The SAVE Tool and Process Applied to Ground Software Development at JHU/APL: An Experience Report on Technology Infusion

The JHU/APL Space Department develops Missions Operations Center (MOC) system software for all JHU/APL-supported NASA missions using a shared software architecture called Common Ground. The software architecture is 10 years old and difficult to maintain for current missions and to evolve for reuse in future missions. The Software Architecture Visualization and Evaluation (SAVE) tool and process developed by Fraunhofer Center - Maryland has been applied to the Common Ground software in order to avoid further maintenance and evolution problems. This report summarizes JHU/APL's experiences in using the SAVE tool and process to capture the originally planned architecture, to compare the actual Common Ground software to the planned architecture, to create a new target architecture, and to guide ongoing development to bring the planned and actual architectures into alignment.