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Software Development Group: A Core Facility
For Software Development and Support
Aaron Finkenzeller
To develop high-quality software and software tools
for use across a range of CLLRnet projects, in a highly
efficient and cost-effective manner.
Many CLLRnet projects will have similar requirements
for software. In some instances, alternative software
products are available commercially, and it can be advantageous
to identify superior/preferred products and to standardize
across the network and/or to negotiate a network-wide
acquisition. In other cases, appropriate software
is not commercially available, but is required for a
range of similar projects. Examples include software
to measure the ability to detect and discriminate auditory
and visual signals, using rigorous psychophysical procedures
that have been adapted to the needs and abilities of
young children, or for children with a variety of sensory,
perceptual, cognitive or motor disabilities. In many
cases, such development is best done by a single, highly
experienced group, working in a single location.
Such groups allow higher levels of skill development
and specialization; they reduce training costs; they
facilitate retention of highly-trained technical staff
because they provide both more challenging work and
internal opportunities for staff advancement; they reduce
the need to duplicate resources across the Network;
and they offer greater efficiencies, for example, through
explicit opportunities for sharing and reusing code.
These factors allow higher-quality software to be produced
more quickly and at less overall cost, for use by Network
researchers.
CLLRnets software needs will be identified by
our Investigators, Theme Leaders and Partners.
We will continuously look for opportunities for these
needs to be met and CLLRnets objectives advanced
through the resources of a central software development/support
group (SDG). The priority of the SDG will
relate to meeting software needs that are network-wide
and/or relate to a number of CLLRnet projects.
In addition, when other groups develop software with
CLLRnet funds for specific projects or groups of projects,
the resulting software will be archived by the SDG with
a view to subsequent modification and reuse if required
for CLLRnet projects.
The SDG will take advantage of the expertise available
at the National Centre for Audiology (NCA), which has
extensive experience in developing software for a range
of research and clinical needs. Software developed
by NCA programmers is licensed to more than a dozen
manufacturers and used in more than 50 countries. Additional
programmers will be recruited for the group using NCE
funds, revenues from partners, software sales and licensing,
and, where consistent with CLLRnet objectives and priorities,
contract programming for example, researchers
who require software for a particular specific project
may purchase services from the SDG to allow their projects
to advance more quickly.
For more information on this project,
please contact Aaron Finkenzeller (aaron@cllrnet.ca)
Last Modified: January 25 2002 14:48:44.
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