Free/Libre/Open Source Software - Policy Support

Objective

The FLOSS project (funded by IST/FP5) resulted in the single largest knowledge base on open source usage and development worldwide. The proposed support action builds on the FLOSS project to fill in important gaps in the understanding of open source, thus supporting the objectives of the work-programme and maintaining the EU's lead in this domain. FLOSS-POLS will work on three specific tracks: government policy towards open source; gender issues in open source; and the efficiency of open source as a system for collaborative problem-solving. While all areas will have a focus on studying the impact of policy and providing policy recommendations, the first track comprises three survey-based studies: on interoperability; user needs in open source e-government; and open source as a skills development environment especially important for SMEs. The second track will be the world's first comprehensive study of gender issues in open source - where women are hugely under-represented; based on ethnographic study, it will result in concrete policy recommendations. The third track will study open source as a productive networked organization through simulation models of collaborative (information-sharing) and selfish (information-selling) agents. Overall, there is a strong emphasis on feedback to and from the user (government) community, through a series of topical workshops as well as the organisation of a major conerence on open source in e-government (EGOVOS, at UNESCO, Paris November 24-26, 2003).

Programme(s)

• FP6-IST - Information Society Technologies: thematic priority under the specific programme "Integrating and strengthening the European research area" (2002-2006).

Topic(s)

• IST-2002-2.3.1.9 - Networked business and governments

Funding Scheme

Coordinator

Participants (3)