Research

researchIn Libresoft, we conduct research on a number of different areas, all of them related to libre software and open collaboration. In the following sections, we briefly introduce our main research lines and areas of expertise.

You are welcome to contact us in case you have any further questions or you are interested in our work.

Empirical software engineering

The first research line established in our group, and one of our main areas of interest, is the analysis of libre software development from an empirical point of view. Libresoft has participated in several European research projects to characterize the development process of libre software in open collaborative communities as well as in industry settings.

We have focused on information retrieval and analysis of data from massive collections of libre software projects and communities. In this regard, our group excels in design and development of tools to automate the analysis of data sources from these projects (version control systems, issue tracking systems, mailing lists, wikis, etc.). We have also undertaken extensive research on design, implementation and refinement of empirical methods to study libre software engineering, thus enabling replicable research processes, as well as on empirical analysis of libre software evolution.

You can also check some of our past and ongoing research projects in this field to get a more complete vision of our work in this area.

Mobile software development

Libre software is leading an emerging revolution that is fundamentally reshaping the market of mobile technologies and devices. Our group is pursuing a very active research line in this field, encompassing top-notch software applications and services for mobile platforms:

  • Augmented reality: ARviewer is our featured project in this section. It is a FLOSS mobile augmented reality browser and editor that you can easily integrate in your own Android applications.
  • Geolocation and social networks: LibreGeoSocial is a FLOSS mobile social network that includes support for embedding geolocated information in your multimedia data. You can interact with LibreGeoSocial through the traditional list based view or have an awesome experience using a magic lens mobile augmented reality interface. With this, you add tags to objects from your mobile device, labeling them at different altitudes.
  • Personal healthcare: We have implemented standards for device interoperability, facilitating acquisition of information from different vendors and compilation and transfer of personal profiles to healthcare centers (for example, through DTTV). Some examples include applications for interacting with an electronic scale, a blood pressure monitor, or sensors networks monitoring the status of patients or aged.
  • Education and learning platforms: A featured project in this section is a mobile application to organize and implement gymkhanas using Android smartphones, specially well suited to educational settings. As well, we developed an open learning mobile platform for all courses and master programs at EOI business school (Madrid), based on Android.

Our work in this area has been funded by organizations such as Google (development of Bluetooth connectivity standards in Android), EOI (open learning mobile platform), or Andago (framework agreement for research and innovation).

Open collaborative communities (CSCW)

Today, the influence of libre software has extended far beyond the limits of sofware development and engineering. The philosophical and organizational principles that has supported the libre software movement have been successfully adapted and assumed by a wide range of on-line communities. Furthermore, many of these communities pursue the production of outcomes and knowledge that is not exclusively focused on software or technology.

Wikipedia exemplifies this emerging trend. The free encyclopedia that anyone can edit has attracted a large-scale community, now receveing contributions from millions of volunteer editors all over the world. Wikipedia accounts for +17M articles in 260 different languages, and it has proven its impact at all levels in our society, receving more than 400 million unique visitors per month. In Libresoft, we have performed over the past 5 years empirical studies to explore the activity patterns and evolution of Wikipedia, from a quantitative perspective. This includes research on activity patterns of editors, the content creation process, quality aspects and sustainability conditions, based on a detailed empirical analysis of the top 10 languages in Wikipedia. In addition, we have been also studying the traffic patterns created by Wikipedia visitors and contributors.

Our aim is to shed light on how massive-scale collaborative projects in the Internet evolve over time, how these communities adapt themselves to more complex organizational challenges and what kind of general rules can be inferred as for the successful production of content and knowledge in these settings. With this goal in mind, we have produced data analysis tools like WikiXRay to automate our studies, improve their replicability and facilitate the work of other researchers and enthusiasts who want to perform similar studies.

Libre software consulting

Libresoft also offers consulting services on a wide range of issues related to libre software, including:

  • Associated technologies.
  • Analysis of code dependencies.
  • Legal aspects.
  • Strategic aspects.
  • Business models.

We provide personal attention, working with you to understand your particular requirements and address your needs. Please, contact us in case you are interested in our consulting services.

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