Troy Griffitts, a doctoral student at ITSEE, has launched a software package for collaborative research on manuscripts.
Troy is working on a doctorate on 'Software for Collaborative Editing of the New Testament' at ITSEE supervised by Dr Hugh Houghton and Professor David Parker. In 2011, he switched to part-time study in order also to take on the position of lead developer for the New Testament Virtual Manuscript Room (NTVMR) at the Institute for New Testament Textual Research in Münster.
Troy has now released the VMR CRE (Virtual Manuscript Room Collaborative Research Environment) as a single standalone package for free download and install for any research group working on new editions of manuscripts. The VMR CRE includes components developed by ITSEE and its partners as part of the Workspace for Collaborative Editing.
The VMR CRE has already been adopted by teams at the University of Göttingen (Coptic-Sahidic Old Testament project) and the University of Basle (ParaTexBib), as well as several projects connected with the Museum of the Bible. In addition, the NTVMR has over 1,300 registered users and has become established as the first port of call for those interested in access full digitisations of New Testament manuscripts. Congratulations to Troy for this important contribution to research!