Relevance of software reuse in building advanced scientific data processing systems

Abstract

Reuse of software and related components can contribute to the development of systems for processing scientific data. The reuse of components, which can be from any stage of the development life cycle, provides opportunities to realize benefits such as reduced costs and learning curves. However, the reuse of existing components also comes with risks that must be recognized in order to be mitigated. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration established the Earth Science Data Systems Software Reuse Working Group to support software reuse among members of the community of Earth science data systems developers. This is done through a variety of activities, including research, education, and public outreach, which are conducted to help encourage and enable reuse within the community. Considerations for realizing the benefits of software reuse and minimizing risks are presented along with recent working group activities to improve reuse capabilities for the community of Earth science data systems developers.