What is OSSI? The Open Source Software Institute (OSSI) is a non-profit (501 c 6) organization comprised of corporate, government, academic and Open Source Community representatives whose mission is to promote the development and implementation of open-source software solutions within U.S. federal, state and municipal government agencies and academic entities.
To keep up-to-date on OSSI activities, please register on the OSSI web site to access additional OSSI program information and updates as well as open source reference materials. (this is a low-volume info-update list)
Click here to contribute to OSSI:
OSSI is a non-profit organization that depends on YOUR support to keep our programs going. Please join or make a contribution today. Thanks.
REGISTER TODAY for the
2008 Red Hat Government Users and Developers Conference
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Ronald Reagan Center, Washington, DC
The
2008 Red Hat Government Users and Developers Conference (RHGUDC) showcases innovations and trends in open source technology. Engineers, architects and business decision-makers from federal, state, and local government agencies come together to hear each other's stories and learn what Red Hat is working on to give you in the future.
KEYNOTE PANEL: Driving Open Source Policy through the Department of Defense
- Daniel Risacher, Data Strategy Leader, Office of Secretary of Defense, Network Information and Integration
- John Scott, Project Leader, Open Technology Development Roadmap
- John Weathersby, Founder and Director of the Open Source Software Institute
Abstract: Want to learn how to introduce open source products into the complex Department of Defense procurement process?
Open source software is everywhere within DoD and Federal Government IT systems. However, the procurement process for open source solutions is still a major challenge for interested government users and vendors alike. Listen first hand as the panel addresses the the strategic vision and critical policy efforts that are helping to make open source software solutions and services more accessible to government and DoD users.
Government Open Source Conference 2008
Monday, 20 October, 2008 - Thursday, 23 October, 2008
Portland, Oregon
The Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON) 2008 and the International Open ICT Summit provide forums to explore both the business case and real-world applications for open technology to deliver the next generation of government services. Attendees will hear from industry experts and their peers. Extensive networking oportunities for CIO & IT directors, management, planning, legal staff.
OSSI Government Open Source Essentials Roundtable
September 5, 2008 - McClean, VA
Click image to download meeting notes (pdf)
September 5, 2008
GOSE Meeting Notes and Feedback
On Friday, September 5, 2008, the Open Source Software Institute hosted the second Government Open Source Essentials roundtable meeting at the offices of Pillsbury, LLP in McClean, VA. The meeting was attended by government and industry representatives including: (industry) Akamai Technologies, Autonomic Resources, Ingres, Pentaho, Pillsbury, Red Hat, SBI Net, and Sun Microsystems/MySQL; (government) Office of the Secretary of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Defense Information Systems Agency, and Department of the Navy.
The next GOSE meeting (date to be announced) will focus on security and open source software within the government.
Click here to join the Govt_oss_essentials discussion forum and receive updates on meetings and discussion topics.
From the article: Adding to the information glut, there’s an increasingly large amount of data to read outside of Intelink. Intelligence analysts are finding it more important to keep up with “open source” information — nonclassified material published in full public view, like newspapers, jihadist blogs and discussion boards in foreign countries. This adds ever more calories to the daily info diet. The W.M.D. analyst I spoke to regularly reads the blog of Juan Cole, a University of Michigan professor known for omnivorous linking to, and acerbic analysis of, news from the Middle East. “He’s not someone spies would normally pay attention to, but now he’s out there — and he’s a subject-matter expert, right?” the analyst said.
The US Navy is bored with manufacturer lock-in and wants to buy IT systems based on open standards.only.
Speaking this month at the Navy IT conference in Vienna, VA , Vice Admiral Mark Edwards, the 'CIO' of the Navy, declared: “The days of proprietary technology must come to an end,” he said. “We will no longer accept systems that couple hardware, software and data," FCW reports.
The US Navy is bored with manufacturer lock-in and wants to buy IT systems based on open standards.only.
Speaking this month at the Navy IT conference in Vienna, VA , Vice Admiral Mark Edwards, the 'CIO' of the Navy, declared: “The days of proprietary technology must come to an end,” he said. “We will no longer accept systems that couple hardware, software and data," FCW reports.
HP recently announced a software governance initiative to help companies address the legal, financial and security risks faced when adopting free and open source software (FOSS).
Underlying this community-based initiative is a major contribution from HP’s research and development efforts to help effectively manage open source as part of an overall enterprise IT plan. This intellectual property contribution is based on seven years of internal development and includes processes, policies and tools.