NASA Open Source Portal
NASA Just deployed its own Open Source Portal.
Another Federal Agency embracing the practices of Open Source.
Software, being the ultimate “Public Good” (non-rival and non-excludable), it is a natural match for infrastructure projects that are funded by public resources. This is emphasized in the case of Federal Agencies whose mission is to foster the state of scientific research.
From their announcement:
“Today we are launching code.nasa.gov, the latest member of the open NASA web family. Through this website, we will continue, unify, and expand NASA’s open source activities. The site will serve to surface existing projects, provide a forum for discussing projects and processes, and guide internal and external groups in open development, release, and contribution.”
They start they approach the right way by welcoming the involvement of the public at large:
“Ultimately, our goal is to create a highly visible community hub that will imbue open concepts into the formulation stages of new hardware and software projects, and help existing projects transition to open modes of development and operation. We are going to need your help to get there! Please use “Share your Ideas,” comment on this post, or email us at opengov@nasa.gov to let us know how code can help you, where you would like to see the site go, and how we might best fulfill our purpose.”
NASA Certainly has big plans for Open Source:
We believe that tomorrow’s space and science systems will be built in the open, and that code.nasa.gov will play a big part in getting us there. Will your code someday escape our solar system or land on an alien planet? We’re working to make it happen, and with your help, it will.
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