the solution provides the opportunity for collecting data on site and for rapid transfer to the database without manual input, which removes both costs and the potential for input errors. Mobile data collection provides for:WiFi and 3G data transfer easy data transfer to pimss4communities databaseprepopulation of existing data surveyors can access existing data so they only need to make essential changes; less keying of data improves accuracy and survey completions all assets are synchronised to the tablet, so surveyors can complete additional surveys at short notice in response to business needssimple data validation at input, preventing basic data entry errorseasy navigation and survey input so that data entry suits the surveyor rather than rigid mapping of data input pathscurrently running on iOS and Android with development proposed for Windows 8 tablets Benefits of using pimss4tabletsAmongst the benefits of having the pimss4communties system is the ability to use mobile technology to gather survey data. The main benefits are outlined as follows: increased number of surveys completed in a shorter period of time. Because there is no paperwork, information is easier to manage and its possible to carry more data around so if there is time available during the day, extra surveys can be fitted in. With paper based surveys, surveyors need to input the data from each survey manually, which on average takes a half an hour per survey nearly as much time as completing the original survey. It is duplicated effort, and there is always the risk of keying errorsreducedrisk of paper documents getting lost or damaged by weather; output is always legiblesurveyors can plan site visits knowing that data will be stored in the device until they have WiFi or 3G connectivity. The survey data is automatically uploaded onto pimss4communities and the download of new surveys for completion takes place simultaneouslyfewer visits to the office creates more time on sitesurveyors can complete a survey if they visit a property for another purpose, for example when visiting a void.They can identify work to be brought forward and carried out quickly while the property is vacant photographs integrated from surveys directly into the database and automatically attached to the correct assetplans to incorporate asbestos surveys, customer satisfaction and other types of surveys