An intelligent survey framework using the life events calendar

Event history calendars are a relatively new and useful survey tool for collecting autobiographical and retrospective data. They are much better for this type of data recall than classical question-list surveys. The nature of this type of survey is such that an expert interviewer is needed to guide subjects through the survey process. Because expert interviewers are expensive, the relevance of an intelligent survey assistant in this context is high. We describe an online survey framework programmed as a Java applet. Our framework is built specifically as an event history calendar for the study of tobacco users and their behavior over a six month period. We describe our methods and our modular approach that lends itself to the development of an intelligent survey assistant. We expand on the opportunities for artificial intelligence research within the system.