EMERALD: software metrics and models on the desktop

BNR, NORTEL, and Bell Canada have jointly developed the Enhanced Measurement for Early Risk Assessment of Latent Defects (EMERALD) system for decision support, integrating software measurements, quality models, and delivery of results to the desktop of software developers in a timely manner (J.P. Hudepohl et al., 1996). It has been applied to a very large system with more than 12 million lines of code within procedures. The prerequisite infrastructure for reliability improvement includes a strong configuration management system, a flexible source code library system, a thorough problem reporting system, and widespread networking of the desktop systems of developers. Such systems are not part of EMERALD per se, but EMERALD would have been impossible without them.