Open Source Software Institute

= open source consortium for the U.S. government

URL = http://www.oss-institute.org/

Description

"The OSSI (http://www.oss-institute.org/), which began in 2001, is a non–profit organization whose mission is to, “promote the development and implementation of open source software solutions within Federal, state, and municipal government agencies and academic entities” (Weathersby, 2007). The organization acts as a facilitator between government entities and private firms aiding in the process of adoption, development, and implementation of open source software solutions. While the group has a strong affiliation with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), they are interested in all levels of government where opportunities exist (Weathersby, 2007).

The OSSI sees itself as having three major roles: policy advocate, research and development facilitator, and policy consortium. While the mission of the OSSI has not evolved much over time, the work of the organization has. Participants note that the group has gone from working on small and limited research and development requests, to working on multiple projects and more mission–critical government requirements.

Participants openly acknowledge that there is an “entrepreneurial perspective in the project,” and although their objective is to promote open source software, they do not oppose the use of proprietary software; in fact, some of the major players in the group develop and market proprietary software packages. Participants generally do not see the collaboration as one that develops software (although they do on occasion) but rather as a trade association. John Weathersby, Executive Director and founder of the OSSI, put it this way: “we want to help drive business opportunities to our members, but what we really try to focus on is helping to create a receptive business environment.”

Origins

The OSSI began its operation because individuals who would later be involved in the effort saw a need and an opportunity. While government organizations were “reinventing the wheel” and getting tied down with proprietary data formats and forced software upgrades, examples of high–quality open source software emerged and gained a following. This posed a threat to the proprietary software industry, and as private organizations watched these efforts grow, some firms saw business opportunities in supporting open source efforts. John Weathersby saw an opportunity in connecting private firms with government organizations looking to meet their needs with open source solutions. With this vision of facilitating the move toward open source solutions in government, the OSSI was born.

The community

The OSSI community is diverse, but its membership is primarily made up of private–sector open source interests. The organization also has a strong following, with over 1,000 individuals on their mailing list, 16 major corporate sponsors, and a number of other private and public entities that support the organization (as of the end of 2007). While the organization tries to remain focused on specific areas — for instance, they are now primarily focused on national defense — the group’s base has a variety of interests at all levels of government. For example, at the state and local level the organization is currently working to develop a suite of applications for criminal justice. Although there are both public and private entities involved in the effort, the public sector interests are most often contracting or creating agreements with the OSSI to help develop open source strategies, study open source solutions and possibilities or find the appropriate mix of talents to develop software." (http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2313/2065)

Status

"Participants in the OSSI give the impression that the organization is doing well, and slowly expanding in terms of the number and importance of the projects the organization is involved in. The number of memberships and listserv subscribers continues to rise. There is a feeling among the participants that the organization will continue to do well as long as it is creating value (by both creating code that is appropriate and effective at meeting governmental needs, and helping private organizations to forge new business relationships) and evolving to meet the needs of member organizations and the government entities seeking services.

The primary insight from the case of the OSSI is that in an effort with multiple interests, knowing participant motivations and how to create value for all parties involved is critical to success. Equally important is having a stable leader who can devote a great deal of time and energy to the effort and keep members engaged. Having permanent paid staff may help to ensure that the organization continues to evolve and recognize opportunities." (http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2313/2065)

Source

Open source collaboration: Two cases in the U.S. public sector. by Michael P. Hamel and Charles M. Schweik. First Monday, Volume 14, Number 1 - 5 January 2009

URL = http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2313/2065

More Information

1. John Weathersby, 2007. “Open Source Software Institute operational overview,” at http://oss-institute.org/OSSI/OSSI_Operational_Overview_021507.pdf, accessed 12 June 2007.