Post by Graham Cross on Apr 29, 2012 17:18:32 GMT 1
The uncertainty over the future of Dual Polarisation Intererometry and in particular the worries over continuity of available expertise prompted me to open up this Users' Forum. This idea followed the successful DPI Users' Forum held in Manchester on the 26th and 27th April 2012, attended by a small but vigorously supportive group of users. The decision by Biolin Scientific to discontinue supplying the core instrumentation and to guarantee customer support only until the expiration of the core (DPI chip) patent has led to great uncertainty. Whilst the meeting heard that a committment was in place to support existing users until the patent expiry date (December 2016) only a vague idea was advanced that help would be available thereafter.
The clear consequence of this is that new potential users cannot now have access to the technique. Furthermore the wider scientific community may well be steered away from interest and perhaps even confidence in DPI because of the discontinuation announcement. Without an alternative source of DPI technology, wider participation in this research technique is currently impossible. In view of the benefit to medical science, where DPI makes its own modest contribution, this is not particularly welcome.
My background as the co-inventor of the core technology gives me an obvious personal interest in aiming to secure a future for DPI by providing the robust distributed knowledge base that this Forum can provide.
There are many ways that this Forum can build stability and restore confidence.
Contributors can freely discuss issues and ideas, seek and offer help, build research collaboratives and so on.
Outside the legal constraints provided by the intellectual property, users may find ways to develop and make freely available, advances to the technique; perhaps in software, hardware or firmware.
The Forum is open to all contributors, without restriction.
The clear consequence of this is that new potential users cannot now have access to the technique. Furthermore the wider scientific community may well be steered away from interest and perhaps even confidence in DPI because of the discontinuation announcement. Without an alternative source of DPI technology, wider participation in this research technique is currently impossible. In view of the benefit to medical science, where DPI makes its own modest contribution, this is not particularly welcome.
My background as the co-inventor of the core technology gives me an obvious personal interest in aiming to secure a future for DPI by providing the robust distributed knowledge base that this Forum can provide.
There are many ways that this Forum can build stability and restore confidence.
Contributors can freely discuss issues and ideas, seek and offer help, build research collaboratives and so on.
Outside the legal constraints provided by the intellectual property, users may find ways to develop and make freely available, advances to the technique; perhaps in software, hardware or firmware.
The Forum is open to all contributors, without restriction.