A platform for empirical research on information system evolution

Abstract

Software-intensive systems are subject to continuous change due to modification of the systems themselves and their environment. Methods for supporting evolution are a competitive edge in software engineering as software is operated over decades. Empirical research is useful to validate the effectiveness of these methods. However, empirical studies on software evolution are rarely comprehensive and hardly replicable. Collaboration in empirical studies may prevent these shortcomings. We analyzed the support for such collaboration and examined existing studies in a literature review. Based on our findings, we designed CoCoMEP- a platform for supporting collaboration in empirical research on software evolution by shared knowledge. We report lessons learned from the application of the platform in a large research programme.