Edition of Scientific Software
Links to the project
Digitalization is transforming our world—and this is particularly true for science. Computer simulations, algorithm-based analyses of large datasets, and methods of artificial intelligence have become everyday tools for researchers.
Yet this process of transformation has so far received little attention from research itself, or only in isolated aspects. In particular, there has been very little research and systematic collecting activity devoted to scientific software.
Scientific software is a fragile historical source
Within the Academy project “Edition of Scientific Software”, the remaining body of scientific software developed between 1950 and 2010 is being systematically identified, analyzed, and edited. In addition, the project aims to establish a new line of research into the history of software in digital science. Finally, the development of archival standards is planned, which will be implemented within an open online research platform.
This participatory platform is aimed at an informed public, especially retired researchers in the spirit of “citizen scientists” who were involved in the development of such software projects.
Time is of the essence. Unlike other historical sources such as clay tablets, manuscripts, or books, scientific software constitutes a fragile historical record that must be actively preserved. If these sources are lost, the history of software in digital science can no longer be studied.
Edition of Scientific Software
Host Academy
Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts
Location and federal state
Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia; Munich, Bvaria; Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia
Type
Basic Research in Social Science and Cultural Studies
Project number
IV.A.05-1/-3