The pathways into the automotive industry and the Eclipse SDV Working Group as are as diverse as software developers themselves. For the second part of our series of short interviews with the most active Eclipse SDV committers, we sat down with Kerstin Keller, maintainer of Eclipse eCAL, to find out how she discovered the world of automotive coding and how open source has enhanced her professional journey.
When and how did you start your career in automotive?
I started my career in automotive right out of university more than ten years ago, working on simulation and tooling for a tire pressure monitoring system.
Since then, my focus was always on providing the right tools to enable function developers.
"Converting eCAL from a proprietary project into open source significantly improved our project."
How has open source software influenced or changed your work and career?
Unlike component software, tooling is often built on top of existing open source solutions, which is why I got in touch with it early in my career.
I have learned a lot from existing popular open source projects, which tend to set high standards, especially with regard to code quality and documentation.
Moreover, converting eCAL from a proprietary project into open source significantly improved our project by fostering collaboration and transparency.
What has been your #1 benefit of joining the Eclipse SDV Working Group?
Eclipse eCAL has gained a lot of visibility and reputation by joining the SDV – and at the same time we’ve had the possibility to collaborate by participating in the SDV community days and hackathons.
What’s your one-sentence pitch for Eclipse eCAL – why is it worth getting involved in the project?
You want to quickly and easily exchange data within your trusted (vehicle, robotics, home, …) network? Then look no further. Eclipse eCAL provides an extensive API to transport data across language boundaries, and comes with all the tools to monitor, record, and replay your data.
How would you describe Eclipse SDV in three hashtags?
#Collaboration #CodeFirst #FutureMobility
Read more about remarkable women in SDV in our blog post Women and Software-Defined Vehicles: Shaping the Female Future of Mobility.
If you'd like to see Eclipse eCAL in action, don't miss our upcoming SDV Community Days on 25-26 March in Rotterdam!
