CSIRO's Fastflo mathematical software for scientists and engineers has today been launched on the international market by the UK firm Numerical Algorithms Group Ltd (NAG).

Dr Noel Barton of CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences said that Fastflo is one of only a handful of mathematical software packages ever created in Australia to be sold overseas.

"Fastflo is world class, innovative software that uses advanced mathematics to solve a wide class of engineering problems. According to a report commissioned by the Department of Industry Science and Tourism (DIST), Australia has an annual deficit in information technology products of more than $14 billion, and also accounts for less than 1 per cent of world exports.

"We expect Fastflo will earn significant export dollars for Australia and so help stem the tide."

Dr Barton explained that Fastflo can solve complex problems such as predicting the behaviour of molten metal flowing into a vessel, or of flames in a combustion chamber. At a conference in Germany in 1996, Fastflo out-performed many competing software packages in modelling airflow over a Daimler Benz car.

Fastflo began in 1991 with a small group of CSIRO mathematicians working closely with Australian industry, said Dr Barton. Aware of shortcomings with existing software, they recognised the need for faster, more flexible techniques to model fluid flows in mineral processing and manufacturing. They received an Industry Research & Development Board grant to develop Fastflo with BHP and software house Compumod.

"Fastflo was repositioned last year as a solver of equations called partial differential equations which lie at the heart of many engineering problems," Dr Barton said. "It's the best package in its market niche. NAG too is unequalled in its role, with more than 25 years experience in developing, distributing and supporting scientific software."

NAG is based in Oxford with subsidiary companies in Chicago, Munich and Tokyo. It supplies tools, software libraries and associated products for professional programmers and educational and industrial use. NAG has over 10,000 licences and more than 100,000 users.

Fastflo is distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Compumod.

More information from:

Dr Noel Barton, CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences, this week at NAG Ltd (UK), Ph: +44 1865 511245

Terry Burgess, Marketing Manager, NAG Ltd (UK) Ph: +44 1865 511245

Dr Zili Zhu, Fastflo team member, CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences on (03) 9545 8003.