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dePICT

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RobertGordonUniversityplaysanintegralroleintheknowledgeandinnovationsupplychaintobusiness.WeencourageandfacilitatethisexchangethroughprojectslikedePICT.

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anagent forchange

Knowledgeisthemostimportantelementthatenablesfirmstoenhancetheir

innovationandtechnologicalcapabilityandUniversitiesaretheprimarygenerators

andrepositoriesofknowledgeinoursociety.Aswecontinuetogrowour

knowledgeeconomytheexchangeofknowledgebetweenthesetwoorganisations

hasbecomevital.Neverbeforehastherebeenagreaterneedforconstant

innovationinproductandservicedevelopment.Thecreation,disseminationand

applicationofknowledgestimulatesinnovation,disruptsindustriesandimpactson

ourglobalcompetitiveness.

RobertGordonUniversityplaysanintegralroleintheknowledgeandinnovation

supplychaintobusiness.Weencourageandfacilitatethisexchangethrough

projectslikedePICT.Theircontinuedsuccesshasledtothedevelopmentofnew

ICTproductsandservices,assistedinthegrowthofScottishcompaniesand

createdjobs.Ouruniversityiscommittedtosupportingbusiness–university

collaborationsingeneratingthewealththatisnecessaryforahealthyand

prosperoussociety.

Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski,

B.A.,LL.B.,Ph.D.,MRIA

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Theprojecthasactedasamajorcatalystfornew,innovativeResearch&Development.Thecollaborativenetworkhasfosteredandpromotednewandinnovativeresearch

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long-term collaboration

The aim of the dePICT (developing the ICT business

base) project is to establish a new long-term collaboration

between the Joint Research Institute for Computational

Systems (JRIcs) and SMEs in the North East of Scotland,

Highlands and Lowlands.

The project has acted as a major catalyst for new

innovative Research & Development. The collaborative

network has fostered and promoted new and innovative

research, which has resulted resulted in new and improved

products with increased marketability, greater flexibility and

a route to global exploitation.

This brochure highlights a small sample of the successful

collaborations that have taken place during the projects first

two years.

Professor Patrik O’Brian Holt –

Director of dePICT and

Research Professor at RGU

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product research & development

DO YOU WANT TO...Growyourbusiness?

Enhanceyourproductportfolio?

Createnewproductsfornewcustomers?

Moveintonewmarkets?

dePICTisanRobertGordonUniversityledinitiativetosupportbusinessesintheir

ICTproductresearchanddevelopment.

Wecanconnectyouwithexpertsfromthreemajoruniversitiesinareassuchas

•Mobileapplications

•Cloudcomputing

•Datamodelling

•Humancomputerinteraction

•ArtificialIntelligence

WewillworkcloselywithinnovativeSMEstoundertakeinitialfeasibilitystudies

leadingtofurtherR&Dfundingopportunities.

dePICTisanRGUledinitiativetosupportbusinessesintheirICTproductresearchanddevelopment.

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Theactivitiescarriedoutinthisfeasibilitystudyandtheproposedfunctionalrequirementspecificationscreatedabasisforfurtherworkthathasstartedasafollow-upKnowledgeTransferPartnershipproject

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computational intelligence

VIPER SUBSEA TECHNOLOGIESViper Subsea has extensive experience in dealing with subsea production systems

and specialise in control and distribution equipment.

THE CHALLENGE

Viper Subsea was interested in enhancing their capabilities and functionality of

subsea control systems using intelligent data analysis. The inaccessibility of hardware

comprising subsea production control systems, in particular HIPPS barrier valves,

makes pro-active monitoring and effective equipment maintenance of high practical

importance. Improving the timelines and efficiency of logged data analysis can

yield substantial cost savings for the operator by enabling a subsea intervention in

controlled circumstances.

SOLUTION“RGU have a wealth of expertise in the area of computational intelligence that can

be used in the area of computer-assisted fault diagnosis – but we needed to gain a

better understanding of the context - so during the dePICT project two members

of RGU staff underwent training in subsea control systems organised and

delivered by Viper Subsea Technologies. The course was extremely informative

and helpful in terms of highlighting the relevant knowledge, standard approaches

and practices currently adopted in the field of subsea control engineering. The

information obtained during the course was used to effectively complete this

specific project.”

