[A2k] EC boosts open source- software pooling consortium

[Michelle Childs]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/12/ec_boosts_open_source/

EC boosts open source
Sets up consortium for software pooling
By Kablenet =81=A8
Published Thursday 12th October 2006 08:42 GMT

The European Commission has taken steps to promote the use of open source
systems and software in the public sector.

It has selected a consortium led by Unisys Belgium to create and manage
the Open Source Observatory and Repository (OSOR), the company announced.

 Other members of the consortium are the Maastricht Economic Research
Institute on Innovation and Technology, consultancy GOPA Cartermill, and
the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos of Madrid.

They will provide an internet service and portal enabling European
administrations to centrally store and share the software code of their
open source applications and exchange open source knowledge. It is aimed
at helping them improve the return on their IT investments and make their
applications more interoperable.

OSOR will be a common repository where, in addition to the source and
object code, information will be available regarding the use of
applications, different software versions, open source licences and
contract material. On the OSOR web portal, member states' administrations
will also be able to share know-how about their different open source
applications.

The European Commission hopes it will encourage European administrations
to use each other's software and develop common projects. This could be in
areas such as public e-procurement, interoperability between government
applications and mutual recognition of the various e-ID card formats.

Sharing and reusing applications would provide significant savings in
investment costs.

"Public administrations' interest in open source is not so much about open
source replacing proprietary products," said Karel De Vriendt, head of the
EU's European eGovernment Services Unit.

"More and more it is about developing custom applications based on open
source software, on collaboration during development, and on using open
source licences to share the results of such developments. The new OSOR
should become the preferred cooperation tool to speed up software pooling
among member states."

Unisys and its partners will consult with stakeholders to determine the
format of OSOR this year, and is planning to make the service operational
in late 2007. It will also look for interesting open source applications
to add to OSOR and support collaboration between different European open
source projects.

This article was originally published at Kablenet.

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--
Michelle Childs -Head of European Affairs
Consumer Project on Technology in London
24, Highbury Crescent, London, N5 1RX,UK.
Tel:+44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252.
Mob:+44(0)790 386 4642. Fax: +44(0)207 354 0607
http://www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology in Washington, DC
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA .Tel.:
+1.202.332.2670,Fax: +1.202.332.2673

Consumer Project on Technology in Geneva
1 Route des  Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 6727






--
Michelle Childs -Head of European Affairs
Consumer Project on Technology in London
24, Highbury Crescent, London, N5 1RX,UK.
Tel:+44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252.
Mob:+44(0)790 386 4642. Fax: +44(0)207 354 0607
http://www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology in Washington, DC
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA .Tel.:
+1.202.332.2670,Fax: +1.202.332.2673

Consumer Project on Technology in Geneva
1 Route des  Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 6727