[GRASS5] National Center for Open Source Policy and Research

[Michael Barton]

According to the article I ran into, the NCOSPR has just opened. It seems
that at least some parts of the federal government have continued to use
open source software. Now, there is some degree of recognition that this
could be a good thing--at least enough of a recognition to start a new
center to coordinate it.

Michael
__________________________________________
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-2402

phone: 480-965-6213
fax: 480-965-7671
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton



> From: Thomas Adams <Thomas.Adams at noaa.gov>
> Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 10:06:17 -0400
> To: <roger at spinn.net>
> Cc: <grass5 at grass.itc.it>
> Subject: Re: [GRASS5] National Center for Open Source Policy and Research
> 
> There is no U.S. Federal policy on GIS. At best, GIS policy exists on an
> agency-by-agency basis (sometimes at the Dept. level, e.g. maybe at
> Interior). I can say unequivocally thet there is no Dept. of Commerce or
> NOAA or NWS policy on GIS.
> 
> Regards,
> Tom
> 
> 
> Roger Miller wrote:
> 
>> I'm not sure how much this can help GRASS in the US.
>> 
>> Several years ago the GAO decided that all federal agencies would use one GIS
>> provider.  They chose ESRI software and that is one of the factors that gave
>> ESRI such a huge share of the US market.  Federal support for other GIS
>> software -- notably GRASS and MOSS -- stopped at about that time.  Major uses
>> of GRASS by Federal agencies (NRCS in particular) were ported to ArcInfo.
>> Research institutions that worked with NRCS (e.g. Texas A&M Blacklands
>> Institute and the Cornell Soil and Water Lab) seem to have drifted away from
>> their commitment to GRASS.
>> 
>> There may be other restrictions on federal agency use of Open Source
>> software.
>> 
>> Roger Miller
>> 
>> On Wednesday 26 October 2005 01:21, Michael Barton wrote:
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>> I just came across this new center to help encourage open source software
>>> for government agencies. If I understand it correctly, if US government
>>> agencies use GRASS and register it here the center will help with
>>> distribution of software and information. Might be something to send on out
>>> to the user list.
>>> 
>>> <http://www.ncospr.org/index.php>
>>> 
>>> Michael
>>> 
>>> __________________________________________
>>> Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
>>> School of Human Evolution and Social Change
>>> Arizona State University
>>> Tempe, AZ 85287-2402
>>> 
>>> phone: 480-965-6213
>>> fax: 480-965-7671
>>> www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> grass5 mailing list
>>> grass5 at grass.itc.it
>>> http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass5
>>>    
>>> 
>> 
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>>  
>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Thomas E Adams
> National Weather Service
> Ohio River Forecast Center
> 1901 South State Route 134
> Wilmington, OH 45177
> 
> EMAIL: thomas.adams at noaa.gov
> 
> VOICE: 937-383-0528
> FAX: 937-383-0033
>