logging personal data online

hadaso · 31 Dec 2022, 10:21 PM

I'm looking for a good way to easily record various data I collect about myself, mostly using my smartphone, and then to be able to access it and using it from other devices (PC at home and at work, other phone etc.)

I have been logging my weight since 2008 using The Hacker's Diet Online. The way I'm doing it is that every morning I record my weight on a paper form I printed from the site, and once a month I feed it to the site and file the paper form.

Last week I started recording my blood pressure as well and I'm looking for a convenient way to record it online and then be able to view it and perhaps analyze the data.

I keep record of some other data online using Google Keep, using text notes. For each of my cars I record maintenance (date, mileage, and text describing incident), and also details about usage of utilities (water, electricity): each line includes a date and meter reading, which I record approximately once a month. I could use FastMail's notes for this but Keep notes are more accessible individually thru smartphone widgets, and also they can have monthly reminders attached that remind me to take a reading (or for each car that it's time to do some maintenance or renew insurance or registration).

Manually entering the date each time is a bit annoying, but it would be much more annoying to do it every morning with blood pressure data. I would rather have something that allows me to enter the data and record the time automatically, and also make the data points more accessible for later analysis. An online spreadsheet would allow the latter, but being able to quickly record the data every day with a few clicks (or whatever it's called on a phone) is much more important.

I sometimes use the calendar to record some kinds of data. That way the time is naturally attached to the data, but the data is not readily available for easy analysis (searching the calendar is useful for displaying one kind of data from different dates).

I looked for Android apps and haven't found anything that I would want to trust my data with (only ad based apps, nothing open source). They are all specialized for recording health data such as Blood pressure, temperature etc. and I would actually like something more generic that can be used also for some other kinds of data that's good to log.

Can anybody here recommend something? Or share your good or bad experiences with trying to log your personal data?

evfrson · 31 Dec 2022, 10:42 PM

For the blood pressure recording, you could always use a smart blood pressure monitor from a company like Omron which records data to your phone via an app.
I would then think it is possible to export the data to a spreadsheet for further analysis.
I have no experience of such things just a suggestion.
You could perhaps use the same approach to recording weight by using smart scales.
It seems to me that you are using several apps to record data. I personally wouldn't do this as it makes the whole process cumbersome and inefficient.
I would try and get all your data into one app to make your life easier.
Spreadsheets are the most flexible and can pretty much do anything you want, plus they are available free/cheap for all platforms.

**ReuvenNY** · 1 Jan 2023, 04:46 AM

I also tried various ways of collecting and keeping data and information. Eventually, I settled on Evernote. They have a free version which is perfectly useful is you don't mind being able to access it from 2 devices only. Check it out - extremely useful.

https://evernote.com

pjroutledge · 1 Jan 2023, 05:55 PM

Before my Android phone died a few weeks ago, I'd been using 'Medilog' for about 3-4 years to do exactly those things the OP is looking for.

hadaso · 11 Feb 2023, 11:39 PM

Eventually my solution was very simple: a Google form.
Three fields (systolic pressure, diastolic pressure and pulse) and each time I submit the time of submission is recorded.
To easily access the form on my phone I had Firefox (on the phone) create a shortcut on the desktop. So with one click I get the form open in Firefox browser on the phone, type in three numbers and submit. The only annoying part is that the phone keyboard doesn't stay on numeric input when passing from one input field to the next.
For easy access from any browser I created a redirect from one of my subdomains hosted by Fastmail.
I had the forms responses saved in a spreadsheet in Google spreadsheets so I can easily display it graphically.
The reason I haven't thought of using Google Forms before is that it is perceived as a tool for collecting data from others, not from oneself.
Now I want to find out how I can customize the Google form so it uses less space so I don't have to scroll down on the phone from field to field, and also how to mark the input fields as numeric so I can get a numeric keyboard on the phone by default.

n5bb · 12 Feb 2023, 06:00 AM

For diet, weight, and blood pressure, I use the Lose It! app available for smartphones. There are many other standard and optional apps i can use on my iOS devices. I have the Premium paid version and it will graph my blood pressure or weight over time.

For passwords and financial and general information which needs to be secure I use the SplashID password and data manager software.

I also save a lot of information in the Notes and Calendar features of Fastmail.

Another technique I use is to email the information to myself. I can use text in the email and attachments. I place these files under the “Archived Notes” label or folder in Fastmail.

Bill

chrisretusn · 12 Feb 2023, 08:14 PM

The only personal data that gets logged on line is the stuff I have no idea is being logged. I try to keep personal stuff to a minimum. The only thing I purposely keep on line is my password file, it's encrypted of course with a strong master password and you will need a key file to open it.

