Features of Causal Map

Main features of Causal Map

  • Code causal claims in the form A –> B
  • Code multiple claims at once
  • Code additional claims as a continuation of previous claim (“chaining”)
  • Import data (and meta-data about your sources) in different formats
  • Add memos and hashtags
  • See a summary of all statements from a specific source
  • View additional information about each statement (e.g. question and respondent characteristics)
  • Create simple or hierarchical factor labels
  • Edit many factors and links at once in a powerful bulk editor
  • Filter the global map by: Current statement; Factor label; Link (quote, hashtag, memo etc); Statement (text, additional data e.g. respondent characteristics)
  • Trace paths from one set of factors to another
  • Use the interactive viewer to edit your map
  • View and export print-quality maps
  • View all quotes for a specific view
  • Create detailed tables: Factors; Sample; Questions; Closed questions
  • Download/export your data in different formats
  • Share files with others for viewing or editing
  • Code additional properties of links like strength and certainty, or mark pairs of factors which are opposite to one another

Additional new features in Causal Map 2

  • Anyone can use it, and it is free for small projects

  • Conditional formatting makes your findings more visible

  • Bundle factors together to make your map neater and easier to read

  • Bundle links by attributes such as stakeholder, district, question and many more

  • Infinite versioning means you can restore any change made to a file from any timepoint. This isn’t just backups, it is every single change

  • It is easier to upload and manage your data

  • You can upload a standard-format Excel file into CM2, meaning you can download a file, edit it, and upload it again (this is called “round-tripping”). You can also include any additional fields or columns you want and they will be uploaded and available for searching, conditional formatting etc

  • Build a map by uploading any combination of tables or just some of them - factors, links, sources, questions and statements, in any order, at any time

  • All outputs transparently recreatable from the filters

  • Share or save links to maps and filters

  • Clickable legends and ordinary-language explanations of filters

  • Merging maps means you can compare multiple maps:

    • You can use the merge_map filter to temporarily merge other files into the current file if you wish. You can share a link to that merge and revisit it. Viewing a merge of file A and file B will take longer, so you will probably want to save the merged file as a new file
    • The tables (factors, links etc) have a new field called factor_map_id etc, which you can use to visualise the merge e.g. by presenting links in a different colour according to their source

  • You can restore, lock, delete, archive and share any of your files

  • Log in to the same or different maps from the same or different accounts, including from multiple browser tabs

  • Collaborate on a file asynchronously

  • View, filter and sort all the tables - factors, links, sources, questions and statements - making up a map. These tables provide all the existing tables functionality plus more.

  • Delete factors and edit or delete links directly from the interactive map

  • Create a new blank file

  • Clone an existing file under a new name, containing all the current factors or only including the factors currently visible

  • New colour scales are colour-blind friendly and make sense when printed in black and white

  • Like Print View, if Interactive View is given a very big map with lots of links, it now bundles up the links so that it loads faster (you can still view a random quote from the bundle when you hover over a link)

  • When you edit a link, you are able to replace it with more than one link if you wish, e.g. you can edit a link A→B and replace it with A→B and A→C by typing both B and C in the consequence factor box.