4.0.2

Welcome to Network Canvas Beta 1!

Most current survey tools are optimized for capturing individual rather than network-level data. Those that do capture network data are often tedious and cumbersome.

Network Canvas is different.

It helps you to capture data about both the individual and their social network through intuitive and engaging touch-optimized interfaces, in a co-production environment. By representing abstract relationships and attributes visually, complex structural data becomes more tangible and simple to capture.

This app is part of a free, open-source suite of tools for the collection of social network data developed through the Complex Data Collective, a registered not-for-profit, and funded by the National Institutes of Health (R01 DA042711). Network Canvas is a collaboration between Northwestern University and the University of Oxford managed out of Northwestern’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing.

For documentation, further information about the project, and download links for the other apps in the suite, visit https://networkcanvas.com.

Please also support this project by providing feedback! To contribute feedback, email our project team at info@networkcanvas.com.

Release notes:

This release contains the following fixes:

• The 'allow repositioning' option in the narrative interface is now treated as false when it is not specifically set to true in Architect.
• The freeze button is not displayed when the 'free draw' option is not enabled on the narrative interface.
• Protocol validation has been updated to allow node types with no variables, which is required for roster data to work correctly.

There are several "known issues" with this release. Please find them below.

• Loading CSV formatted data performs poorly, particularly on mobile devices. This operation is CPU intensive, and causes devices to stall, sometimes for multiple seconds.
  • Strategies for mediation: Use alternative data formats, and/or minimise the size of external data files. Use more powerful devices. Use the Name Generator Roster (Large) interface, which performs slightly better.
  • Long term resolution: Parse external data when session starts (potentially to temporary storage), and stream it into memory on stage load.
• No way to remove an interview protocol from device. Resetting app data does not remove protocols from app storage from the device.
  • Strategies for mediation: Uninstalling the app will remove all associated data
  • Long term resolution: Add ability to remove protocol.
• It is difficult to close categorical bins that have been expanded on iOS
  • Strategies for mediation: None - we consider this to be a relatively minor UI bug.
  • Long term resolution: Make clicking anywhere outside of the bin collapse it.
• The Name Generator Roster (Search) interface does not work well on devices with software keyboards.
  • Strategies for mediation: Use alternative platforms if this feature is important for your research.
  • Long term resolution: Adjust the styling to better work within the constraints of devices with limited vertical space.
• Large protocols may cause the app to crash during import on iOS.
  • Strategies for mediation: Do not include large assets in protocols. Avoid using iOS if large assets are essential.
  • Long term resolution: Attempt to implement unzipping within a stream.
• Data export does not include variables not in the codebook, such as those in external data files.
  • Strategies for mediation: Create variables in the protocol codebook for any external data variables that you need to be exported.
    -Long term resolution: Update the export parse to make a best guess about how to encode variables not in the codebook.