Research Workflow

Increasing the Lifespan of Software for Demographic Analysis

Egor Kotov, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Headshot of Esther Denecke
Esther Denecke, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Figure 1. Reproducibility struggles. Left: Three laptops showing different software configurations, symbolizing challenges in reproducing results. Right: A single laptop displaying multiple virtual containers with distinct software setups, highlighting improved reproducibility.
Figure 1. Reproducibility struggles. Left: failing to reproduce the exact software setup on multiple computers. Right: running countless software setups on a single laptop with the help of containers. Image source: Microsoft Image Creator powered by DALL-E 3. Generated with AI ∙ 25 October 2023

Many researchers face challenges with computational reproducibility. For instance, running analysis code written just a year earlier can be problematic. Even if it worked flawlessly and gave the expected results earlier, it might fail due to errors now (see Fig. 1). These issues are typically due to the use of newer versions of analysis software…. Read More