QualCoder  by ccbogel

Qualitative data analysis app for text, images, audio, video

created 6 years ago
479 stars

Top 64.7% on sourcepulse

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Project Summary

QualCoder is a cross-platform qualitative data analysis application designed for researchers and academics working with text, image, audio, and video data. It provides tools for manual coding, hierarchical categorization, and report generation, with integrated AI capabilities for enhanced data exploration.

How It Works

QualCoder utilizes a Python backend with a PyQt6 GUI, enabling it to handle diverse data types. It supports manual coding of text segments, image regions, and audio/video selections. Codes can be organized hierarchically into categories. The application generates various reports, including visual coding graphs and frequency analyses. Notably, it integrates with AI models like OpenAI's GPT-4 and the Helmholtz Society's Blablador for advanced data analysis.

Quick Start & Requirements

  • Installation: Pre-compiled executables (.exe for Windows, .dmg for macOS) are available on the Releases page. Alternatively, installation from source is supported for Windows, macOS, and Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch/Manjaro).
  • Prerequisites: Python 3.10-3.12 is required for source installations. Optional dependencies include VLC for audio/video playback and ffmpeg for waveform visualization. AI features require an OpenAI API key and credits, or a Blablador API key.
  • Setup Time: Pre-compiled executables offer quick startup. Source installation, especially with virtual environments and dependency downloads, can take up to 10 minutes or longer.

Highlighted Details

  • Supports a wide range of text file formats (txt, odt, docx, html, md, epub, PDF).
  • Enables coding of image, audio, and video segments.
  • Offers AI-powered data exploration and analysis via OpenAI GPT-4 or Blablador.
  • Generates visual coding graphs, coder comparisons, and frequency reports.

Maintenance & Community

QualCoder is an ongoing hobby project primarily developed by Dr. Colin Curtain, with contributions from Dr. Kai Dröge for AI features. Further community engagement details are not explicitly provided in the README.

Licensing & Compatibility

QualCoder is distributed under the LGPLv3 license. This license permits commercial use and linking with closed-source applications, but requires any modifications to QualCoder itself to be shared under the same license.

Limitations & Caveats

Pre-compiled application bundles may trigger security warnings from operating systems due to being from an "unknown publisher." The README notes that Wayland on Fedora might have compatibility issues with the Qt GUI, suggesting Xwayland installation. Some AI features may require paid API access.

Health Check
Last commit

5 days ago

Responsiveness

1 day

Pull Requests (30d)
9
Issues (30d)
25
Star History
35 stars in the last 90 days

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