The presentation will focus on methods and software development behind the cTAKES platform. An overview of the modules will set the stage, followed by more in-depth discussion of some of the methods and evaluations of select modules. The second part of the presentation will shift to software development topics such as optimization and distributed computing including UIMA integration, UIMA-AS, as well as our plans for UIMA-DUCC integration. A live demo of cTAKES will conclude the talk.