Andrei Petrovski, Lecturer, School of Computing, RGU

“The activities carried out in this feasibility study and the proposed functional

requirement specifications created a basis for further work that has started as

a follow-up Knowledge Transfer Partnership project (partially funded by the

Technology Transfer Board) between ourselves and Robert Gordon University,

with a KT Associate being employed to develop a novel diagnostic fault analysis

tool in-house under the supervision of RGU staff.”

Jeremy Edwards, Director, Viper Subsea Technologies

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WorkingwithGordonthroughthedePICTprojectenabledGigletstotapintoapplicationexpertisetocarryoutsomeexploratorytechnicalworkintheareaofanimationinePublishingplatforms

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app design & development

GIGLETSGiglets Media Limited writes, illustrates and publishes its own children’s e-books.

It aims to create a series of innovative software products that will enable the stories to

be accessed via different media platforms, primarily through a computer applet.

The company aims to produce a suite of software products that are simple,

compelling and user-friendly, aimed at children.

THE CHALLENGE

Giglets wanted to launch a number of enhanced eBooks, which can run on a

multitude of operating systems like Apple iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch), Google’s

Android and Windows mobile operating system. The company were looking to

e-publish a number of illustrated books and wished to animate elements embedded

within the eBooks – for example a barking dog, a creaking door, a boiling kettle.

The study, which tapped into RGU’s expertise in mobile application design and

development (primarily for iOS), was to investigate the feasibility of creating simple

animated elements within an eBook.

SOLUTION“We researched the ePub formatting regulations to see if there were any

programming tools available that would allow us to insert animated gif files into

an ePub format file. Several different software packages were used but we were

unable to produce the level of animation required due to file size. We achieved

some success in developing for the iPad and produced a small prototype which

demonstrated the size of file and format of the files that could achieve animation

within an eBook. Giglets took these recommendations on the structure and format

of the files to support their continued development.”

Gordon Eccleston, Senior Lecturer, School of Computing, RGU

“Working with Gordon through the dePICT project enabled Giglets to tap into

application expertise to carry out some exploratory technical work in the area

of animation in ePublishing platforms. This engagement helped accelerate our

product development and we have now launched five titles under our SmartReads

brand which are one of the world’s first enhanced eBooks available.”

Dr Karsten Karcher Chairman,Giglets Ltd

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RGUhasawealthofexpertise,particularlyintheareasofschedulingandresourceallocation,linkingtothepriorworkonmodellingandsolvingdistributedresourceallocationproblemsthatwebroughttobearonthisproject

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a wealth of expertise

RAMCO TUBULAR SERVICES

Ramco Tubular Services is the industry leader in the care and maintenance of tubular

goods and linepipe. They provide the Oil & Gas industry with services such as

descaling, coating, storage and logistics facilities.

THE CHALLENGEDue to their continued expansion Ramco required a new web-based tube tracking

system to replace the existing spreadsheet system.

The proposed new system would be more robust whilst offering all the benefits of a

modern database, have an interface that eases and minimises data entry by staff, and

allows integration with existing Ramco SQL-based applications.

SOLUTION

“RGU has a wealth of expertise, particularly in the areas of scheduling and

resource allocation, linking to the prior work on modelling and solving distributed

resource allocation problems that we brought to bear on this project. We worked

with Andrew and his team during our feasibility study and delivered a specification

document that identified both the functional and non-functional requirements of

the proposed system and outlined its potential benefits.”

Hatem Ahriz , RGU Lecturer,

MSc Information Engineering / IT Management Route Leader

“We wanted a new product that would provide a pipe “history” from the time of

its arrival at the yard, through our servicing of the pipe, to the eventual disposal at

the end of its useful life. It would enable our clients to monitor the status of their

orders or run their own customised reports.”

Andrew Nicholson, Logistics Manger, Ramco Tubular Services

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WorkingwithChrisatRGUhastransformedourbusiness.Oure-learningsolutionoffersaflexibleplatformtodeliverthecoursematerialandmakeitmoreaccessibletoawiderpopulation

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e-learning solutions

BABYGURUS LIMITED

Baby Gurus Limited offer training, education and advice to women, men and

employers during pregnancy, maternity leave and the returning to work phase.

