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10-15-08

Media Release

Government open source discussion circles the globe via video and Webcast

PORTLAND, Ore. – Information technology dignitaries from around the world will convene in person and via video conference on Oct. 20 to discuss “Global Perspective on the Interest and Impact of Open Source Software in National, Regional Governments.” This groundbreaking event will kick off the four-day Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON) in Portland. Speakers and their locations include:

•From GOSCON: Tim Ney, co-founder, Linux Greenhouse; Mel McIntyre, non-executive director, OpenForum Europe; Andy Stein, director of IT, City of Newport News and panel moderator

•From Brazil: Marcos Vinicius Ferreira Mazoni, diretor-presidente do serpro, Serviço Federal de Processamento de Dados

•From Sri Lanka: Shahani Weerawarana, Ph.D.

•From Washington, D.C.: Samia Melhem, chair of eDevelopment Thematic Group, World Bank; Vivek Kundra, CTO of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. (invited)

•From Russia: Yuri Hohlov, chairman, Institute for Information Society Russia.

In the countries of Ghana, Senegal and Rwanda, audiences will attend virtually.

The videoconference is collaborative effort of GOSCON, the World Bank Global Information and Communications Technologies Department and Oregon State University.

“I am proud to see Oregon State University’s Open Source Lab and GOSCON continue to bring together leadership in open source technology” said Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski. “Extending the conversation to our international colleagues is exciting. I applaud efforts to develop and implement information and communications technology that has the potential to bring more efficient and accessible systems to citizens across the globe.”

Tim Ney will provide the keynote address. He is recognized for his advocacy of digital access, as well as his extensive knowledge of open source licensing and business models. As co-founder of the Linux Greenhouse, which nurtures collaborative innovation in the private and public sectors, he has advised governments in Brazil, Chile, Korea and Spain on IT strategy. He served as executive of the GNOME and Free Software foundations, where he expanded the impact of those organizations around the world.

Samia Melhem of the World Bank said, “Exchanging and sharing good practices and lessons learnt on open source software is critical to inform our clients and allow them to make informed choices on what works and why. This knowledge is a critical success factor for good planning, efficient implementation, and long-term usage and sustainability of information and communication technology applications for development (ICT4D).”

The two-hour event also will be made freely available on the Internet by Webcast.

Conference keynotes this year include:

•Paul Taylor, chief strategy officer for the Center for Digital Government, who will speak on the future of government on the internet

•Bryan Kirschner, director of Open Source Strategy for Microsoft, who will speak on Microsoft’s strategy and relationship with open source

•Vivek Kundra, chief technology officer, Washington, D.C., who will speak on innovation

•Aneesh Chopra, Virginia’s Secretary of Technology, who will speak on collaboration.

Industry sponsorship for GOSCON 2008 includes IBM, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, OpenSourcery, DLT Solutions and Zenoss, CollabNet, Analyze Soft Inc, and Dataman USA.

More information about the conference can be found at http://goscon.org/

About the Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON): Now in its fourth year, GOSCON stands unrivaled as an open source software conference targeted specifically to agency CIOs and management-level personnel, their planning, policy and procurement staff. It is produced by the Open Source Lab Public Sector Communities Program at Oregon State University.
About the Oregon State University Open Source Lab (OSL): The Oregon State University Open Source Lab (OSL) creates a unique atmosphere of innovation for students, faculty, and staff by providing an open, diverse environment for development and collaboration. As part of its mission, the OSL offers a professional hosting environment to the open source community, as well as software development services to industry. With its world-class infrastructure, the OSL hosts and supports some of the world’s largest open source projects such as the Linux Kernel, Plone, Drupal, Gentoo, Debian, Apache, The FOSSology Project, and OpenOffice. Its outreach and educational programs include GOSCON, the Government Open Source Conference.
About the Global Information and Communication Technologies Department (GICT): GICT is a joint department of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Bringing together IFC's experience in private sector investment transactions and the World Bank's expertise in policy and regulatory matters, GICT promotes access to information and communication technologies in developing countries. The e-Development Thematic Group is a global forum and community of professionals interested in the role of ICT in development, which is open for participation by both World Bank staff and external clients and partners.