OSSDC 2012: Thinking Beyond the Code

Inclusive Communities for Government & Open Source Software. Presented by Deborah Bryant.

1. Thinking Beyond the Code Inclusive Communities for Government & Open Source Software Deborah Bryant June 21, 2012 Open Source Summit Thursday, June 21, 12
2. Government is a bit of a special case. art credit: Brian Mollenkopf Thursday, June 21, 12
3. Community, know thy ecosystem. Thursday, June 21, 12
4. World Wind Ecosystem Thursday, June 21, 12
5. The adaptation of the model for government is work in process. • The open source collaboration model is still primary based on the notion of scratching your own itch. (Think Apache and Linux) • Less work has been done on a models that include subject matter experts (who are not also writing the code themselves) esp. within government. • Government is awash in shareable technology more relevance to fulfilling its mission, than providing highly technical infrastructure. to Thursday, June 21, 12
6. Think past the code. • Solving the complexity of today’s problems requires the collaboration of people who may not naturally work together • In government, this includes turning disruptive technology and new models in to a sound, defensible strategy. Thursday, June 21, 12
7. Reference Models VisTa CONNECT Thursday, June 21, 12
8. Open Security Community Homeland Open Security Technology Program Thursday, June 21, 12
9. Military Open Source Working Group a community of civilian and military open source software and hardware developers as well as subject matter experts across the US. Thursday, June 21, 12
10. Challenges for Agencies • a propensity for finding it more interesting to give, than to receive • gov 2.0 bling shiny object distraction • rock star behavior • a love of technology and a dread of documentation (= process and policy in government) Thursday, June 21, 12
11. Predictions • Government will continue iterating until we get it right. • Continue to move the Community up the Stack • The most open initiatives will develop diverse ecosystems and vital communities. Thursday, June 21, 12
12. Why Not... • Join a community before trying to start one • Build a community that includes your practitioners. • Create a Community of Practice for personnel and others creating and refining agency policies for open source • NASA, VA, CFPB, DoD, HHS, DHS • Embrace technology, but love the benefits more. Thursday, June 21, 12
13. 2011 NASA Open Source Summit - KeyTake-Away is also good community advice. • Use a standard OSI approved license. • Allows for greater participation. • Bigger community. • More diverse ecosystem. • Plus Bonus Points for Sustainability. Thursday, June 21, 12
14. Thanks! contact info Deborah Bryant deborah@debbryant.com @debbryant Thursday, June 21, 12
15. Innovation Reference Models • MIL-OSS for openness and knowledge sharing • NASA world wind for setting the community free. • HHS Connect for lessons learned on moving a federal project to include the private industry. • VA Vista for moving a legacy project outside the agency Thursday, June 21, 12