[OSGeo-Discuss] Fwd: Late-added workshop for IEMSS 2010 - Software Development Issues and Going Open Source

[Daniel Ames]

Dear OSGeo Discuss List,

Because many of you are involved in environmental modeling like me, you may
be interested in attending iEMSs in Canada next summer (this is a major
biannual environmental modeling and software conference).  If  you are
already attending, or if you are considering attending, would you consider
submitting a talk in our open source and software development issues
workshop? (See below). We're looking for case studies in going open source -
related to environmental modeling...

Thanks, and Happy New Year!

- Dan



“S” is for “Software” – Licensing Issues, Shared Code Development, and Why
You Should Consider Going Open Source

(see this page for details: http://www.iemss.org/iemss2010/page31.html)

 W14. “S” is for “Software” – Licensing Issues, Shared Code Development, and
Why You Should Consider Going Open Source
Organisers: Daniel P. Ames, Idaho State University (dpames at gmail.com)
Alex Storey, University of Guelph (alex at devmail.com)

Repeat after me: “I [state your name] am not going to get rich writing
environmental modeling software.” The sooner you and I and the rest of our
community accept this truism, the more quickly we can advance our science by
breaking down walls of software secrecy – be they intentionally or
unintentionally emplaced – and hence fostering collaborations at all phases
of modeling software development, testing, and use. Indeed, a new spirit of
software “openness” has sprung forth in some of the least likely of places.
To wit: Microsoft now sponsors a fast growing open source software
development community portal and has released all of its key development
languages as free “express editions” – in part to support the development of
open source software. This movement definitely follows the long standing
scientific tradition of publishing one’s research methods and findings in
the open literature; certainly the release of source code is the most
fundamental form of publication in the field of environmental modeling and
software.

There are many reasons why you may not be participating in the open source
movement. For example: discomfort at the thought of other individuals
viewing your spaghetti code, lack of a clear understanding of the different
licenses available and what they mean, lack of time and energy to manage
such an effort, or possibly delusional ideas about the fortune to be made
from selling your latest groundwater model optimization code (if this last
reason is yours, then be sure to review the opening mantra in this workshop
summary).

The purpose of this workshop is to address these issues through
presentations and discussion of 1) licensing options and implications, 2)
shared code development tools and systems, and 3) shared/open source model
software development case studies. Participation is sought from individuals
with experience and success stories related to this topic. Also, individuals
new to open source software development, or who are afraid that one day
their code will be sitting in a doorstop (the final resting place of so much
good code long since forgotten in an old worn out computer) are also highly
encouraged to join this workshop.


-- 
Daniel P. Ames, Ph.D. PE
Associate Professor, Geosciences
Idaho State University - Idaho Falls
amesdani at isu.edu
geology.isu.edu
www.hydromap.com
www.mapwindow.org

*************************************************************************
See you at MapWindow GIS 2010!
Orlando, Florida, USA
31 March - 2 April 2010
http://www.mapwindow.org/conference/2010

Also at:
AWRA GIS 2010: http://www.awra.org/meetings/Florida2010/
IEMSS 2010: http://www.iemss.org/iemss2010/
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