Is this Metadata Management Tool of Any Use? Extending CESSDA's Software Maturity Matrix to the DDI Domain

As part of its efforts to promote good practice for own-use software development and help meet its five common interoperability characteristics, CESSDA has defined a software maturity matrix. The work was initially based on NASA’s Reuse Readiness Levels and revised in accordance with the "Capability Development Model" from the CESSDA SaW project. It now features ten criteria and five levels for each. It can be used when evaluating 3rd party software for potential adoption, or as acceptance criteria for components developed for use within CESSDA’s Research Infrastructure.

Whilst it gives an indication of the general technical quality and likely maintainability and extensibility of a software product, it doesn’t address its fitness for purpose for performing domain-specific tasks. This core can easily be extended to incorporate additional criteria and levels for a given domain, but what are they in the case of DDI and does the community want or need such a software maturity matrix?

The presentation covers the origins of CESSDA’s software maturity matrix, looks at the core criteria and levels and goes on to suggest some DDI-specific extensions. A straw poll at the end will give an initial answer to the question about the community’s enthusiasm or otherwise!