A Proposal on Using Reuse Readiness Levels to Measure Software Reusability

Abstract

The use of scientific data is becoming increasingly dependent on the software that fosters such use. As the ability to reuse software contributes to capabilities for reusing software-dependent data, instruments for measuring software reusability contribute to the reuse of software and related data. The development and current state of a proposed set of Reuse Readiness Levels (RRLs) are summarized, and potential uses of the software reusability measures are described, along with proposed use cases to support sponsorship of software projects, software production, software adoption, and data stewardship during the systems development lifecycle and the data lifecycle.

Software reuse methods to improve technological infrastructure for e-Science

“…In addition to contributing to the development of software for potential reuse, the RRLs also can be used to evaluate the potential reuse of software and system components developed to support scientific data systems [2]. As noted in the previous section, the RRL topic area levels provide a wealth of information regarding the maturity of software assets in nine different areas related to reusability.…”

“…Software reuse methods and tools also can contribute to the evaluation of systems being developed to support scientific research. Software reuse instruments, such as the Reuse Readiness Levels (RRLs) [1], offer the potential to improve capabilities for software development and evaluation when developing and adopting software assets for scientific support systems [2].…”