The company, run by business partners Emma Thomson and Sonya Murray, was

established in 2006, to provide expert advice and services through consultancy

and seminars.

THE CHALLENGE

In response to the growing business and changing customers needs BabyGurus

wanted to explore programme delivery via a bespoke e-learning solution through a

mobile web application. This would enable the business to diversify their delivery,

reshape their business model and grow their market.

SOLUTION“In order to fully understand the type of content which would be present in

the mobile web application, an analysis of the current Baby Gurus content was

required. I initially set up a Business Hosting account and then used Wordpress

as a framework that is primarily used to create blogs and is also used as a content

management system. I provided BabyGurus with video recorded instructions on

how to populate the pre-agreed categories with data content. They then used

these videos to gain expertise in populating and maintaining the mobile web

application.”

Chris Young, RGU e-learning technologist

“Working with Chris at RGU has transformed our business. Our e-learning

solution offers a flexible platform to deliver the course material and make it

more accessible to a wider population. We can now target individuals as well as

the corporate market. In addition it allows us to support programme delivery to

disparate workforces.”

Emma Thomson and Sonya Murray, Directors, BabyGurus

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dePICTwasanidealplatformforustoreviewoursoftwareproject,gettingthebenefitofacademicexpertisefromRGUtocompareourownthinkinginlinewithcuttingedgedevelopments

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cutting edge developments

eSAVE

eSAVE are independent energy, environmental and communications consultants

based in Inverness, providing consultancy to non-domestic organisations on

managing their energy costs and energy consumption, carbon management

programmes and environmental impacts.

THE CHALLENGE

In 2010 to drive efficiencies and present a new product eSAVE commissioned a

new bespoke application. With 50% complete they required a comprehensive

review of their software product, taking into account the system architecture and its

performance in both the online and desktop variances. It was anticipated that the

review would inform the continued phased development of the product.

SOLUTION

“WML has ambitious plans to take advantage of the increasing drive towards

reducing energy use and carbon generation across all industries. This was

hampered by their increasingly frustrated attempts to develop suitable software

products. Through the dePICT project we addressed their project management

and development processes and have been successful in winning a KTP award to

develop ground-breaking, cloud-based software to fuel their plans. Using a rule-

based engine and innovative data visualisation techniques, the project will provide

a platform for the company to add value to their current offerings and also tackle

new environmentally significant areas, such as waste management.”

Dave McKay, Lecturer, School of Computing, RGU

“dePict was an ideal platform for us to review our software project, getting the

benefit of academic expertise from RGU to compare with our own thinking in line

with cutting edge developments. The knowledge transferred to the business from

our academic link also came with a high level of recent commercial experience,

which made it even more valuable. As a result of the dePict project, we are now

exploring previously unforeseen opportunities to take our project further.”

Neil Watson, Director, eSave

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leadingedgethinkingandtechnology

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“The academic vaults are full of undiscovered treasure. The problem is that

often there is a significant gap between having the leading edge thinking

and technology that is developed in the lab and having the business

relationships, acumen, resources and investment to realise this wealth.

That’s where projects such as dePICT are vital.

They help companies to learn what is possible, discover new

technologies, explore new revenue opportunities, and receive funding for

innovation. They can be the key to unlock the vault.”

Steve Harrison, Project Manager at Scottish Enterprise

“We actively support and encourage Knowledge Exchange through a

range of funding streams and projects. Our objective is to deliver easy

access for businesses, including SMEs, to the knowledge, expertise,

facilities and services of universities.

Knowledge Exchange activities are designed to promote economic

growth and help to translate the world class expertise within the Scottish

research base into innovation for business - leading to economic prosperity

through the development of new and improved products and through the

creation of new jobs.”

Paul Hagan, Director of Research and Innovation at the

Scottish Funding Council

knowledge exchange

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contact emailIfyouareinterestedinacceleratingyourproduct

ResearchandDevelopmentcontact:depict@rgu.ac.uk

PARTNERS

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