Who are the agents who will collect samples/information? This is important in determining the amount of labour needed, and how specialized these need to be.

Examples of agents who will collect the samples are:

• non-specialized agents (farmers, public, hunter, etc);
• technicians;
• veterinarians.

A surveillance designer should at this step consider all details regarding a sample collection protocol. If a written ones is not available, a plan should be made to prepare one.

What will be the frequency of data/sample collection? If a survey is being designed, these details can include whether for instance farms will be visited multiple times, once to inform the farmer and once to collect samples. If a regular/continuous data collection is used, details must be determined regarding the specific time points of data/sample collection.

It should be considered whether training is needed for sample collection. Details should be documented, such as frequency, institution responsible, target audience, etc.

Plans for monitoring / reviewing compliance in the sample collection / data generation process (for instance that the right number of samples have been collected monthly).