NASA and XEROX are forming a new technology partnership.
The Stamford, Conn., company will help NASA develop state-of-
the-art collaboration and knowledge management systems, while
providing new tools and applications to help NASA implement
the Vision for Space Exploration.
“This joint venture combines the best software technology
from NASA and Xerox,” said G. Scott Hubbard, Director of
NASA’s Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, Calif.
“Since both partners bring new technology to the project, we
will get new tools tailored specifically for NASA needs in a
very cost-effective way,” Hubbard said.
By collaborating with public companies like Xerox, NASA will
be able to save taxpayer dollars on research and development
by using proven technology and expertise to advance agency
missions. The collaborative effort will benefit NASA
scientists and affiliates and the commercial sector through
innovations that provide software solutions to large-scale
problems in information management.
“Working with high-tech companies allows NASA to pursue its
mission of space discovery in a more collaborative spirit,
while taking advantage of the best technology the commercial
sector has to offer,” said Craig Steidle, NASA’s Associate
Administrator for Exploration Systems.
The first result of the partnership is a new system called
the NX Knowledge Network. NX incorporates ARC Netmark search
and recomposition software and content management with
collaboration software from Xerox’s global research centers.
NX is already used to support collaborative research across
the various missions and project teams at ARC.
One pilot application will assist researchers at the NASA
Astrobiology Institute (NAI) to sort and quickly analyze
data, collaborate and answer questions, such as whether
organic life exists on Mars. NAI researchers use NX on a
distributed basis across a dozen universities in addition to
ARC. NX will also enable applications to help manage project
risk, investigate mishaps and analyze anomalies.
“Many of the challenges at NASA mirror those of the global
commercial enterprise,” said Xerox chief technology officer
Herve Gallaire. “We see this as an excellent opportunity to
partner two highly sophisticated technical teams to address
complex, yet real-world information management problems,”
Gallaire said.
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