31 Dec 2022, 10:21 PM	#1
hadaso The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Holon, Israel. Posts: 4,848	logging personal data online I'm looking for a good way to easily record various data I collect about myself, mostly using my smartphone, and then to be able to access it and using it from other devices (PC at home and at work, other phone etc.) I have been logging my weight since 2008 using The Hacker's Diet Online. The way I'm doing it is that every morning I record my weight on a paper form I printed from the site, and once a month I feed it to the site and file the paper form. Last week I started recording my blood pressure as well and I'm looking for a convenient way to record it online and then be able to view it and perhaps analyze the data. I keep record of some other data online using Google Keep, using text notes. For each of my cars I record maintenance (date, mileage, and text describing incident), and also details about usage of utilities (water, electricity): each line includes a date and meter reading, which I record approximately once a month. I could use FastMail's notes for this but Keep notes are more accessible individually thru smartphone widgets, and also they can have monthly reminders attached that remind me to take a reading (or for each car that it's time to do some maintenance or renew insurance or registration). Manually entering the date each time is a bit annoying, but it would be much more annoying to do it every morning with blood pressure data. I would rather have something that allows me to enter the data and record the time automatically, and also make the data points more accessible for later analysis. An online spreadsheet would allow the latter, but being able to quickly record the data every day with a few clicks (or whatever it's called on a phone) is much more important. I sometimes use the calendar to record some kinds of data. That way the time is naturally attached to the data, but the data is not readily available for easy analysis (searching the calendar is useful for displaying one kind of data from different dates). I looked for Android apps and haven't found anything that I would want to trust my data with (only ad based apps, nothing open source). They are all specialized for recording health data such as Blood pressure, temperature etc. and I would actually like something more generic that can be used also for some other kinds of data that's good to log. Can anybody here recommend something? Or share your good or bad experiences with trying to log your personal data?

31 Dec 2022, 10:42 PM	#2
evfrson Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 159	For the blood pressure recording, you could always use a smart blood pressure monitor from a company like Omron which records data to your phone via an app. I would then think it is possible to export the data to a spreadsheet for further analysis. I have no experience of such things just a suggestion. You could perhaps use the same approach to recording weight by using smart scales. It seems to me that you are using several apps to record data. I personally wouldn't do this as it makes the whole process cumbersome and inefficient. I would try and get all your data into one app to make your life easier. Spreadsheets are the most flexible and can pretty much do anything you want, plus they are available free/cheap for all platforms. Last edited by evfrson : 31 Dec 2022 at 10:51 PM.

1 Jan 2023, 04:46 AM	#3
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,259	I also tried various ways of collecting and keeping data and information. Eventually, I settled on Evernote. They have a free version which is perfectly useful is you don't mind being able to access it from 2 devices only. Check it out - extremely useful. https://evernote.com

1 Jan 2023, 05:55 PM	#4
pjroutledge Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Melbourne, Oz Posts: 131	Before my Android phone died a few weeks ago, I'd been using 'Medilog' for about 3-4 years to do exactly those things the OP is looking for.

11 Feb 2023, 11:39 PM	#5
hadaso The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Holon, Israel. Posts: 4,848	Eventually my solution was very simple: a Google form. Three fields (systolic pressure, diastolic pressure and pulse) and each time I submit the time of submission is recorded. To easily access the form on my phone I had Firefox (on the phone) create a shortcut on the desktop. So with one click I get the form open in Firefox browser on the phone, type in three numbers and submit. The only annoying part is that the phone keyboard doesn't stay on numeric input when passing from one input field to the next. For easy access from any browser I created a redirect from one of my subdomains hosted by Fastmail. I had the forms responses saved in a spreadsheet in Google spreadsheets so I can easily display it graphically. The reason I haven't thought of using Google Forms before is that it is perceived as a tool for collecting data from others, not from oneself. Now I want to find out how I can customize the Google form so it uses less space so I don't have to scroll down on the phone from field to field, and also how to mark the input fields as numeric so I can get a numeric keyboard on the phone by default.

12 Feb 2023, 06:00 AM	#6
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 8,927	For diet, weight, and blood pressure, I use the Lose It! app available for smartphones. There are many other standard and optional apps i can use on my iOS devices. I have the Premium paid version and it will graph my blood pressure or weight over time. For passwords and financial and general information which needs to be secure I use the SplashID password and data manager software. I also save a lot of information in the Notes and Calendar features of Fastmail. Another technique I use is to email the information to myself. I can use text in the email and attachments. I place these files under the “Archived Notes” label or folder in Fastmail. Bill

12 Feb 2023, 08:14 PM	#7
chrisretusn Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Philippines Posts: 846	The only personal data that gets logged on line is the stuff I have no idea is being logged. I try to keep personal stuff to a minimum. The only thing I purposely keep on line is my password file, it's encrypted of course with a strong master password and you will need a key file to open it.