Specifically, it is about research software for the collection and analysis of qualitative data. The researchers at the ZeMKI (Zentrum für Medien-, Kommunikations- und Informationsforschung) have developed two mobile apps for collecting and analyzing qualitative data. This involves cross-media use. By 2021, the media diary software MedTag and the sorting app MedSort will be further developed and made available for the research practice. The ZeMKI works closely together with the Institute for Information Management Bremen (ifib) and the Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research in Hamburg within the framework of the research network “Communicative Figurations”.

Developing a model of good practice

The basic objective of the e-Research and IT infrastructure project is to develop a model of good practice for the provision of research software in the field of media and communication. In order for this to fit as closely as possible to the needs of media and communication research and to build a sustainable community of researchers using and developing the software, the project is based on a so-called co-creation approach. Its purpose is to ensure the long-term development and accessibility of the research software. The goal is to improve the security, applicability, usability, and accessibility of MedTag and MedSort software and to make it easier for media and communications researchers and participants in research projects who do not have specialist technical knowledge to gain easier access to the software.

“Building a community of researchers”

“Compared to other approaches in software development, we enable users of the software to have a far-reaching influence on the development process,” says project leader Professor Andreas Hepp. “The idea is to build a community of researchers who use the software and at the same time participate in its further development to a business model.” At the same time we want to be able to anchor the software firmly in the interdisciplinary field of empirical media and communication research and step by step open the developed infrastructure to other types of software in the research field.

More information under:

www.kofi.uni-bremen.de/en/ 
www.uni-bremen.de/en   

If you would like to know more about this topic, feel free to contact:

Prof.Dr. Andreas Hepp
Center for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI) 
Faculty of Social Sciences
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-67620
Email: andreas.heppprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de