Evolution from a Scientific Application to an Applicable Product

Abstract

Software developments in a scientific environment often serve a very special purpose and a limited number of users. When need arises to make the software usable in a more general way, the software has to be improved in terms of quality and meeting the users’ needs. To apply it for a longer period, it also has to take into account changes of state-of-the-art software and technologies. This paper describes an example for such an evolution of scientific applications over the course of ten years. Developed initially as an environment for a specific numerical simulation project, the software has been applied to other simulation projects in various sectors. Keeping a relative stable software design, more functionality and features have been added. New features make use of emerging technologies and widen the application range. The development of software engineering methods and tools has been steadily evaluated and the software development environment has been adapted accordingly.