OSOR offers web space and facilities for creation of communities
The European Commission's Open Source Observatory and Repository project (Osor.eu) invites anyone working on open source to launch their own community-section on the OSOR website.
Open source policy-makers, software developers and other users of the OSOR website can, for example, start a community section based on their area of expertise, country or language. For instance, European specialists on public procurement of open source software can in this way easily start working together with colleagues in other EU member states.
Once a new section is added, users can add blog entries, create and participate in discussions and comment on news articles. Users can also easily share documents and case studies and assist in creating a knowledge base for their community.
Such sections can provide an exchange among public administrations about their user needs and service delivery in a specific field. They can also become a hub for developers and help reference existing open source applications, or trigger discussions following new legislation.
"An OSOR community is open to anyone who may want to join", explains the project website. The project recommends community facilitators to define a clear purpose, scope of action and priorities.
Internet tools
"We hope this will boost the exchange of good practises regarding open source and open standards and that it will result in the sharing of experiences by public administrations", explains Szabolcs Szekacs, Osor.eu project officer at IDABC, the European Commission's unit for e-Government policies.
Szekacs expects those active on open source and open standards in public administrations to make use of the new possibilities. "They have much information and many software projects they want to share with their colleagues in other administrations. By offering them these easy-to-use Internet tools, we can help them achieve that."
Since the start of the OSOR's current web site in October 2008, four community sections have been created. These focus on technical topics like the GIS/SDI community section, discussing open source tools relevant for Geographic Information Systems. The section wants to promote the exchange of open source software and experience in this field.
Another example is the section on Municipalities, which aims to support the exchange of good practise and the collaborative development and re-use of open source applications relevant to public administrations in Europe.
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