Minisymposium Presentation

Kitware's commitment to open source scientific software development has been pivotal since its inception in 1998. Central to its success is the Visualization Toolkit (VTK), which served as the cornerstone for the company's establishment. Over the years, Kitware has spearheaded numerous other open-source scientific software projects, including but not limited to ITK, ParaView, CMake, ADIOS, and 3D Slicer. In this presentation, we will share insights gleaned from the process of creating and sustaining scientific software. Additionally, he will discuss the Software Sustainability Matrix as a tool for evaluating the sustainability and project requirements of software packages. This matrix serves as a structured approach to gauge the longevity and adaptability of software projects, vital for their continued relevance and utility.Furthermore, the significance of automated software quality tools, exemplified by CDash, will be underscored. These tools have played a pivotal role in ensuring the success and reliability of various scientific software tools incubated and nurtured at Kitware over the past 26 years. By automating the assessment of software quality, it allows the development of high quality software and facilitates collaboration within the open-source community.