Building CLiiME via Test-Driven Development: A Case Study

The multidisciplinary nature of contemporary computational modeling impacts the development of computational science and engineering (CSE) software. Multidisciplinary efforts often require large-scale software development to serve a broad audience of developers and users. This article describes software engineering practices adopted in the Community Laser-Induced Incandescence Modeling Environment (CLiiME). The authors explain how CLiiME's design enables extension of the model. The project uses the agile methodology of test-driven development (TDD) to implement the infrastructure for a collaborative model that different researchers will use, modify, and extend. They discuss some of the software engineering practices that developers can integrate throughout the life of a project, beginning with its inception when only a few developers are contributing to the project. They also describe the mechanisms they've incorporated to allow for natural expansion of the model.