Within a research collaboration with Deutsche Welle (DW), our student assistants Max Botta, Marcel Pleyer and Tobias Reumann developed under supervision of Prof. Dr. Kai Eckert a data analysis and visualisation tool that helps DW editors to manage and optimise the dw.com website with a high volume of daily articles in 30 languages.
Until recently, the tool was only available in-house at Deutsche Welle. Due to the current Corona crisis many editors have to work from home. To support their work, the three students ported the data visualisation to a Chrome browser extension, thereby enabling the editors to access the data visualisation from home.
Of course the students developed the extension also from their home office, one of the students actually worked from the Philippines where he got stuck in quarantine while traveling.
Successful virtual collaboration
Claudia Laubach, who is responsible for the project at DW, is very happy that the students have been so fast with this solution. “I am impressed by the professionality and communication strength of the students. Be it under time pressure or in joint workshops - the ideas and solutions that the students develop are always goal-oriented and well thought out.”
Prof. Dr. Kai Eckert leads the project for Stuttgart Media University. “The project is a good example for a successful virtual collaboration. The coordination among the students and the communication with Deutsche Welle was already done by means of online conferences before the Corona crisis, and of course we use an online version control system for the collaboration on the code. Due to the prolonged semester break because of the Corona crisis, we just had enough free resources and are very happy that we could actually contribute a little bit to help Deutsche Welle fulfill its task.
Author: Prof. Dr. Kai Eckert
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2020
