What is what
The data donation software was built by several organisations over several years, and it picked up several names along the way. Here is how the parts fit together and who is responsible for each.
The parts, from participant to server
The participant's browser
The participant selects the download file they requested from a platform. The file is processed here, on their own device. Nothing leaves it until they choose to donate.
Flow application
Extracts the data your study needs from the download file, shows it to the participant and lets them remove what they don't want to share. One per study, uploaded to Next as a single file. The extraction itself is written in Python: these are the scripts.
Feldspar Eyra
The open-source framework and template for building flow applications. Maintained and supported by Eyra.
Data donation task D3I
Our own version, which started as a copy of Feldspar and has since been reworked extensively. It includes our standard scripts for common platforms. Maintained by us.
Next Eyra
The research platform where you build your study: consent page, instructions, tasks, questionnaire links, participant progress, and the storage your donated data arrives in. Open source, developed by Eyra.
Hosting
Almost all studies use Eyra's hosted Next at next.eyra.co. Because the software is open source, you can also install Next on your own servers.
Port is the name of the data donation software as a whole, as used in our publications. On Next, the same thing is called the data donation service. When a paper says a study "used Port", it ran a flow application in a data donation study on Next.
Glossary
- Download file
- The copy of their personal data a participant requests from a platform such as Instagram or Google. Also called: data download package, DDP.
- Flow application
- The application a participant's browser runs to extract, show and donate data. Also called: data donation task, donation script.
- Script
- The Python code inside a flow application that reads one platform's download file.
- Feldspar Eyra
- Eyra's framework and template for building flow applications. github.com/eyra/feldspar
- Data donation task D3I
- Our reworked version of Feldspar with standard scripts included. Not interchangeable with Feldspar. github.com/d3i-infra/data-donation-task
- Script selector D3I
- Our tool that packages standard scripts for the platforms and data types you pick. Built on our data donation task.
- Next Eyra
- The platform your study runs on. next.eyra.co
- Port
- The data donation software as a whole. On Next: the data donation service.
Who is who
D3I
That's us: a team of researchers, engineers and legal experts at Dutch universities. We develop the data donation method, maintain the data donation task and standard scripts, publish study design and legal guidance, and support researchers at Dutch institutions.
Eyra
The software company that develops and hosts Next and develops Feldspar. We built the data donation software together. Eyra offers the data donation service, script development and support to researchers anywhere, as a paid service.
ODISSEI
The Dutch national research infrastructure for the social sciences. D3I is part of ODISSEI, and ODISSEI pays for the licences that make Next free to use for Dutch institutions.
SURF
The Dutch ICT cooperative for education and research. Our script selector runs on SURF Research Cloud.