Design MatriX
develops in-house computer-assisted design tools
to support our "whole systems"
design methodology.
These tools are written in a number of different computer languages,
as appropriate, including Perl, UNIX shell and
the Interactive Data Language (IDL)
from
Exelis Visual Information Solutions
(formerly Research Systems Inc),
a cross-platform language specifically
developed for visualizing scientific information.
Visualizing Information
Using
IDL
for the first time
in a major solar astronomy software development project
lead to the realization
that this language is perfect for certain design
and engineering applications,
as well as for science. Our in-house design
tools written in IDL include:
Pattern Languages
Central to the design processes that
Design MatriX
employs is the continuous evolution of
Pattern Languages
for systems design.
Typically a major deliverable to our clients is a set of design
patterns, some generic to a class of design problems and some
specific to the client's particular needs.
Tools to support the evolution of design patterns include
those to visualize design problems and their solutions.
That is precisely the strength of
IDL:
tools both for real-world
imagery and for abstract data in
Glass Box Tools,
such as matrix (array) data analysis, flow charts, run charts,
scatter charts, Pareto charts and histograms.
