Helping businesses build software
Most SMEs lack the resources and skills to develop fully-realised software products. A previous EU project (RAISME, 2010-2012) worked to help SMEs create innovative software applications, via collaborative use of "mashup" technology and cloud computing. A recent EU-funded project AAPD (Applications and analytics platform demonstration) has built on RAISME's results. AAPD was intended to provide a configurable platform for rapid development of software. The project offered a system of advanced, interactive interfaces and visualisation tools, allowing interaction among the community of users and developers. The intent was to foster more adventurous software development, while at the same time lowering the risk and improving performance. The four-member project ran for 18 months to the end of 2014. Initial work involved demonstrating the RAISME platform in the context of risk-management. The AAPD demonstrator was designed to handle large datasets, such as those involved in risk- or insurance-analysis. In this domain, the demonstrator was shown to be useful to business, via a new extendable cloud platform supporting the types of analysis planned. The demonstration involved specialised visualisation techniques. Technical outcomes included the ability to continuously monitor platform usage, and to assess customer experience in real time. The project also demonstrated the customisable integration of customer tools. AAPD has developed a system providing support for rapid development of software for business needs. The achievements are expected to generate considerable revenues.
Keywords
Software, development, mashup, tools
