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{{Chapter
{{Chapter
| blueprint = Data
|image=OpenSource.jpg
| sectors = Data
|poc=Wilfred Pinfold
| authors = Wilfred Pinfold, Irene Ng
|authors=Wilfred Pinfold
| poc = Wilfred Pinfold
|blueprint=Data
| email = wilfred.pinfold@urban.systems
|chapter=3800
| document = 20170824-City-Platform-Supercluster-Report-FINAL.pdf
|sectors=Data
| chapter = 3800
|summary=Open source refers to a type of software or technology whose source code is publicly available and can be modified and distributed by anyone. This means that the underlying code that makes the software or technology work is freely accessible to the public, and can be modified, improved, or distributed by anyone without the need for permission from the original creator.
|email=wilfred.pinfold@urban.systems
|document=20170824-City-Platform-Supercluster-Report-FINAL.pdf
}}
}}
__NOTOC__
Open source software is typically developed by a community of developers who work together to improve the software and share their modifications with the rest of the community. This collaborative approach to development allows for rapid innovation and can result in high-quality software that is widely used and widely supported.
=Barriers=
 
Open source is in contrast to proprietary software, which is developed and distributed by a company or individual who retains exclusive control over the software's source code and distribution.
 
Open source is a fundamental concept in the software development field but has been extended to other areas such as education, research, and technology. Open-source hardware, Open-source content and Open-source drug discovery are some examples.
 
Open source is a philosophy that encourages collaboration and sharing, which aims to foster innovation, creativity, and community development.
==Best Practices==
There are several best practices that are commonly followed in open-source development:
#'''Use version control''': Using a version control system such as Git allows multiple developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously and helps track changes to the code over time.
#'''Write clear and readable code''': Open-source code should be easy to read and understand by other developers, which helps to ensure that others can contribute to the project and that the code can be easily maintained.
#'''Write documentation''': Well-written documentation helps others understand the project and how to contribute.
#'''Write tests''': Writing automated tests helps to ensure that the code works as intended and that any changes made to the code do not break existing functionality.
#'''Use a well accepted license''': Open-source projects should have an open-source license which clearly states the terms under which the code can be used, modified, and distributed.
#'''Encourage community involvement''': Encouraging contributions from the community and fostering a welcoming environment helps to build a strong and active community around the project.
#'''Continuously improve''': Continuously improve the codebase, fix bugs, and add new features to keep the project active and relevant.
#'''Be inclusive''': Be inclusive and respectful of all contributors regardless of their background or experience.
 
By following these best practices, open-source development teams can create high-quality, well-maintained, and widely adopted code that benefits the entire community.
 
Continuously improve van be achieved from the outset by using Agile development methodologies. Agile software development emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. It is often used in open-source software development to manage the collaborative process of developing and maintaining software.
 
In Agile development, a software project is broken down into small, manageable chunks called iterations or sprints, usually lasting a few weeks. Each iteration or sprint is focused on delivering a working piece of software that contains a set of specific features or improvements. The team works closely with the stakeholders, such as users and customers, to prioritize and plan the work for each iteration.
 
In an open-source software context, Agile development allows for a flexible and collaborative process where developers from different backgrounds, locations, and skill levels can work together to deliver a high-quality product. The stakeholders, such as the users and contributors, can provide feedback and suggestions at any point in the development process.
 
Some of the key principles of Agile development in open-source software include:
 
