Where should the data go?

Note

Using the CARP Studies app? You only choose between CAWS and local mode. See Run it on your phone and Go live.

Every study needs an answer to one question: where do the measurements end up? CARP gives you three choices. You can start with one and switch later.

flowchart LR
    App["Your CARP app"] --> P["On the phone"]
    App --> C["CAWS<br/>CARP's server"]
    App --> O["Your own server"]

Quick comparison

	On the phone	CAWS	Your own server
Good for	Trying CARP, pilots, apps that never share data	Real research studies with many participants	Organisations that already have a data platform
Server needed?	No	Yes, CARP’s (hosted for you, or your own copy)	Yes, yours
Invite participants & manage studies online	No	Yes, in the CARP web portal, by email or with a study code	You build it
Setup effort	None, it’s the default	Medium: request portal access (Discord or support@carp.dk), then sign-in and a few lines of code	Depends on your server
Researcher gets the data by	Copying files off each phone	Downloading from the portal	Your own tools

How to choose

• Just exploring, or building a demo? → On the phone. It’s what the tutorial app already does.
• Running a real study with participants? → CAWS. You get study management, participant invitations and data download without building any server.
• Your organisation already stores data somewhere (a hospital system, a company cloud)? → Your own server.

Tip

Not sure? Start on the phone. Your measures and your app’s screens can be reused when you move on later. CAWS adds a sign-in step and moves the protocol to the server.

Keep data on the phone

Use CAWS

Use your own server