This document summarizes a presentation about using free and open source software (FOSS) in geoscience. The presentation will take place at the EGU conference on Tuesday at 17:30 in room SM6. The presenters will discuss how scientists use and contribute to FOSS tools to conduct research, communicate findings, and extend existing tools for new applications. They will also discuss ideas to better recognize and support the role of FOSS in scientific work, such as establishing a FOSSIS session at EGU to highlight technical FOSS solutions or awarding a prize for innovative FOSS use. Attendees will be invited to introduce themselves and their fields of science and FOSS tools.

1. Splinter Session SPM1.41
Free and Open Source Software
in the Geosciences
TUESDAY 17:30 hours Room SM6
See you there
Alessandro Frigeri / Peter Löwe

2. Working with
Free and Open Source Software
(FOSS)
in
Science ?

3. Working with
Free and Open Source Software
(FOSS)
in
Science ?
Welcome home !

4. Nightly inspiration
Motto of the “Secession”
"To every age its art. To
art its freedom."
"Der Zeit ihre Kunst. Der Kunst
ihre Freiheit."

5. It's time to talk about FOSS -in Science
To every age its
SCIENCE.
To SCIENCE its
freedom.

6. Free Software
according to the
Free Software Foundation

7. Why FOSS at EGU ?
●
Will EGU become a hacker fest ?
●
●
Will it turn into a software trade show ?
●
●
Will we discuss LATEX fonts ?
●
Very unlikely

8. 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 do
●
“tools which work (well enough)”
●
“proof of concept”

9. Introduction: Our turn
●
Alessandro Frigeri
●
Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica
●
FOSS GIS since 1995 OSGEO Italy
●
Planetary Geology / Subsurface Radar Sounder
●
●
Peter Löwe
●
German Reserach Centre for Geosciences
●
FOSS GIS since 1998 FOSSGIS Germany
●
Tsunami Early Warning Systems / Data Visualisation
●
FOSS IS THE COMMON BASE OF OUR DAILY WORK

10. 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
●

11. Tasks for FOSSIS
●
Knowledge
●
advancing,
●
sharing and
●
preservation (“Keepers of the Flame – since
1995”)
●
●
Follow the scientific method
●
“Reproducible research vs. non-reproducible
research”

12. FOSSIS Issue: Code Citation
●
Recognition of scientific work by peers:
Reviewed Articles, Conferences like EGU
●
●
Recognition for FOSSIS by peers @ EGU ?
Not there yet
●
●
Recognition of advances in “FOSS in
Science” is needed

13. 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 ?

14. 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

15. Introduction: Your turn
●
Who are you ?
●
What are your fields of science ?
●
What are your FOSS tools ?
●
Free Spatial Data – Open Street Map …?
●
●
●
What do you expect from next years FOSSIS
session at EGU ?

16. Thanks for listening.

17. Thanks for listening.
Let's start talking.
Thanks for listening.
Let's start talking.
ploewe @ gfz-potsdam.de
alessandro.frigeri @ ifsi-roma.inaf.it