Technology Research Software: An Often Overlooked Category of Research Software

TL;DR

This paper highlights the overlooked category of technology research software, explaining its roles, subroles, and maturity levels, supported by illustrative examples.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of technology research software, defines its subroles and maturity levels, and provides concrete examples to clarify its significance.

Findings

Technology research software is a distinct, often neglected category.

Technology readiness levels help assess software maturity.

Examples demonstrate the diverse roles of such software.

Abstract

Research software has been categorized for various goals. One fundamental dimension of such categorizations is the role that the software plays in the research process. Recently, a new role category has emerged: technology research software, which covers research software developed in technology research. Until now, this category of technology research software has often been overlooked and neglected within the research software engineering community. In this article, we explain technology research software and its primary subroles. Technology readiness levels are an established method of estimating the maturity of technologies, including software systems. For technology research software, these readiness levels define secondary subroles. To illustrate the concept of technology research software and to make it more tangible, we present examples of research software that, depending on its specific use within or outside of research, take on the role of technology research software as well as that of another research software category.