Introduction to the splinter meeting on "Free and Open Source Software in the Geosciences", held on April 10 2013 at the European Geoscience Union (EGU) General Assembly in Vienna.

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

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

3. It's time to talk about FOSS -in Science
Close Up
“To every age its SCIENCE.
To SCIENCE its freedom.”
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
FOSS Your work,
Organisations Your needs
Impact on
Science

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

9. How are scientists using FOSS ?
ESSI 2.7
Thursday:
● Scientists apply and communicate FOSS: 10:30,
● To “forge” new research tools R14
● 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”

10. Introducing FOSS Software
• There are many FOSS • There is FOSS data (e.g.:
tools for Science Open Street Map)
available.
• Most tools are „ready to
• Most of the are on the use“ (available as executables,
Web source code is provided anyway)
• FOSS tools are available • FOSS tools can be used
for together with propietary
Microsoft/Mac/Linux/And software.
roid/etc.
• They can interact with
propietary data formats.

11. FOSS-Communities
• People using and • Geospatial Example:
developing FOSS are – OSGeo: Worldwide
organized in multiple Umbrella Organisation
ways (which are compatible. since mid2000s
Ist no one-or-the-other) – Community and licence
• Example: R (Statistics) appliance testing
– CRAN Archive – Conferences
– Mailing Lists
– Books

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 ESSI 2.7
Thursday
● A ESSI-session for “FOSSIS technical solutions” (derived
from other topical sessions) ?
● A FOSSIS price for young scientists ? TBD
● 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 ?
Mailing List:
Give use your
contact email to
join !

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
Wednesday, April 10
17:30 – 19:00 hours
Room R10
This splinter meeting allows geoscientists to discuss the
opportunities and challenges of Free and Open Source
(FOSS) Software in their respective fields.