The document discusses the City of Amsterdam's efforts to build an open source ecosystem for cities. It outlines how the city's Datapunt team develops open data APIs, data products, and applications to connect and share city data internally and publicly. The team uses agile development practices and contributes code to open source projects on GitHub in order to collaborate, increase transparency, and attract developers. The city aims to establish an international community of civic developers working on open source challenges and solutions for cities.

1. City of
Amsterdam
Amsterdam Open Source
Growing an Open Source ecosystem for cities.

2. Boris van Hoytema
Open Source Advisor, City of Amsterdam
Director, Foundation For Public Code
boris@publiccode.net
@bvhme

3. Software in the city

4. Datapunt: Connecting City Data
● Development team
● Tasked to connect city data in
Amsterdam
○ Connect internal and external data
○ With internal users, partners and the
public
○ To who wants it and is allowed to
● Mix of own and ‘client’ work

5. Datapunt: Team
● An Agile Scrum workflow enabling iterative development
● Using DevOps and Continuous Delivery to accelerate development
● Team includes Backenders, Frontenders, DevOpsers, Supporters, Privacy
experts, Designers, Architects, Product Owners
User needs
Usable
solutions
Building in one or more sprints
of two weeks
1 2 3

6. We have to use Open Source

7. City Data APIs
● APIs for Maps, Statistics, 360°
Imagery, Addresses, Company
information Historical data, etc,
etc, etc
● REST APIs, WMS/WFS services and
map tiles
● Access control for restricted data
● All with OpenAPI documentation

8. Data products
Open data portal for existing open
data
● Frontends to the City Data APIs
● For the public, partners and
internal users (progressive
disclosure)

9. We have to use and contribute to
Open Source

10. «Oh, we can develop apps easily!»

11. FIXXX Applications
● Solutions to actual problems
inside the organisation
● Often connected to the data but
not always
● Deals with similar progressive
disclosure issues
● Apps for the fire department, tour
bus operators, collaborative public
safety and more

12. My Amsterdam
A citizen self-service portal
● One place where a citizen can see
what is happening all across the
City organisation with their cases
● Aggregating and showing data on
cases
● Leaving business logic with the
departments
● A new UI for citizens to deal with
the City

13. Code == Code

14. We have to use, contribute to
and develop Open Source

15. ● Collaboration
● Security
● Transparency
● Support, reliability and
maintainability
● Agility
● Reusability
● Attractiveness
amsterdam.github.io
Why Open Source

16. github.com/amsterdam
All of our code is on GitHub
● Models
● City Data Portal
● Data pipelines
● APIs
● Infrastructure
...

17. amsterdam.github.io
Just started
● Comprehensive showcase of
products
● All the guides and policy we have
or know on Open Source

18. Projects

19. An Open Source Ecosystem for cities

20. Working on an Open Source for cities community
We want to find out how to:
● Share “challenges” and
“solutions” to find collaborations
and learn from each other
● Find governance models for
Open Source projects and
collaborations
● Build an international community
of city and civic developers and
dev management

21. City of
Amsterdam
Thanks
boris@publiccode.net
@bvhme
Foundation For
Public Code