OFFLINE MOBILE APPLICATION FOR MONITORING BASIC FOOD BASKET PRICES IN CÁCERES/MT: DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

Mobile applications have become increasingly present in daily life and play an important role in supporting public policies. Collecting price data on items that make up the basic food basket is essential to support strategies to combat hunger and food insecurity. Institutions such as DIEESE, PROCON, and CONAB carry out this monitoring but do not cover peripheral cities like Cáceres, in southwestern Mato Grosso. To address this gap, the Economic Observatory of the State University of Mato Grosso began local data collection, following DIEESE’s methodology. Traditionally, this process is performed manually, using paper and pencil, and later entered into Excel spreadsheets, which is time-consuming and prone to errors. This study presents the development of an offline mobile application, built with Android Studio using JavaScript and integrated with Firebase, for data collection, storage, and sharing. The app provides secure authentication, direct entry on the mobile device, cloud storage, and spreadsheet export, ensuring agility, safety, and accuracy. Results show that the solution effectively replaces the manual method, reducing collection time and improving data organization and integrity. The project fully met its initial requirements, delivering a practical and scalable tool to support research and strengthen information management on basic food basket prices in municipalities not covered by official surveys.