Call for papers: 7th MASS workshop in Barcelona – 4 & 5 June 2026

Call for Papers

7th MASS Workshop, jointly organised with WEBDATAOPP

Mobile Apps and Sensors in Surveys

https://massworkshop.org  

Date

4-5 June 2026

Location

University Pompey Fabra, Barcelona

Organizing committee

Melanie Revilla (University Pompeu Fabra), Bella Struminskaya, Peter Lugtig (Utrecht University), Florian Keusch (University of Mannheim), Jan Karem Höhne (University of Hannover)

Context of the workshop

Mobile devices allow researchers to collect data through built-in sensors, such as GPS, accelerometers, and other sensors, passively collect data in-browser, and use apps in addition to self-reports. Passive mobile data collection can potentially decrease measurement errors and reduce respondent burden. Active data collection using apps, camera, microphone, and other sensors allows researchers to broaden the research questions they want to study. Incorporating new measurements to augment or replace survey questions through sensors and apps brings challenges for representativeness, survey design and implementation, and measurement. This also includes ethical and legal considerations that are yet to be understood.

The goal of this workshop is to bring together around 40 researchers from different disciplines to discuss the current state of their work on the use of mobile apps and sensors in survey data collection. The workshop is only open to participants whose abstracts will be accepted for a paper presentation. Upon acceptance participants are expected to submit a handout (max. of 5 pages).

The workshop is free of charge for participants, but participants are expected to cover their own travel and lodging costs. We have some travel support funds available this year (see submission below).

The program as well as some presentations from five earlier MASS workshops can be found at materials from earlier workshops

Scope of the workshop

The seventh MASS workshop is organised in collaboration with the WEB DATA OPP project, led by Melanie Revilla, and funded by the ERC.

We invite contributions that focus, among others, on the following methodological issues when using mobile apps, sensors, and wearables in surveys that are linked to Mobile Apps and Sensors in Surveys (MASS) or  new Web data opportunities (Web data opp):

Methodology:

• Technical aspects of mobile apps and sensors; including different ways to collect sensor data,  Building apps for Android and iOS and data processing and storage
• Study and app design; including thel ook and feel of apps, usability studies, use of incentives & giving feedback to respondents
• Implementation; including willingness to participate and informed consent, methods to invite and communicate with study participants, study length and study intensity, legal considerations & ethical and privacy considerations
• Quality of sensor data, including errors of non-representation (e.g., self-selection, coverage, and nonparticipation) & Measurement error (e.g., prevention, modeling, and correction)
• Data analysis; including analyzing sensor data (e.g., through machine and deep learning), combining survey, sensor, and app data

Web data opportunities:

• Webtracking,
• visual and voice data,
• geolocations,
• and in-the moment surveys

We encourage submission of work in progress and are particularly interested in studies that use experimental designs to test strategies to collect data from mobile apps, sensors, and wearables. We are open to both empirical studies as well as descriptions of research data collection infrastructure (e.g., front- or backend of an app) and processing of data from apps and sensors.

Submission process:

Please submit your abstract (max. 500 words) for the workshop to massworkshop@zohomail.eu. The abstract should contain a research question, data collection procedures/the description of the app, and results if available. If results are not available yet, the abstract should outline the type of analyses that will be presented at the workshop and whether data collection took place already.

We have some funding available for travel and lodging support. Please indicate in your abstract submission whether you would need travel support.

Participation in the workshop is only possible when an abstract is accepted for the workshop. We intend to keep the workshop limited to about 40 participants.

Timeline:

• 20 January 2026: Deadline for abstract submission.
• 20 February 2026: Feedback on acceptance will be provided.
• 6 March 2026: Registration Deadline
• 20 May 2026: Deadline for handout submission – all participants will be required to submit a 5-page handout presenting context, screenshots, tables, or other supporting materials for the workshop. All participants are expected to read all handouts before coming to the workshop.
• 4 June 2026: Start of MASS Workshop