An Understanding Framework for NASA Open Source Software

Over the course of the past five years we have researched, developed, and evaluated an open source undrstanding framework for NASA and other government software. The framework is based on a handful of dimensions involving licensing, redistribution, commercialization, attribution, community models, architecture, and some others. We have leveraged the framework to both chart out, and to evaluate the process of open sourcing software at the agency, both from a consumption perspective, and from a production perspective.

The framework is currently being leveraged to evaluate the most appropriate areas for the production and consumption of open source software within NASA's Earth Science Data System enterprise, and is serving as groundwork for understanding the process at other agencies including the NSF, the NIH/NCI, and the DOD.