Software Support Policy

CIG provides three different levels of support for codes developed by CIG staff or donated by members of the community. The Science Steering Committee evaluates the codes on an occasional basis, and may change the level of support for a code in accordance with the priorities of the community at large as well as the resources available to CIG.

CIG encourages members to donate codes that have scientific value for the geosciences community. Donated codes should be submitted with concise summaries of the code’s purpose and capabilities, documentation, and test cases or benchmarks for users. Donors should be aware of the CIG open source software policy, and should inform CIG of the code’s copyright status.

Once a code is submitted to CIG, the Science Steering Committee (SSC) will evaluate the code in regard to its capabilities and its suitability for community use, and will assign to it the appropriate support level. These levels of support are listed below:

Level 1 (Highest Support)

These codes have been validated, pass benchmarks established by the appropriate community, and qualify as “state-of-the-art” in one or more areas of geodynamics. In most cases Level 1 codes have been developed by CIG staff, or they have originated through CIG-sanctioned projects. Level 1 codes are usually in active development or enhancement, and CIG makes a commitment to support, maintain, and provide technical assistance or training in their use, including documentation updates. Where appropriate, CIG will install and maintain Level 1 codes on the TeraGrid’s Community Software Area for the geodynamics community.

Level 2 (Middle)

Codes in this category include those donated to CIG from members of our community, which are either being developed independently from CIG, or are no longer undergoing substantial development because they are already mature and well-tested. CIG commits to host codes in this level in its repository and to facilitate minor changes such as bug fixes, creating and upgrading of binaries, etc. Nevertheless, codes in this category are expected to meet community benchmarks and to have documentation, examples, references, and other attributes that make them useful research tools.

Level 3 (Lowest)

Level 3 codes are donated or developed by members of our community but CIG does not offer resources for their development, maintenance, or support. Examples that may fit this category include older legacy codes, codes with limited functionality or application, inadequate documentation, or not benchmarked. CIG will either offer server space to distribute these codes, or alternatively, provide links to web addresses where the software can be obtained. CIG will display a disclaimer to the effect that these codes are formally outside of the CIG purview.

_____________________________________________________________________

As Provisionally Adopted by the CIG Executive Committee on March 16, 2007.