QSR International

Infobox Company
name = QSR International Pty Ltd

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foundation = 1995
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location_city = Melbourne
location_country = Australia
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industry = Computer Software, Qualitative Research
products = NVivo 8, NVivo 7, XSight, N6 (NUD*IST 6), NVivo 2, Merge for NVivo
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slogan = Research. Relate. Realize.
homepage = http://www.qsrinternational.com
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QSR International is the world’s largest qualitative research software developer. It is based in Melbourne, Australia, with offices in the United Kingdom and the United States. QSR International develops qualitative data analysis (QDA) software products designed to help qualitative researchers organize and analyze non-numerical or unstructured data.

More than 450 organizations hold site licenses for QSR software and the company has 350,000 clients across 90 countries. QSR’s customers are drawn from the academic, government and commercial sectors and its largest geographic markets are Europe, the United States and Australia.

QSR International is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and has launched eight major software releases in the last 10 years, and many more minor releases.

Products

QSR International’s software products – XSight and NVivo – are both designed to help researchers and other people working with non-numerical or unstructured data to compile, compare and make sense of their information quickly and easily.

XSight

XSight is designed for commercial market researchers or those undertaking short term qualitative research projects. The software provides a range of analysis frameworks for importing, classifying and arranging data; tools for testing theories and connections between items; and the ability to visually map and report thoughts and findings. XSight was first released in 2004.

NVivo

NVivo is a Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) software package designed for qualitative researchers working with very rich text-based and/or mulitimedia information, where deep levels of analysis on small or large volumes of data are required. NVivo was first released in 1999, although it supersedes the NUD*IST product range which was first released in 1981.

Company History

*1981 - The first QSR product - NUD*IST - is developed by Tom Richards. One of the only programs of its kind, the product stood for 'Non-Numerical Unstructured Data Indexing Searching and Theorizing'.
*1982 - 1994 Initially part of a university research project, the NUD*IST software continues to develop. Two major releases are launched with tools to further automate manual tasks, enhance analysis and integrate with statistical software. The software is used in over 20 countries.
*1995- QSR International is founded by Tom and Lyn Richards. Sage Publications signs a five year agreement to distribute QSR products in the United Kingdom and the United States. This marks the start of QSR's global operations.
*1997 - QSR launches N4, the fourth version in the NUD*IST software range. N4 introduces the ability to work with statistical data and has inbuilt tools for merging and sharing information.
*1999The first NVivo software product is developed by Tom Richards. It contains tools for fine, detailed analysis and qualitative modeling.
*2000 - QSR launches N5. It features a new interface and tools for project set up and document preparation.
*2001 - Over 100,000 people in 70 countries are licensed to use QSR software. QSR International wins the Information and Communications Technology Award in the Australian Governor of Victoria Export Awards.
*2002 - QSR launches its N6 software, which can handle very large amounts of data. NVivo 2 is launched in the same year. It contains new tools for showing and examining data, supporting finer analysis and more detailed searching. Nearly 60 organizations hold site licenses for QSR software.
*2003 - QSR opens sales offices in the United Kingdom and the United States. Over 200,000 researchers in over 90 countries are licensed to use QSR software. Over 150 organizations hold site licenses for QSR software. Qualitative research courses are now including QSR software. The first university conference on teaching qualitative research with QSR software is held in Wisconsin, USA.
*2004 - QSR International receives a commendation for "Information and Communications Technology" in the Australian Governor of Victoria Export Awards. XSight is developed and released by QSR International. It represents the first software designed to specifically support the qualitative research methods applied in the commercial field. Over 300 organizations hold site licenses for QSR software.
*2005 - QSR International is awarded a R&D Commercial Ready grant from AusIndustry to advance NVivo. XSight 1.1 is released in April and XSight 1.2 is released in October.
*2006 - QSR becomes a Microsoft Gold Partner in January. NVivo 7 is launched in February. It combines QSR's NVivo 2 and N6 software with new features and tools. In June, NVivo 7 is used as a reference project at Microsoft conference, TechEd, in Boston. XSight 2 is released in September after 12 months of research and development, including interviews, user acceptance testing and input from more than 100 experts in commercial market research, market research education and social and government research. In October, QSR wins the Information and Communications Technology Award at the Australian Governor of Victoria Export Awards. XSight is incorporated into the marketing syllabuses of Australia’s Victoria University and Malaysia’s Sunway University College. In the same year, XSight is also incorporated into the syllabus of the University of Southampton’s new MSc Marketing Analytics degree.
*2007 - QSR partners with Japanese firm Hulinks to deliver qualitative research software program NVivo 7 in Japanese. In May, QSR is selected as a finalist in the Applications and Infrastructure Tools category in the 2007 Australian Information Industry Association iAwards. Over 350,000 researchers in more than 90 countries are licensed to use QSR software. More than 450 organizations hold site licenses.

Evolution of qualitative data analysis software

The first generation of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis (QDA) software emerged in the mid to late 1980s and involved basic word processors and databases with a focus on data management. The programs were designed to help qualitative researchers manage unstructured information like open-ended surveys, focus groups, field notes or interviews.

Second generation QDA software introduced functions for coding text and for manipulating, searching and reporting on the coded text. The approach of employing software tools for qualitative analysis was initially developed in the social sciences arena but is now used in an extensive range of other disciplines.

The third generation of QDA software goes beyond manipulating, searching and reporting on coded text. It assists actual analysis of the data by providing tools to help researchers examine relationships in the data and assist in the development of theories and in testing hypotheses. Some software supports rich text, diagrams and the incorporation of images, movies and other multimedia data. Other programs have tools that enable the exchange of data and analyses between researchers working together collaboratively.

ee also

* (Wikiversity)

External links

* [http://www.qsrinternational.com QSR International website]