Working software is the primary measure of progress
*Welcome changing requirements
*Deliver working software frequently
*Collaboration between developers and stakeholders
*Continuous improvement
The Agile development approach in open-source software can provide a transparent and flexible development process that allows for rapid innovation and customer satisfaction.
==Barriers to Use==
Two barriers currently exist to effective and powerful smart city solutions. First, many current smart city ICT deployments are based on custom systems that are not interoperable, portable across cities, extensible, or cost-effective. Second, a number of architectural design efforts are currently underway (e.g. ISO/IEC JTC1, IEC, IEEE, ITU and consortia) but have not yet converged, creating uncertainty among stakeholders. To reduce these barriers, NIST and its partners convened an international public working group to compare and distill from these architectural efforts and city stakeholders a consensus framework of common architectural features to enable smart city solutions that meet the needs of modern communities.
Two barriers currently exist to effective and powerful smart city solutions. First, many current smart city ICT deployments are based on custom systems that are not interoperable, portable across cities, extensible, or cost-effective. Second, a number of architectural design efforts are currently underway (e.g. ISO/IEC JTC1, IEC, IEEE, ITU and consortia) but have not yet converged, creating uncertainty among stakeholders. To reduce these barriers, NIST and its partners convened an international public working group to compare and distill from these architectural efforts and city stakeholders a consensus framework of common architectural features to enable smart city solutions that meet the needs of modern communities.
=Opportunities=
The way to think about data is as a new currency – a store of value. What is the value of data, it is a similar question to what is the value of the USD or GBP. The answer for the value of USD is that it is a “basket of goods” because the USD is a store of (potential) value. Stuff you can spend the USD on. A similar answer for the value of data would be “a basket of personalisations/recommendations”. Taking the analogy further, data isn’t valuable till you ‘spend’ it, i.e. when it becomes a medium of exchange. Like the way USD is not really valuable till you spend it. And just because it has the potential to be spent on something, doesn’t mean that it can be realised. Try to go to a country that doesn’t accept USD and you’ll get what I mean. Currently, the part of the Internet that is thirsty for this personal data currency (in a very lumpy and crude form) is advertising. But that is quickly changing. We are already seeing personal data being used (“spent”?) for recommendations, advice, and insights across a whole range of industries.


The difference between data and USD is of course in the way data is made into a medium of exchange. Data on Facebook is a currency because of the way Facebook organises it for its ease of use and exchange in targeting ads. So Facebook data on Facebook is not just where the data sits, it is also where the exchange happens. Facebook personal data is therefore a kind of personal data currency in the ‘country’ of Facebook and FB has created exchanges and transactions that made the medium of exchange possible. Take the data out of Facebook, and suddenly one is not really sure of its ‘value’. Without the platform, it’s data is stripped of its contextual use, making its value uncertain unless there is another place to use it. So, stripped of its context, FB personal data becomes a potential value in use.
<!-- Citations -->


The way the USD ensures its potential value is realised is by having it in an accessible place, like a wallet or a bank account, and by having places to spend it. Then when we see something we like, we can immediately spend it. Data is similar. Its value is only realised when used. Your body dimensions data are a great set of data when ‘spent’ or used for recommendations from a clothing shop. Like the USD, data can be a store of value but you would need it to be in a holding place until you see something that you want recommendation or personalisation on and you can then give it out. With USD you can do that with a wallet or a credit card/bank account. With data you have a HAT microserver – real time, on demand personal data as a medium of exchange with apps and websites – and a way to be available for every form you want to fill as well as every time you want to give any information about you, your life, your health or your views in return for something on the Internet.
{{#scite:
|reference=linåker2023op
|type=journal-article
|title=Open Source Software in the Public Sector: 25 Years and Still in Its Infancy
|author=Johan Linåker;Gregorio Robles;Deborah Bryant;Sachiko Muto|+sep=;
|journal=IEEE Software
|publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
|year=2023
|volume=40
|issue=4
|pages=39-44
|doi=10.1109/ms.2023.3266105
|subject=Software
|issn=0740-7459;1937-4194|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
}}


However, the analogy between data and USD breaks down when you go further into its economic properties. For USD, once it’s spent, you’ve got to out to earn more of it. For data, you can use and re-use that data again and again. That’s why it’s worth keeping it for ourselves. They are a part of our attributes and our digital history (assuming its real, that is), and no amount of money can buy that history if you’ve never collected it. And if you didn’t, and when the future comes along to be able to exchange data with great recommendations, personalisation and advice for health well being, jobs, clothing, diet etc. etc., we will be poorer without our data.
{{#scite:
|reference=robles2019tw
|type=journal-article
|title=Twenty Years of Open Source Software: From Skepticism to Mainstream
|author=Gregorio Robles;Igor Steinmacher;Paul Adams;Christoph Treude|+sep=;
|journal=IEEE Software
|publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
|year=2019
|volume=36
|issue=6
|pages=12-15
|doi=10.1109/ms.2019.2933672
|subject=Software
|issn=0740-7459;1937-4194|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
}}


