Open-RDS: An Open-Source Mobile Application for Facilitating Respondent-Driven Sampling Surveys

This paper introduces Open-RDS (o-RDS), an open-source, mobile-first web application with responsive design, created to streamline the process of conducting respondent-driven sampling (RDS) surveys. RDS is a chain-referral technique used to study hidden or hard-to-reach populations. The o-RDS tools aim to simplify survey creation, management, and data collection while maintaining confidentiality and security. The open-source nature of o-RDS fosters community input in design and development and allows for customization by researchers. We highlight the functions of o-RDS, including security features, survey creation, support for referrals, and incentive payment methods. Additionally, we outline future plans for enhancing o-RDS by incorporating support for different survey platforms and expanding the range of incentive payment options. Overall, o-RDS represents a cost-effective and user-friendly solution for researchers conducting RDS surveys, offering flexibility, security, and improved accessibility to hidden populations.Clinical relevance— RDS is used extensively in studies of populations that are relevant to public health research. The o-RDS software simplifies many aspects of survey execution, reducing the cost of surveying, and improving security, referrals and incentive payments. Moving RDS sampling from in-person interviews or computers to more accessible smart phones and tablets will allow researchers to expand the range of hidden populations being reached, leading to improved public health data.