Introductionary slidestack from the second FOSS splinter meeting at the EGU GA 2013

1. Splinter Meeting:
Free and Open Source Software
(FOSS) in the Geosciences
• DOI: 10.1038/nature10836
Wednesday, April 10
17:30 – 19:00 hours
Room R10

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

3. It's time to talk about FOSS -in Science
“To every age its SCIENCE.
To SCIENCE its freedom.”
Close Up
Sezession-Museum,
Karlsplatz, Vienna

4. Free Open Source Software in Science
A 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!

5. 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

6. 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.

7. Overview
Available FOSS Software Tools
Impact on
Science
FOSS
Organisations
Your work,
Your needs

8. Benefits from Free Software
(according to the
Free Software Foundation)

9. 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

10. 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/And
roid/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.

11. 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

12. 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 ...

13. 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

14. http://live.osgeo.org

15. http://live.osgeo.org

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

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

18. Information Sources
on FOSS in Science and Applications
• OSGeo portal:
www.osgeo.org
• Project Websites
• Blogs
• Slideshare
• Youtube

19. 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

20. Tasks for FOSSIS
● Knowledge
● advancing,
● sharing and
● Preservation
● Follow the scientific method
● “Reproducible research vs. non-reproducible
research”

21. 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 !

22. 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 ?

23. 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

24. It's time to talk about FOSS -in Science
“To every age its SCIENCE.
To SCIENCE its freedom.”
Close Up
Sezession-Museum,
Karlsplatz, Vienna

25. 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

26. 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

27. Nature
• DOI: 10.1038/nature10836

28. 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!

29. Thanks for coming !
See you at
FOSSGIS 2013 (Rapperswill)
FOSS4G 2013 (Nottingham)
FOSS4GCEE 2013 (Bucarest)
AGU 2014
EGU 2014
…

30. 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 10
17:30 – 19:00 hours
Room R10