HAT microservers help make our personal data into a store of value, making us a more valuable Internet citizen; Using plugs, we can bring the data that is out on the Internet into our HAT. Yet, to make our HAT data into a universal medium of exchange requires a different effort and it leads to the second question I get asked a lot – how to make personal data controlled and owned by the person usable and valuable. That, really, is a question on how we make HAT data a universal medium of exchange i.e. how do we make personal data a currency for the person to be able to ‘spend it’.
{{#scite:
|reference=Blind2023
|type=report
|author=K. Blind et al.
|title=The impact of open source software and hardware on technological independence, competitiveness and innovation in the EU economy
|publisher=European Commission,  
|location=Brussels Belgium
|year=2021
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|file=https://opencommons.org/images/c/c1/The_impact_of_open_source_software_and_hardware_on-KK0421081ENN.pdf
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=Nagle2019
|type=report
|author=Frank Nagle
|title=Government technology policy, social value, and national competitiveness
|publisher=Harvard Business School Strategy Unit
|location=Boston MA
|issue=19–103
|year=2019
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|file=https://opencommons.org/images/8/87/19-103_70f212c8-c4fe-4989-ac99-e03cf8bbf02d.pdf
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=linaker2020wh
|type=journal-article
|title=What to share, when, and where: balancing the objectives and complexities of open source software contributions
|author=Johan Linåker;Björn Regnell|+sep=;
|journal=Empirical Software Engineering
|publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC
|year=2020
|volume=25
|issue=5
|pages=3799-3840
|doi=10.1007/s10664-020-09855-2
|subject=Software
|issn=1382-3256;1573-7616|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
}}


People think data is an object or some commodity like oil. It doesn’t help that many have actually said “data is the new oil”. This makes a BIG assumption i.e. we know the boundaries of what makes it a commodity. Even oil is commoditised through rights to drill or a barrel of crude oil. Data? Its existence does not make it an economic good. Not yet anyway.
{{#scite:
|reference=publiques2022
|type=report
|title=Strasbourg declaration on the common values and challenges of European public administrations
|publisher=Ministère de la Transformation et de la Fonction Publiques
|location=Strasbourg France
|year=2022
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|file=https://opencommons.org/images/9/9a/Declaration_common_values_challenges_european_public_administrations_1.pdf
}}


I spend a lot of my time on this question making data an economic good and rather than explain the dry, economic model, I’ll use another analogy. Say there is spring water running through your land. How would you commoditise it?
{{#scite:
|reference=thinkopen2020
|type=report
|title=Open source software strategy 2021-2023, think open
|publisher=European Commission
|location=Brussels Belgium
|number=7149
|year=2020
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|file=https://opencommons.org/images/9/9d/En_ec_open_source_strategy_2020-2023.pdf
}}


Personal data faces a similar challenge. Like flowing water, it doesn’t have good boundaries around that which we can say, this is mine, and those are yours. When it sits in corporations database, individuals have very few rights (only recently, rights of portable access because of GDPR). If we acquire it into our HAT microservers, we have therefore more rights over the data acquired, and can choose to give them away in exchange for something, like the way we might be able to give rights to the spring water running through our land. Yet, to commoditise it, we might need to put a boundary around it so that it can be exchanged. If you had spring water running through your land, you could give rights to access it between 8–9am in morning. That right of access becomes an exchangeable commodity in its own right. Or you can commoditise it yourself through bottled water, or a glass of water. Only then would it become easier to trade as a commodity.
{{#scite:
|reference=thinkopen2020
|type=report
|title=Open-source technologies for sustainable development
|publisher=United Nations Economic and Social Council
|location=New York NY
|resolution E/RES/2021/30
|year=2021
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|file=https://opencommons.org/images/8/83/Ecosoc_res_2021d30_en.pdf
}}


