POSE: Phase I: Accelerating the Sparse Array Programming Ecosystem

Award ID: 2612044

This Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) project supports the creation of a shared ecosystem for sparse array programming, a computational approach used across science, engineering, and data driven research. As one example, singlecell genomics uses sparse matrices since most genes are not expressed in any given cell. Today, people who work with sparse data encounter a patchwork of tools that are difficult to combine, compare, or extend, which slows discovery and limits participation. By building a community environment that welcomes contributors, supports newcomers, encourages shared decision making, and provides dependable ways to exchange knowledge and data, the project lays the foundation for a thriving open-source ecosystem. This coordinated effort will help researchers and developers choose tools confidently, reuse resources more effectively, and collaborate across organizational boundaries. In doing so, the project strengthens national research capacity by making a critical area of computing more accessible, more interoperable, and better able to support education and workforce development. The project forms four working groups that develop the core components needed for an enduring ecosystem. These working groups will coordinate through a shared committee to ensure that design choices, formats, performance metrics, and optimization strategies remain aligned and mutually supportive. Alongside technical development, the project establishes contributor pathways, community governance, communication practices, and mechanisms for broad engagement that support long term community ownership. Activities such as interviews, workshops, prototype testing, and documentation creation help the ecosystem understand user needs and scale participation responsibly. The resulting framework, governance model, and roadmap position the community to sustain and grow a unified sparse array programming ecosystem well beyond the award period. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Florence Rabanal