Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Computer Science
Committee Chair
Tathagata Mukherjee
Committee Member
Manil Maskey
Committee Member
Chaity Banerjee Muhkerjee
Research Advisor
Tathagata Mukherjee
Subject(s)
Software ecosystems, Computer software--Development, Service-oriented architecture (Computer science)
Abstract
The increasing complexity of modern software ecosystems, presents significant challenges to system resilience, maintainability and automation. This work presents a proof-of-concept implementation of an automation system to address these challenges for a large scale fragmented software systems. Succinctly we address these challenges in the context of Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG), which is responsible for collecting and communicating federal agencies' Earth observation needs to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Multiple automation scripts and applications exist to support the SNWG's assessment cycle, encompassing the areas of data validation, visualization, report generation, and user management. However, the dispersion of these tools into isolated, stand-alone components has led to operational inefficiencies, data inconsistency, and increased maintenance overhead. Through a comprehensive analysis of the SNWG assessment phases, this research identifies the specific challenges stemming from fragmentation and highlights the deficiencies in inter-system communication. To resolve these issues, our work proposes a unified software platform conceptualized using modern software engineering principles, such as micro-services architecture, RESTful API design, and cloud-based infrastructure. By consolidating the previously silo-ed software components into a centralized system, the proposed solution enhances inter-agency collaboration, reduces manual intervention, improves data consistency, and strengthens security. From a software engineering perspective, this work exemplifies a broader industry trend in software development: the transition from silo-ed, legacy automation scripts to integrated, scalable, and maintainable ecosystems. Similar challenges exist in other domains, for example, finance, healthcare, and government operations, where organizations struggle to unify disparate software components while ensuring operational continuity and resilience. By demonstrating best practices in systems architecture, software development, testing, and deployment, this thesis presents findings that can be extended beyond the realm of Earth observation applications, offering a generally applicable framework for designing resilient and unified software platforms.
Recommended Citation
Dangol, Raj, "Improving satellite needs working group assessment process through automation and process consolidation" (2025). Theses. 758.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/758