SRO primarily employs Blaise Computer Assisted Interview (CAI) software to collect substantive interview data and our custom sample management system software to manage and track the status of each case and the effort expended by interviewers. Systems support multi-modal contact and interview methods and provide the tools needed to collect, monitor, and report on all aspects of even the most complex survey designs.

Computer Assisted Interview (CAI) Software

SRO has been using Blaise CAI software for over twenty years and has found it to be both robust and flexible.  SRO has a large team of experienced Blaise developers skilled in programming and testing data collection instruments. SRO project leads have expertise in translating complex data collection instruments and protocols into clear specifications for programming teams who carry out all programming and testing tasks, ensuring continuity across modes, and documenting their work with structured version control conventions. Blaise questionnaires can be administered in either “offline” or “online” environments, and can accommodate both interviewer-administered and self-administered (web) modes.

SRO regularly uses Qualtrics software to collect data for smaller projects and less complex data collection initiatives (often single-mode web-based designs).

Sample Management and Reporting

SRO’s custom and proprietary sample management systems consist of a robust suite of software programs used by SRO project teams and interviewers to collect a comprehensive set of production data, all of which are used to create the reports and dashboards used to manage the data collection process. These systems are capable of fully integrating multiple modes of data collection while tracking multiple contact attempts to sample members. They are consistently used successfully across both small projects and large nationwide data collections, and by SRO’s international partners. Some of the key features of these systems include:

• Full integration of all modes of data collection—in-person, telephone, web, and paper – as well as biomarkers, cognitive assessments, or other measures.
• Thorough, state-of-the-art documentation of all respondent location and contact attempts – including contact attempts in-person, by telephone, email, SMS text message, and mail.
• The ability to ingest and integrate additional data from external devices, administrative records, etc.
• Targeted control of the data collection process, with managers able to prioritize sample lines for interviewers’ easy reference during their work.
• Daily secure (encrypted) transmission of data from interviewers’ laptops.
• Daily updated reports of field progress, essential to efficient management.
• Customizable reporting levels: total sample-, segment-, week-, interviewer- and supervisor-level data, as well as project-requested summary levels, such as sub-populations of interest or performance across varied experimental or control groups.
• Ready availability of on-demand reports based on any of hundreds of customizable production variables (e.g., number and types of interviews, date of completion, outcome of quality control checks, comparison to prior waves).
• Reliable data collection financial reporting tools, including time spent on interviewer travel and number and types of interviews by interviewer, supervisor, segment, etc.
• Identification of cost-benefit decision points during data collection, allowing for responsive design to maximize data quality within existing time and budget constraints.
• The paradata monitoring dashboard used by project managers and key staff to compare paradata trends against expected outcomes and monitor sample performance.

Open Text Coding

SRO maintains a custom coding application that supports the systematic coding of open-ended survey responses, including industry and occupation coding. The SRO Coding App allows for single coding, double coding, and check-coding / random double-coding of a subset. Supervisors review discrepant codes and assign a final code. The SRO Coding App will generate reports detailing the status of each coding project and inter-rater reliability scores for coders. The SRO Coding App currently supports machine learning results for Census industry and occupation codes, which can be used to guide coders on likely coded results or serve as an initial coder.