This system also operates as a virtual software repository. This represents some 10,000 problem-solving modules from more than 100 software packages. The vast majority of this software represents Fortran 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. Note that although both public-domain and proprietary software is cataloged here, source code of proprietary software products are not available, although related items such as documentation and example programs often are.
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 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. This system catalogs mathematical and statistical software made available for use at NIST by its Information Technology Laboratory.