Specify full support the use of OSS COTS, rather than just COTS
From the plan: "Effective commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems and contractual business support operations are acquired more efficiently and can replace legacy geospatial applications." The geospatial community would like to see the Federal Government revise this statement to specifically include open source software (OSS COTS) products for geospatial - and would also like to see the statement of direction be modified ...more »
From the plan:
"Effective commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems and contractual business support operations are acquired more efficiently and can replace legacy geospatial applications."
The geospatial community would like to see the Federal Government revise this statement to specifically include open source software (OSS COTS) products for geospatial - and would also like to see the statement of direction be modified to specify that OSS COTS will be given fully equal preference with proprietary commercial software (COTS).
The DoD clearly supports the use of OSS COTS with the policy direction they released 1 year ago. The Geospatial Platform should follow that direction. There is a growing collection of excellent OSS COTS packages for geospatial that are highly performant, use open and industry standard protocols, and are considerably less costly than paying for proprietary software licenses on a national scale. The nation's geospatial data is a critical resource and storing it in proprietary software systems and formats is directly opposed to the concept of open government.
http://cio-nii.defense.gov/docs/OpenSourceInDoD.pdf
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