The commonly recognized benefits of software reuse are increased productivity, higher quality, shorter time-to-market, and reduced development and maintenance costs. Software reuse is a key thrust of DoD acquisition improvement initiatives including the Naval Open Architecture program. Successful reuse depends on many aspects of a reuse program, ranging from organizational climate to technical solutions. As technical solutions, current software repositories do not provide robust search and discovery capabilities due to limitations of current information organization practices. This research explores potential solutions that are enabled when ontologies are used as the framework for information contained in the software repository. In this paper, we will briefly summarize previous work on an ontology-based repository framework. We will then present current efforts to specify a software repository tool that exploits the framework to enable more sophisticated search and discovery. The suggested tool will emphasize human interaction and allow users to bring their context to the search process. New navigation techniques will be employed that guide human users, offering suggestions based on projected needs. The improved search capability will encourage developers to consider reuse and aid in its success.
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