Research Information

Research Resources

USC Software Site

As of AY 2016-2017, USC has launched a new, user-friendly version of software.usc.edu that consolidates information about the software available to faculty, students, and staff via download or online access. The site includes research software, desktop applications, and USC-specific computing utilities.

Research Software

In the University Research Committee’s recent survey of the faculty, the two most often-stated needs were tools for analyzing unstructured data and a lower cost for SPSS statistical software. To meet the first need, Provost Quick committed additional funds to acquire university licenses for NVivo and ATLAS.ti, which are now available for free to USC faculty and researchers.

NVivo
https://software.usc.edu/nvivo/

  • NVivo is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) computer software package designed for qualitative researchers working with very rich text-based and/or multimedia information, where deep levels of analysis on small or large volumes of data are required.

ATLAS.ti
https://software.usc.edu/atlas-ti/

  • ATLAS.ti is qualitative data analysis (QDA) software that allows users to locate, code, and annotate findings in text-based and multimedia data and visualize the complex relationships between these data.

The university has also reduced the cost of the annual subscription for SPSS statistical software from $400 to $99 a year for faculty and staff. See itservices.usc.edu/stats/spss/orderfacstaff for details.

You can find additional information about research computing resources at itservices.usc.edu/researchsoftware and digital.usc.edu.

 Data Storage and Backup

Another key requirement indicated in the faculty survey was access to inexpensive data storage.

Through your USC Microsoft Office 365 account’s OneDrive for Business app, you now have the ability to:

  • Store 5 terabytes of data for free.
  • Safely store many types of restricted data, including HIPAA-related data. (Note that the storage of restricted data may require you to implement additional controls. See itservices.usc.edu/storage for information.)
  • Sync your files with a desktop client for backup to the cloud. (See itservices.usc.edu/office365/onedrive/apps for details.)
  • Share files with colleagues at other universities.

While your USC Google Drive account offers unlimited storage, external file sharing, and cloud-based backup, please note that USC has not approved Google Drive for the storage of restricted data. See itservices.usc.edu/googledrive for more information about your USC Google Drive account.

Research Networked Storage

Later this fall, the Office of the Vice President of Research will also launch USC Drive, a high-performance storage system for researchers who wish to upload large data files quickly. All USC faculty, graduate students, and postdocs will automatically receive 50 gigabytes (GB) of storage space on USC Drive and may request additional space at the cost of $3.50 per 50 GB per month. USC Drive will include daily data backup. See itservices.usc.edu/uscdrive for details. A comparison of data storage options is available at itservices.usc.edu/storage.