This is basically what we have done with personal data and HATs. We need to have a mechanism for HAT owners to acquire their data (similar to having rights to the spring water), a model for commoditising it for all possible usage of personal data (‘would you like a cup of water, a bottle of water or … something else’) which is the HAT schema that allows any possible recombination of data acquired to be made into an exchangeable bundle (commodification model). Then, to ensure the bundle can be given securely with end to end encryption (the exchange model), with clear rights (the legal model) and explicit permissions by the HAT owner (permissions model). That means HAT data isn’t just Spotify data, or Facebook data; once they get into the HAT, it’s all HAT data owned by the person – a store of value – in a standard format across all HAT owners. HAT data sits in a set of frameworks that makes it a medium of exchange (ie currency) for use and re-use by applications in a way that would allow an efficient market to form, and the person is “wealthier” with HAT microserver as a store of value for HAT data with multiple uses of that currency as a medium of exchange.
{{#scite:
|reference=lundell2021en
|type=book-chapter
|title=Enabling OSS Usage Through Procurement Projects: How Can Lock-in Effects Be Avoided?
|author=Björn Lundell;Jonas Gamalielsson;Simon Butler;Christoffer Brax;Tomas Persson;Anders Mattsson;Tomas Gustavsson;Jonas Feist;Jonas Öberg|+sep=;
|journal=IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
|publisher=Springer International Publishing
|year=2021
|pages=16-27
|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-75251-4_2
|issn=1868-4238;1868-422X|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-75251-4_2
}}


To find the market for such data is the subject of a whole new post….
{{#scite:
|reference=scanlon2019cr
|type=journal-article
|title=Critical Factors for Open Source Advancement in the U.S. Department of Defense
|author=Thomas P. Scanlon
|journal=IEEE Software
|publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
|year=2019
|volume=36
|issue=6
|pages=29-33
|doi=10.1109/ms.2019.2933769
|subject=Software
|issn=0740-7459;1937-4194|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8790750
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=robles2019se
|type=book-chapter
|title=Setting Up Government 3.0 Solutions Based on Open Source Software: The Case of X-Road
|author=Gregorio Robles;Jonas Gamalielsson;Björn Lundell|+sep=;
|journal=Lecture Notes in Computer Science
|publisher=Springer International Publishing
|year=2019
|pages=69-81
|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-27325-5_6
|issn=0302-9743;1611-3349|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-27325-5_6
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=kuechler2013mi
|type=book-chapter
|title=Misconceptions and Barriers to Adoption of FOSS in the U.S. Energy Industry
|author=Victor Kuechler;Carlos Jensen;Deborah Bryant|+sep=;
|journal=Open Source Software: Quality Verification
|publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg
|year=2013
|pages=232-244
|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-38928-3_17
|issn=1868-4238;1868-422X|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-38928-3_17
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=yenişen yavuz2022pr
|type=journal-article
|title=Problems, Solutions, and Success Factors in the openMDM User-Led Open Source Consortium
|author=Elçin Yenişen Yavuz;;Ann Barcomb;Dirk Riehle;;|+sep=;
|journal=Communications of the Association for Information Systems
|publisher=Association for Information Systems
|year=2022
|volume=51
|issue=1
|pages=509-542
|doi=10.17705/1cais.05122
|subject=Information Systems
|issn=1529-3181
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|url=https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol51/iss1/13/
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=viseur2023co
|type=journal-article
|title=CommunesPlone: An Original Open Source Model of Resource Pooling in the Public Sector
|author=Robert Viseur;Nicolas Jullien|+sep=;
|journal=IEEE Software
|publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
|year=2023
|volume=40
|issue=4
|pages=46-54
|doi=10.1109/ms.2023.3268352
|subject=Software
|issn=0740-7459;1937-4194|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10176193
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=frey2023ho
|type=journal-article
|title=How We Lead Successful Open-Source Collaborations in the Danish Public Sector
|author=Rasmus Frey
|journal=IEEE Software
|publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
|year=2023
|volume=40
|issue=4
|pages=19-24
|doi=10.1109/ms.2023.3268903
|subject=Software
|issn=0740-7459;1937-4194|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=favario2023to
|type=journal-article
|title=Toward a Free and Open Source-Driven Public Sector: An Italian Journey
|author=Leonardo Favario
|journal=IEEE Software
|publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
|year=2023
|volume=40
|issue=4
|pages=55-61
|doi=10.1109/ms.2023.3266706
|subject=Software
|issn=0740-7459;1937-4194|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|url=https://www.computer.org/csdl/magazine/so/2023/04/10176161/1OAJxGLzPsk
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=rudmark2023be
|type=journal-article
|title=Beyond Procurement: How Entur Navigated the Open Source Journey to Advance Public Transport
|author=Daniel Rudmark;Juho Lindman;Andreas Tryti;Brede Dammen|+sep=;
|journal=IEEE Software
|publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
|year=2023
|volume=40
|issue=4
|pages=62-70
|doi=10.1109/ms.2023.3266482
|subject=Software
|issn=0740-7459;1937-4194|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10176195
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=holbrook2023cl
|type=journal-article
|title=Clarity About Transparency: Software Transparency and Open Source Software Licenses in the U.S. Public Sector
|author=Luke D. Holbrook
|journal=IEEE Software
|publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
|year=2023
|volume=40
|issue=4
|pages=71-76
|doi=10.1109/ms.2023.3265889
|subject=Software
|issn=0740-7459;1937-4194|+sep=;
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10176179
}}
 
