This two-part workshop will introduce two new technologies available for enhancing your research: Ecological Momentary Assessment and Google Street View.

The first half of the workshop will focus on the use of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Advances in portable electronic technologies have created opportunities for the real-time assessment of children's physical activity in naturalistic situations. This data capture method uses common mobile phones to deliver electronic surveys on the display screen of the device and stores the recorded responses for future download. This workshop will describe how EMA methods can enhance our understanding of children's physical activity and the built environment. Topics covered will include EMA questionnaire design, equipment, programming, personnel, cost considerations, data processing and analysis, and research challenges.

The second half of the workshop will focus on using Google Street View as a tool for conducting audits of the built environment. Instructors will discuss the fundamentals of the technology, the rationale for this approach, and briefly review findings of a study examining which characteristics of the built environment are more reliably captured using this approach. Workshop participants will have hands-on opportunities to audit several street segments using Google Street View. Finally, participants will be engaged in a discussion of practical uses and challenges involved with implementing this tool in research and practice settings.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the types of research questions that EMA methods have the potential to address.
• Learn how to design and conduct an EMA study including equipment, technology, programming, personnel, and cost considerations.
• Understand EMA data management, processing, and analytic issues.
• Discuss common challenges and limitations encountered in EMA research with children.
• Describe the advantages to using Google Street View and identify which variables are better assessed using field audits or other data sources.
• Learn how to navigate Street View for purposes of conducting environmental audits.
• Discuss current challenges and future directions for implementing image-based audit methods.