Digital Reasoning Systems

Intelligence System Company Selects Java Studio Enterprise to Speed Application Development

Digital Reasoning Systems' initial analytic system, the Digital Reasoning Interceptor Suite, processes and conceptualizes massive amounts of textual data to extract information and intelligence. Digital Reasoning Systems is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee with offices in Fairfax, Virginia.

Customer Challenges

Develop an application that synthesizes tremendous volumes of unstructured data to determine linkages and connections among the data
Closely coordinate a geographically distributed development team to refine this complex application
Save time in architecting the system by using Unified Modeling Language (UML), while preserving that investment in the coding phase of the project

Solution

Digital Reasoning Systems (Digital Reasoning) used Java Studio Enterprise 8 and its UML capabilities to speed and streamline the process of developing an application that performs unstructured data analysis for the United States intelligence community. Java Studio Enterprise and related Sun technologies enabled the Digital Reasoning development team to seamlessly integrate application components, work in a multiplatform environment, generate documentation in real time and effectively collaborate across geographical boundaries.

Business Results

Reduced development time and streamlined development process
Accomplished rapid, seamless integration of application components
Generated accurate system documentation in real time
Met requirements for component of intelligence software application widely used by United States Federal Government

Products and Services

Story Details

Rapid and efficient software development is more than just a business imperative at Digital Reasoning. The company's ability to develop complex software within tight deadlines has national security implications as well.

Digital Reasoning specializes in unstructured data analytics, which enables organizations to mine and analyze data that resides outside of easily searched and cataloged databases. Working with the U.S. Army's National Ground Intelligence Center, the company is providing a key application component for the Pathfinder system, a software R&D project focused on advanced data mining and visualization tools for intelligence analysts.

After being selected as a key contributor to Pathfinder, Digital Reasoning began the process of choosing the best software development environment to ensure a successful outcome. Requirements included technologies to enable effective collaboration, support for UML visual modeling software, and support for both the Windows and Solaris operating systems.

" Java Studio Enterprise 8 allows me to be more productive than I could be with any other integrated development environment. The UML module allows me to model complex business systems and seamlessly generate or synchronize code, saving me hours on re-factoring code and updating the model. "

— David Freels, Development Lead/Senior Developer, Digital Reasoning Systems

Digital Reasoning placed special importance on the ability to leverage UML software, which speeds development by allowing developers to create visual models of the components within complex applications. This would be important in conveying the scope and nature of the project to a development team building the software from the ground up.

Sun Java Studio Enterprise 8 provided Digital Reasoning with the seamless and feature-rich visual modeling solution it needed to accelerate development. Since its UML features are integrated into the IDE, the Sun solution supports all phases of the development lifecycle at Digital Reasoning—from documentation of code to process modeling, code generation and application deployment.

The development team is also using the NetBeans open source IDE to code the Web interface for the system. Java Studio Enterprise is based on the NetBeans code base, so integration between the application components is fast and seamless. The team is also using OpenOffice.org 2.0 in conjunction with the UML tool to generate class diagrams, activity diagrams and sequence diagrams. This saves time and money by generating the project documentation while the software is built. The team is also taking advantage of the Sun Developer Network for "how-to" examples and bug fixes.

Digital Reasoning also recognized the advantages of the multiplatform Java technology in Java Studio Enterprise. Java technology allows the team to develop the application on Windows and deploy it on the robust and reliable Solaris 10 operating system. Additionally, the team runs application code on Solaris 10 for x86 in server mode for some aspects of development. Java's just-in-time compile capability enables developers to move applications between platforms without sacrificing performance.

The developer collaboration module in Java Studio Enterprise is paying off for Digital Reasoning as well. Developers at different locations use the instant messaging capabilities to make changes on their desktops, track changes in real time, exchange code snippets and hold discussions.

Sun Java Studio Enterprise provides Digital Reasoning with a cost-effective, unified platform of tools, support and services. Moving forward together with Sun, Digital Reasoning is positioned to continue to contribute to Pathfinder and other programs of national importance.

For more information on Digital Reasoning Systems, Inc. and its solutions, please visit their Web site.