Development of Online Launch Calendar, Phase III

archived

This task agreement frames the continued collaboration of NAU and the NPS in implementation of improvement of functionality and usability of the Online Launch Calendar (OLC) web application (refer to NAU-450 and NAU-458), which is a critical tool provided by NPS to support compliance of commercial river outfitters with the Colorado River Management Plan of 2006 (CRMP). This collaboration provides direct tangible benefits for both NPS and NAU: NPS benefits from the technical expertise of associated faculty, as well as high quality software development work; NAU benefits from an applied real-world software development training program that provides (a) participating faculty with direct contact with rapidly-evolving software technologies and development techniques, contributing to their continued professional development; and (b) participating NAU student programmers employed on this project with high-quality individually-mentored experience in real-world software development. The unusually direct long-term involvement in the full cycle of analysis, design, implementation, and deployment of real software for a real-world client makes the OLC project much more valuable than more common summer internships. The value of the applied software development training program at NAU (in which OLC is just one project) has been proven many times, as participating students have leveraged their experience on projects to compete effectively for top jobs upon graduation. For NPS, the result is a robust and secure OLC, which is continually updated and improved to help the NPS effectively manage river use, discover and learn from various use trends, meet security criteria, and fulfill the public purposes in accordance with the CRMP.

High