Collect Data
Collecting Data in Network Canvas
Once your protocol is built, you run it to collect data. Network Canvas offers two applications for this: Interviewer, the browser-based app — installable to a device you control and usable offline — for in-person, interviewer-assisted interviews, and Fresco, which lets participants complete interviews remotely in a web browser. The main difference is where the interview happens and who is in control. Which app can run a given protocol also depends on its schema version — see App compatibility by schema version. The table below compares them.
Not sure which to use?
Choose Interviewer for in-person interviews guided by a trained interviewer on a device you control.
Choose Fresco if you need participants to complete interviews remotely, in their own browser, and you can host the app yourself.
Interviewer itself comes in two supported versions: Interviewer (beta), which runs in your web browser — installable to a device you control — with an improved interview experience and support for schema 8, and Interviewer Classic, the established offline desktop and tablet app you download and install (schema 7). Interviewer is recommended for all new studies.
| Interviewer | Fresco | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Interviewer runs in a web browser (installable as a PWA); Interviewer Classic is a desktop & tablet app | Web browser (desktop or laptop — not mobile) |
| Setup | Open Interviewer in your browser — or download and install Interviewer Classic on each device | Deploy and host your own instance |
| How interviews happen | In person, guided by a trained interviewer on a controlled device | Remotely — participants visit a URL and complete it themselves |
| Connectivity | Interviewer Classic works fully offline; Interviewer is offline-capable, but some schema-8 interfaces (e.g. Geospatial) require internet | Requires internet; runs on a server |
| Where data lives | On the device, exported as files you transfer yourself | In a database on your server, exported from the dashboard |
| Protocol & participant management | Per device, via file or URL import | Centralized web dashboard |
| Best for | In-person, interviewer-assisted studies; offline settings | Remote data collection and centralized study management |
| Status | Interviewer Classic stable and supported; Interviewer in beta | Pilot project — supported, with some limitations |
Good to know:
A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a website you can optionally install to your device. Interviewer runs in any modern web browser with nothing to install; installing it as a PWA adds quick access from your device and offline use.