{{#scite:David Egts 2018
| date = 2018-12-20
| author = Tod Newcombe
| publisher = GovTech Today
| type= web
| title = Four Myths About Open Source in Government
| accessdate = 2019-10-27
| url = https://www.govtech.com/opinion/Four-Myths-About-Open-Source-in-Government-Contributed.html
}}
 
{{#scite:
|reference=preis2014op
|type=journal-article
|title=openPDS: Protecting the Privacy of Metadata through SafeAnswers
|author=Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye;Erez Shmueli;Samuel S. Wang;Alex Sandy Pentland|+sep=;
|editor=Tobias Preis
|journal=PLoS ONE
|publisher=Public Library of Science (PLoS)
|year=2014
|volume=9
|issue=7
|pages=e98790
|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0098790
|subject=Multidisciplinary
|issn=1932-6203
|retrieved-from=https://dx.doi.org/
|retrieved-on=2023-07-29
|file = https://opencommons.org/images/0/0e/OpenPDS.pdf
|github = https://github.com/HumanDynamics/openPDS
}}


At a recent GCHQ conference, I was asked why there is such a big market for personal data now even when rights are so ambiguous. The answer is that personal data is precious, and when there isn’t an explicit market for data exchanges, the black/grey market will do. Markets are like water coming down a mountain, it will find it’s own way. Many of the data brokering and exchange market places for personal data are now technically illegal since 25 May when GDPR came into effect. GDPR has broken that data supply chain by requiring explicit permissions for sharing. Many still do it because (1) it’s not easy to catch them (2) they hide behind some pseudo anonymisation rules. Unless there are clear ways for it to be exchanged by the person that generated it, the black market will continue to exist, much like early days of music sharing.
{{#scite:OL28341888M
=Demonstration Projects=
|title=Working in Public
{{#ask:  
  |type=book
  [[Category:Activity]]
  |subtitle=The Making and Maintenance of Open Source Software
  [[Has tag::Open Source]]
  |author=Nadia Eghbal
  |?=
  |publisher=Stripe Press
  |?Has image#=2
|pubdate=Aug 04, 2020
  |?Has description#=3
  |pages=256
  |format=plainlist
  |subject=Computer software
  |named args=yes
  |isbn=0578675862;9780578675862|+sep=;
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  |retrieved-on=2023-07-30
}}
}}

Latest revision as of 00:05, July 30, 2023


Data
Data
Sectors Data
Contact Wilfred Pinfold
Topics
Activities
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FIWARE4Cites.png FIWARE4Cities
FIWARE4Cities book edition 3 presents insight of cities into how they are using FIWARE and the benefits they are able to generate when making their cities smart, but also sustainable and resilient.
Flanders.jpg Flemish government launches data company Athumi
Flemish minister-president Jan Jambon officially presented the Flemish data company Athumi on Thursday evening. The company introduces data vaults in Flanders, which will allow citizens to choose what data they share with which organisations and for how long.
StFrancis200.jpg How Open-Source Software Makes Cities More Livable
St. Francis is now rolling out a new calendaring and scheduling service on its website, designed to help neighborhood people register for services or reserve space for events.
AccelOpenSource.jpg Impact of Open Source on the European economy
The Commission has published the results of a study analysing the economic impact of Open Source Software and Hardware on the European economy.
OASC.jpg MIMs Plus Technical Specifications final version 4 released
Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC) Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs) are the minimal but sufficient capabilities needed to achieve interoperability of data, systems, and services between buyers, suppliers and regulators across governance levels around the world. Because the mechanisms are based on an inclusive list of baselines and references, they take into account the different backgrounds of cities and communities and allow cities to achieve interoperability based on a minimal common ground.
OpenStrategicAutonomy.jpg Open Strategic Autonomy
An interconnected and open technology sector in Europe would provide the continent with cutting-edge, competitive solutions; well-paid jobs; and a turnover that contributes to Europe’s tax base and public welfare. As digitalisation and decarbonisation continue worldwide, an open technology sector would provide a strong geopolitical position, that allows Europe to set global technological standards, promote European values, as well as, maintain and grow Europe’s economy.
Collaboration Digital Twin Consortium.jpg Open-source collaboration drives digital twin innovation
The Digital Twin Consortium’s open-source collaboration initiative is now available to the public on GitHub. An open-source collaboration community will accelerate the adoption of digital twin-enabling technologies and solutions. Consortium members and non-members can collaborate on open-source projects, code, and collateral and become part of the DTC ecosystem.
Authors

