International Business Machines Corporation

David Hoffman

Blain A Dillard

Brian T Paulsen

Patrick D Howard

Jose A Tano

Eric H Bokelberg

Feng Li

Nianjun Zhou

Ta-Hsin Li

Terrence E White

James L Chamberlain

James H Clinton

A method for simulating participation patterns in a plurality of events from a pool of qualified participants includes selecting an event whose preference rank r is equal to a predetermined preference rank R(i,j) for an event of type j for individual i; sampling a random number Z that represents a number of events in which to participate when a number N(j) of available events of type j is greater than 0 and an expected participation rate P(i, j) of individual i for events of type j is greater than 0; selecting a random subset S with Z elements that indicates which Z events to participate in; and looping over k=1 to N(j) and setting a participation array M(i,j,k,l) to 1 iff k is contained in S, where participation array M(i,j,k,l) indicates whether or not individual i participates in a k-th event of type j in an l-th simulation.

Simulating selective participation of multiple events from a pool of qualified participants

A method and system for conducting a challenge event from which a computer code that supports software development for a client computer is obtained. The challenge event is communicated to at least two participants in a form of an event specification. A proposal for a solution that meets the event specification is received from each participant. Only one participant is chosen from the at least two participants, based on the proposal previously received from each participant. The solution is received in a form of a computer code from the chosen only one participant. The received solution is validated for quality and the received solution is accepted. In response to the validating and accepting of the received solution, the received solution is delivered to the client computer. The received solution is configured to be used by the client computer to support software development for the client computer.

Conducting challenge events

A method and system for managing a challenge event from which a computer code that supports software development for a client computer is obtained. At least two participants are selected to participate in the challenge. Assets of software code are provided to the participants for assisting the participants to deliver respective submissions as outcomes of participation by the participants in the challenge event. A solution to the challenge event in a form of a computer code is received from only one participant previously chosen from the selected at least two participants as the only participant to submit the solution. The received solution is validated for quality and is accepted. In response to the validating and accepting of the received solution, the received solution is delivered to the client computer. The received solution is configured to be used by the client computer to support software development for the client computer.

Managing challenge events

In response to an identification of an input slide, aspects generate text content confidence scores that represent amounts of similarity of slide text content of the input slide to compared text content of a slides that are included within slide presentation files of a repository. Graphic element content confidence scores are generated that represent amounts of similarity of graphic content of the input slide to compared graphic element content of the respective ones of the repository slides. Similarity confidence scores are generated for respective ones of the repository slides as functions of weighted averages of the generated text content confidence scores and graphic element content confidence scores, wherein the graphic element content confidence scores are weighted differently from the text content confidence scores. The repository slides may be ranked for similarity to the input slide as a function of the generated similarity confidence scores.

Automated slide comparator

A method and system for conducting a challenge event. The challenge event is communicated to at least two participants in a form of an event specification, in response to receipt of a request for the challenge event from a client computer. A proposal for a solution that meets the event specification is received from each participant of the at least two participants. Only one participant is chosen from the at least two participants, based on the proposal previously received from each participant.

A method and system for managing a challenge event. At least two participants are selected to participate in the challenge event, in response to receipt of a request for the challenge event from a client computer. Assets of software code are provided to the participants for assisting the participants to deliver respective submissions as outcomes of participation by the participants in the challenge event. A solution to the challenge event in a form of a computer code is received from only one participant, of the at least two participants, previously chosen by from the selected at least two participants as the only participant to submit the solution.

A method and system for conducting a challenge event. The challenge event is communicated to at least two participants in a form of an event specification. A proposal for a solution that meets the specification is received from each participant. Only one participant is chosen from the at least two participants, based on the proposal previously received from each participant. The solution is received in a form of a document or computer code from the chosen only one participant.

A method and system for managing a challenge event. At least two participants are selected to participate in the challenge event based on determining that the participants are expected to perform well in the challenge event. Selection of the participants utilizes data elements provided for managing the challenge event. Assets of computer code are provided to the participants for assisting the participants to deliver respective submissions as outcomes of participation by the participants in the challenge event. The challenge event is conducted with the participants.

Challenge events and competition events are created and communicated to potential participants. The events are priced using a calculator that bases the price on the results of previous events and a catalog of reusable code assets using an analytics engine. One or more participants are chosen for the event by a selector subsystem. A solution is submitted by the chosen participant. The submission is evaluated, and scored in a challenge server layer. A payment application rewards the participant according to the event specifications and the scoring results.

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David Hoffman