[GRASS-PSC] Migration to git/gog

["Peter Löwe"]

Dear PSC,

I would like to propose two topics for discussion by the board:

a) Option to migrate to a git/gog-based repository. This proposal is being forwarded from Helli (cc), based on the current successful migration by the Postgis project ( https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/postgis-devel/2016-October/025981.html), to ensure that the developers can use a state of the art repository.

b) Option to use persistent identifiers (Digital Object Identifiers (DOI)) for software, documentation and data in the GRASS project. DOI are currently mostly known to reference and cite scientific articles ("like a ISBN number for books"). DOI can also be assigned to scientific data, including software. The benefit in doing this is providing scientific citability, which implies scientific credit and recognition for the authors of the software or data. DOI for software/data are provided/minted by the DataCite non profit organisation (https://www.datacite.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DataCite). OSGeo, being a non profit organisation itself with significant IT infrastructure, could apply to DataCite to receive DOI (has already been positively checked by the DataCite folks). However, this requires a need within the OSGeo projects to use DOI. I believe this could be a great driver to foster the authoring and publication of add-on modules for GRASS, for which the authors could be credited via a DOI upon "publication" within the GRASS community. FWIW, DOI are already assigned to all OSGeo (and GRASS!)-related FOSS4G conference videos in the TIB AV-Portal. Example: http://dx.doi.org/10.5446/20425 (DOI also serve as "unbreakable" weblinks.)

Best,
peter