A three year project comprising Rolls Royce and BAE Systems with
researchers from 3 research groups. The goal of the research activities can be split into 3 phases each
led by one of the groups. These can be summarised as
(Sheffield) Understanding knowledge and information exchange. This
is
involving activites such as interviewing designers and performing in
depth
examination of case studies where designers have needed to reuse
knowledge
but struggled with the information at their disposal. The other main
actitivity of this period is to survey the existing state of research
into
the areas covered in this project.
(Cambridge) Developing theories. Theories and models will be
developed
about existing knowledge and information exchanges and about how they
may
be used in the future.
(Southampton) Developing a prototype system for supporting
designers
incorporating the models developed during the previous 2 years. This
system
will be evaluated against the model and also by envisaging how it
would
have helped during the case studies already studied.