Leibniz MMS Days 2017 - Abstract
Sperber, Wolfram
To get information of mathematical software is sometimes like finding a needle in a haystack. But otherwise, more and more research results will be achieved by using mathematical software. Comprehensive and precise information about software used is also an important condition for the credibility of research results. But software has some unique features which pose new requirements to information infrastructure, especially the dynamic character of software, its encoding in formal languages, dependencies from hardware, other software, and further context information. The information on mathematical software is widely distributed on Web sites, repositories, portals, Web archives, etc., and is not standardized. The talk will address two relevant activities which can significantly improve the information about mathematical software: the initiatives for a citation standard for software, and the development of a comprehensive portal for mathematical software which integrates the existing information about software from the Web. A state of the art report on the swMATH service will illustrate the concepts and approaches.