Network Canvas, a Free Suite of Tools for Network Data Collection, is Now Available for Use

Researchers at Northwestern University’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing are thrilled to announce the stable release of Network Canvas, a powerful network data collection tool developed specifically to simplify network data capture. The release today marks the culmination of NIH Grant R01DA0422711.

The free, open-source Network Canvas Suite allows social network researchers to design studies, collect participant data, and monitor and export data for analysis with its three highly customizable and user-friendly applications.

Unlike other survey tools, Network Canvas is optimized specifically for network data collection and designed to prioritize both the experience of participants and the needs of the researcher. The software leverages modern web technologies and human-computer interaction principles, making it intuitive to participants and researchers alike. The integrated workflow of the applications gives researchers agile control over their studies from start to finish, regardless of technical expertise.

“Network Canvas is for anyone interested in learning more about the connections between people. So much research is done at the individual level, which is easy to do with many widely used survey tools. But this tool is for the researchers who want to look at the system a person is in, whether that’s the people they are around or the places they go,” said Gregory Phillips II, one of the project’s principal investigators.

The Network Canvas Suite consists of three applications that are free to download on the Network Canvas website, the Apple App Store, or the Google Play Store. The Suite is responsive to all widely-used platforms and operating systems.

In Architect, researchers design their own study protocol utilizing any combination of 13 configurable interfaces to capture the specific network data they require.

In Interviewer, researchers administer their study protocol to capture data directly from participants on intuitive, touch-optimized screens.

In Server, researchers manage the protocol deployment process to study devices, and monitor and export study data for analysis.

“Network Canvas is a tool for simplifying the capture and management of social network data. The three apps of the Suite work together to provide an integrated workflow for researchers from protocol design to data export. When we set out to build Network Canvas, we wanted to anchor core methodological principles of social networks research within a tool that would be highly flexible to diverse application contexts,” said Joshua Melville, project’s lead developer and software architect. 

“Our tool helps researchers understand the world as each of their participants experience it—the people they encounter, the places they live and spend time in, the interactions they have throughout the day. When we understand how people are affected and impacted by the social systems around them, we can better understand those people in a broader and more nuanced context,” said project MPI Dr. Birkett.

Collaboration, community engagement, and widespread uptake are central aims of Network Canvas, which is why the software suite is entirely open-source and accessible to all. By continuously incorporating feedback from the field and developing training materials to support new users, Network Canvas has also lowered some of the barriers to engaging in cutting-edge network science research.

“We wanted to build a tool that the entire social network community could utilize and feel a part of. The open-source nature of the work means that anyone can see what we’ve done, add to it, and change things to fit their own specifications that could potentially be rolled back into the software,” said Birkett.

Four years in the making, Network Canvas was previously available to the public during a beta period for testing and feedback beginning in 2019. During this time, beta testers provided feedback, bug reports, and feature requests, directly informing the development of the tool. This iterative road of development has culminated in the production of a tool which has the potential to increase access to and transform social networks research across disciplines. 

The stable versions of all three apps within the Network Canvas Suite are available now for widespread use.