Optimization of software for high quality technical writing: a pilot application in the field of health. – Sensunique

« Sensunique » is a project based on the concept of a Controlled Language applied to technical writing (protocols, instructions, alert messages). This project aims to optimize a computerized writing assistant and to validate its operational reality on a corpus of medical and healthcare texts. The objective is to demonstrate its usefulness, applicability and effectiveness as an innovative Information and Communication Technology which meets the needs of public or private structures that require high quality technical texts.
This writing assistant already exists as a prototype and serves two main purposes :
a) for technical writers or professionals that are required to write technical texts : its goal is to optimize the time needed to write and the quality of the texts;
b) for the users or readers, may they be professional or general public : it goal is to ensure a thorough understanding of the texts, whether those texts, whether the transmission of information is collective or individual, with or without safety dimension.
Yet, for the prototype to be transferred to a company and marketed, it has to be optimized (in terms of linguistics methodologies implemented, ergonomics and hardware development) and validated by being used by real users, in its operational environment and on a large corpus. This motivates our application.

This project takes root on the ANR project LiSe (« Linguistique, normes, traitement automatique des langues et Sécurité : du « data et sense-mining » aux langues contrôlées », CSOSG 2006) that was carried out by Professor Sylviane Cardey (University of Franche-Comté), in partnership with Airbus-France and The Cell and Tissue Engineering and Biology Federative Research Institute IFR133 (University of Franche-Comté).
Building on the success and scientific benefits of this project , the University of Franche-Comté is planning to enhance the value of some of the results (Controlled Language and writing assistant), with the aim of creating a spin-off. The spin-off project is supported by the Incubator for innovative companies of Franche-Comté and has won the following awards :
- Concours Numérica 2010, catégorie émergence,
- Grand Prix de la Prévention Médicale 2010,
- Concours National d’Aide à la Création d’Entreprises Innovantes 2010, catégorie émergence.

The results that are expected at the end of the project will be valued through:
- A patent on the Controlled Language methodology applied to technical writing;
- A deposit with the Agency for the Protection of Programs;
- The transfer of technology to the spin-off of the project LiSe, that will support the marketing of the product (if the spin-off project fails, the technology will be transferred to another company).