What is MOVEZ Network
The MOVEZ Network is an open innovation community hosted at Erasmus University Rotterdam. It brings together researchers, schools, parents, and young people to figure out how we can help the next generation become smart, healthy, and happy social media users.
What is MOVEZ Chat
Movez Chat is the practical tool created to achieve this. It is an interactive chat game application designed to help scientists run digital experiments. By turning research into a fun game, scientists can safely study online communication, social media behavior, and youth wellbeing.
EDC support
The Erasmus Data Collaboratory (EDC) played a central role in turning the Movez Chat vision into a reality. EDC engineers collaborated closely with stakeholders from the MOVEZ Network and representatives like David Blok. The EDC team performed an in-depth analysis and consultation process, transforming the initial requirements into a detailed roadmap for secure, scalable deployment.
The EDC built a custom infrastructure on Microsoft Azure to ensure security and high performance. They used Docker to package the application for consistent setups and easy updates, and integrated HAProxy to balance traffic so gameplay stays stable when participant numbers fluctuate. This foundation delivers reliable performance while meeting the strict privacy and access control rules required for sensitive research data.
The EDC’s ongoing support also extends to regular maintenance, performance optimization, and the integration of new features in response to evolving research needs. Their expertise ensures that the Movez Chat platform remains both user-friendly and research-ready, adapting as new findings and requirements emerge from the academic community.
Impact
The deployment of Movez Chat has significantly advanced the MOVEZ Network’s mission to explore youth wellbeing in digital spaces. By providing a secure and easily accessible environment for interactive experiments, the platform has enabled researchers to collect and analyze user interaction data in ways that were not previously possible. This capability has opened up new avenues for evidence-based research into the complexities of social media behavior, digital communication, and their effects on young users. Beyond its research value, Movez Chat has strengthened community engagement by making digital experiments approachable and engaging for a diverse audience, including students, educators, parents, and organizations. The successful collaboration between MOVEZ Network and EDC exemplifies how innovative cloud engineering, stakeholder-driven consultation, and technical leadership can be combined to support impactful social research. As a result, Movez Chat now stands as a model platform for secure, scalable, and purpose-driven digital experimentation.