The SEL supports process improvement with an extensive data collection program on software developed or maintained by GSFC. The SEL dataset includes high level schedule information for each project, such as major milestone dates; low level schedule and effort data, such as weekly effort data; detailed size and metrics data, such as Source Lines of Code for each module in a project; and detailed change and problem report data. The SEL dataset also contains data from controlled experiments on new technologies such as code reading, cleanroom development, Ada, and Object Oriented Design. In short, although the data characterizes one environment, no more detailed, thorough, nor complete source of empirical software data is publicly available.

NASA/SEL distributes its dataset through the DACS. Periodic updates are provided by NASA/SEL and announced by the DACS. The NASA/SEL update (March 1995) is now available. The dataset contains data on 158 GSFC projects. To illustrate analyses supported by the data, Table 1 presents an extremely small portion of the data, the type of changes in the small number of Ada projects in the dataset. Educators and those organizations beginning to adopt Ada might use this data in deciding on emphases in Ada training.

The NASA/SEL dataset is distributed on a CD-ROM for $150. For more information about the NASA/SEL dataset, contact our Data Analyst at [email protected] or our Customer Liaison [email protected]. You can contact the DACS directly by phone at (315)334-4905 or by Fax at (315)334-4965.