WilfredPinfold.jpg

Open source refers to a type of software or technology whose source code is publicly available and can be modified and distributed by anyone. This means that the underlying code that makes the software or technology work is freely accessible to the public, and can be modified, improved, or distributed by anyone without the need for permission from the original creator.

Open source software is typically developed by a community of developers who work together to improve the software and share their modifications with the rest of the community. This collaborative approach to development allows for rapid innovation and can result in high-quality software that is widely used and widely supported.

Open source is in contrast to proprietary software, which is developed and distributed by a company or individual who retains exclusive control over the software's source code and distribution.

Open source is a fundamental concept in the software development field but has been extended to other areas such as education, research, and technology. Open-source hardware, Open-source content and Open-source drug discovery are some examples.

Open source is a philosophy that encourages collaboration and sharing, which aims to foster innovation, creativity, and community development.

Best Practices

There are several best practices that are commonly followed in open-source development:

  1. Use version control: Using a version control system such as Git allows multiple developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously and helps track changes to the code over time.
  2. Write clear and readable code: Open-source code should be easy to read and understand by other developers, which helps to ensure that others can contribute to the project and that the code can be easily maintained.
  3. Write documentation: Well-written documentation helps others understand the project and how to contribute.
  4. Write tests: Writing automated tests helps to ensure that the code works as intended and that any changes made to the code do not break existing functionality.
  5. Use a well accepted license: Open-source projects should have an open-source license which clearly states the terms under which the code can be used, modified, and distributed.
  6. Encourage community involvement: Encouraging contributions from the community and fostering a welcoming environment helps to build a strong and active community around the project.
  7. Continuously improve: Continuously improve the codebase, fix bugs, and add new features to keep the project active and relevant.
  8. Be inclusive: Be inclusive and respectful of all contributors regardless of their background or experience.

By following these best practices, open-source development teams can create high-quality, well-maintained, and widely adopted code that benefits the entire community.

Continuously improve van be achieved from the outset by using Agile development methodologies. Agile software development emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. It is often used in open-source software development to manage the collaborative process of developing and maintaining software.

In Agile development, a software project is broken down into small, manageable chunks called iterations or sprints, usually lasting a few weeks. Each iteration or sprint is focused on delivering a working piece of software that contains a set of specific features or improvements. The team works closely with the stakeholders, such as users and customers, to prioritize and plan the work for each iteration.

In an open-source software context, Agile development allows for a flexible and collaborative process where developers from different backgrounds, locations, and skill levels can work together to deliver a high-quality product. The stakeholders, such as the users and contributors, can provide feedback and suggestions at any point in the development process.

Some of the key principles of Agile development in open-source software include:

Working software is the primary measure of progress

  • Welcome changing requirements
  • Deliver working software frequently
  • Collaboration between developers and stakeholders
  • Continuous improvement

The Agile development approach in open-source software can provide a transparent and flexible development process that allows for rapid innovation and customer satisfaction.

Barriers to Use

Two barriers currently exist to effective and powerful smart city solutions. First, many current smart city ICT deployments are based on custom systems that are not interoperable, portable across cities, extensible, or cost-effective. Second, a number of architectural design efforts are currently underway (e.g. ISO/IEC JTC1, IEC, IEEE, ITU and consortia) but have not yet converged, creating uncertainty among stakeholders. To reduce these barriers, NIST and its partners convened an international public working group to compare and distill from these architectural efforts and city stakeholders a consensus framework of common architectural features to enable smart city solutions that meet the needs of modern communities.


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