GB-Wallingford, Oxfordshire: Software consultancy for software design and specialist data modelling

UKCEH is developing digital systems to receive, store and share field sensor monitoring data. A large portion of the project budget will be allocated to digital systems and content, including the sensor monitoring data platform. A significant part of this is expected to be outsourced to software developers to work with UKCEH on delivery of the system.

The approach to design of this large system reduces uncertainty by taking an iterative approach to design and development, and includes test implementations within the systems design phase, prior to procurement of the main software consultancy contract(s). The design approach is described in the Project's Digital Design Plan.

This includes description of "rapid test bed deployments" to identify particular technologies are fit for purpose for the design of the system. The purpose of these is to ensure existing available software meet user requirements and are suitable when considered against a range of background requirements including: fit of technologies to wider UKCEH Digital Research Infrastructure developments, understanding internal and external skills and resource requirements for implementation (i.e. ensuring costs can be estimated more accurately and procurement can be properly specified) and that ongoing software support effort and costs are properly understood.