Research
1 The goals
The research projects of the Paul Otlet Institute aim
to better understand the impacts of information technology, including
changes in our practices (information, cultural production, participation
politics, etc.), and to develop software components licensed under the GNU LGPL.
2 The research projects
Dr. Pascal Francq has published severeal studies linked to the Internet, these include :
- Breindl, Y., & Francq, P. (2008). Can Web 2.0 applications save e-democracy? A study of how new internet applications may enhance citizen participation in the political process online. International Journal of Electronic Democracy, 1(1), 14–31.
- Francq, P. (2011). Le Web 2.0 et ses nouveaux corpus. Le discours et la Langue, (2.1), 105-119.
- Francq, P. (2011). Les bibliothèques publiques à l’ère numérique (Mission report). Paul Otlet Institute. http://tinyurl.com/628jtdz
- Francq, P. (2011). Internet. Tome I: La construction d’un mythe (EME Intercommunications).
- Francq, P. (2011). Internet. Tome II : Le caractère fétiche (EME Intercommunications).
Three projects of software components are currently maintained by the Paul Otlet Institute:
- The R Libraries projet provides a set of reusable generic C++ classes (strings, containers, text files, genetic algorithms, etc.).
- The GALILEI project proposes a coherent and integrated approach for information science, including a software platform developed in C++.
- The VLSI project aimed to develop a solution for the placement of components on a type Very-Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) chip. If this research is currently suspended, the VLSI library does provide a basic algorithm for this problem.
3 The services
The Paul Otlet Institute uses its expertise and technologies
to provide research services to third parties. These services include developments of
specific algorithms (linked or not to the GALILEI platform), impact studies of
technologies on certain practices (knowledge management, community of
practice analysis, etc.). or studies to establish specifications for software projects.