The majority of software indexed by GAMS represents subprograms for mathematical problems which commonly occur in computational science and engineering, such as solution of systems of linear algebraic equations, computing matrix eigenvalues, solving nonlinear systems of differential equations, finding minima of nonlinear functions of several variables, evaluating the special functions of applied mathematics, and performing nonlinear regression.
Users can browse through modules in any given problem class.
To find an appropriate class, one can utilize the taxonomy as a decision tree, or enter keywords which are then mapped to problem classes. Search filters can be declared which allow users to specify preferences such as computing precision or programming language. In addition, users can browse through all modules in a given package, all modules with a given name, or all modules with user-supplied keywords in their abstracts. Classification systems have long been used to give structure to large bodies of information. A well-formulated system can improve understanding of the information as well as ease access to it, thus making the information more useful.