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NASA has recently developed an Open Source option for the release of NASA-developed software. Open Source means that software is distributed with source code and a usage agreement that grants specific rights regarding use and reuse of the code.
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NAS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE
Open Source for NASA means enhanced software quality through community review and development, enhanced collaboration through sharing of NASA-originated software, and more efficient and effective dissemination of research products (such as software) to the public.
As part of the effort to create an Open Source option, NASA formed a cross-agency legal team - this team created the NASA Open Source Agreement (NOSA) for Open Source releases. NOSA is endorsed by the Open Source Initiative, and is the chief overseer of NASA's Open Source definitions and usage agreements.
NASA-Specific Open Source Resources
The following is a list of relevant resources on Open Source:
+ Developing An Open Source Option for NASA Software (PDF version, 209K)
This NAS technical report provides background material on why an Open Source option is appropriate for NASA.
+ NASA Space Act (NASA Charter)
The NASA charter: the agency shall "provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof."
External Open Source Resources
+ Faster, Better, Cheaper -- NSF-Sponsored Software Research
National Science Foundation-sponsored work by researcher Walt Schacchi finds the Open Source distribution model holds many advantages over traditional development models.
+ Open Source Initiative
The Open Source Initiative provides definition criteria for Open Source and a list of approved licenses that conform to the definition.
+ PITAC (Developing Open Source Software for High End Computing) (PDF version, 1.4 MB)
In 2000, a President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC), comprised of participants from industry, academia, and government laboratories, gathered to address the subject of "Developing Open Source Software to Advance High End Computing." The committee produced three recommendations, detailed in the report.
+ The Computing Research Association report (PDF version, 143K) on licensing strategies for information technology.
+ The Center of Open Source & Government
The Center of Open Source & Government provides some useful links to resources relevant to Open Source software within the government.
+ Use of Free and Open Source Software in the U.S. Department of Defense (PDF version, 3.9 MB)
This report documents results of a study by Terry Bollinger at the MITRE Corporation on the use of free and open source software (FOSS) in the U.S. Department of Defense.
To read some of the links above, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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NASA OPEN SOURCE LINKS
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