Splinter Meeting:Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in the Geosciences

• DOI: 10.1038/nature10836

Wednesday, April 1017:30 – 19:00 hoursRoom R10

Working with Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)

inScience ?

Welcome home !

It's time to talk about FOSS -in Science

“To every age its SCIENCE.

To SCIENCE its freedom.”

Close Up

Sezession-Museum,Karlsplatz, Vienna

To every age ist art.

To art ist freedom.

Free Open Source Software in ScienceA success story !

• One year ago:– EGU 2012: First Splinter Session on FOSS– Many attendees, very positive feedback

• AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, December 2012:– First full session on FOSS in Science– Reach Out Meeting between AGU and OSGeo

• EGU 2013:– Second Splinter Meeting (right now)– Reach Out Meeting with OSGeo (afterwards) – Coverage by Austrian Public Radio ORF.– Session ESSI2.7 tommorrow:

• People got travel money for EGU just because of their FOSS work!

FOSS makes thedifference

Session ESSI 2.7:Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) for

Geoinformatics and Geosciences

Thursday, April 11

Oral Presentations:10:30 – 12:00 hours

Room R14

Agenda

• What is this FOSS exactly ?– Software ? Where to get it ?– A way to do (better) research ? Lifestyle ? Ideology ?– Significance of FOSS for EGU / ESSI– Showcases

• Discussion: Challenges / Issues / Road ahead

• Opportunity: Meet with local FOSS people at SCHWEIZERHOF Restaurant (19:30 hours) for more discussions.

Overview

Available FOSS Software Tools

Impact on Science

FOSS Organisations

Your work,Your needs

Benefits from Free Software (according to the

Free Software Foundation)

How are scientists using FOSS ?● Scientists apply and communicate FOSS:

● To “forge” new research tools● FOSS to implement algorithms● To extend existing tools & apply them for new uses● To share their work in the scientific and FOSS communities

● Scientists aren't professional programmers. They create● “tools which work (well enough)”● “proof of concept”

ESSI 2.7 Thursday:

10:30, R14

Introducing FOSS Software

• There are many FOSS tools for Science available.

• Most of the are on the Web

• FOSS tools are available for Microsoft/Mac/Linux/Android/etc.

• There is FOSS data (e.g.: Open Street Map)

• Most tools are „ready to use“ (available as executables, source code is provided anyway)

• FOSS tools can be used together with propietary software.

• They can interact with propietary data formats.

FOSS-Communities

• People using and developing FOSS are organized in multiple ways (which are compatible. Ist no one-or-the-other)

• Example: R (Statistics) – CRAN Archive– Mailing Lists– Books

• Geospatial Example:– OSGeo: Worldwide

Umbrella Organisation since mid2000s

– Community and licence appliance testing

– Conferences

BTW: Many EGU members are

involved in FOSS communities.

Before 2012, this didn‘t show at

EGU.

Reaching Critical Mass

• One main benefit of FOSS tools is the Freedom to combine them into any kind of workflow.

• Problem: It would be good to know what tools exist and where to find them ...

http://live.osgeo.org

• A „swiss army knife“ collection of Geospatial tools (+ data + documentation)

• Linux based• Can be used standalone

(leaves no footprint)

• Or for installation• DVD/UsbStick/ISO-

Image

http://live.osgeo.org

http://live.osgeo.org

Microsoft Windows Installers at http://live.osgeo.org

Apple Installers at http://live.osgeo.org

Information Sourceson FOSS in Science and Applications

• OSGeo portal: www.osgeo.org

• Project Websites

• Blogs

• Slideshare

• Youtube

FOSS in Science: “FOSSIS”● Communicate findings, learn from others

● Connect & network with FOSS practioners from all scientific fields

● Support the “next generation” of scientists using and promoting FOSS in Science.

● Everybody can participate – not limited to Scientists

● Everbody will benefit

Tasks for FOSSIS

● Knowledge ● advancing,● sharing and● Preservation

● Follow the scientific method● “Reproducible research vs. non-reproducible

research”

FOSSIS Issue: Code Citation● Recognition of scientific work by peers:

Reviewed Articles, Conferences like EGU

● Recognition for FOSS code by peers @ EGU ? ● Not there yet

● Recognition of advances in “FOSS in Science” is needed !

Example● Current research leads to new database tools,● these are shared and become used

worldwide.● This DOES NOT improve one's citation record

- yet.

Is community-accepted FOSS-code peer-reviewed ?

Ideas for EGU 2013● A ESSI-session for “FOSSIS technical solutions” (derived

from other topical sessions) ?

● A FOSSIS price for young scientists ?● Innovative FOSS use in a scientific field ?● Unheard of combined use of FOSS tools ?

● Tangible web-presence/contact point for FOSSIS at EGU

● EGU 2014: Tutorials on FOSS Software ?

ESSI 2.7 Thursday

Mailing List:Give use your

contact email to join !

TBD

It's time to talk about FOSS -in Science

“To every age its SCIENCE.

To SCIENCE its freedom.”

Close Up

Sezession-Museum,Karlsplatz, Vienna

To every age ist art.

To art ist freedom.

FOSS in Science● Communicate findings, learn from others

● Connect & network with FOSS practioners from all scientific fields

● Support the “next generation” of scientists using and promoting FOSS in Science.

●

● Everybody can participate – not limited to Scientists

● Everbody will benefit

Burning Issue: Code Citation

● Recognition of scientific work by peers: Reviewed Articles, Conferences like EGU

● Recognition for FOSS in Science by peers @ EGU ? Not there yet

● Recognition of advances in “FOSS in Science” is needed

Nature

• DOI: 10.1038/nature10836

Let‘s move to: Schweizerhaus

• U1 Subway Exit: Praterstern

• Address: Prater 116, 1020 Wien

www.schweizerhaus.at

Because for technical reasons at the moment we do not accept credit cards!

Thanks for coming !

See you atFOSSGIS 2013 (Rapperswill)FOSS4G 2013 (Nottingham)FOSS4GCEE 2013 (Bucarest)

AGU 2014EGU 2014

…

Splinter Meeting:Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in the

Geosciences

This splinter meeting allows geoscientists to discuss the opportunities and challenges of Free and Open Source (FOSS) Software in their respective fields.

Wednesday, April 1017:30 – 19:00 hours

Room R10