scholarly journals Distribution of Dockerfiles: Who is responsible for FOSS Licence Compliance?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-20
Author(s):  
Till Jaeger
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Copyright Law ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Target System ◽  
Physical Distribution ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Software Distribution

The deployment of Docker is becoming increasingly popular as container technology allows for a unified software distribution that is largely independent of the target system. This raises new questions of FOSS license compliance. The reason is that in addition to the complete software distribution as a “Docker image”, so-called Dockerfiles can be used, which - similar to a script - contain a kind of construction manual for the software which may include downloads from third party repositories. Such form of decentralized distribution raises the question of responsibility for compliance with the license conditions. This article sheds light on the concept of “distribution” under European copyright law as a starting point for the interpretation of free licenses. In the course of the study, it is shown that physical distribution and distribution in the meaning of copyright law do not always have to be congruent. This article was created in collaboration with and funded by the Open Source Automation Development Lab (OSADL) eG (www.osadl.org).

scholarly journals SynBiopython: an open-source software library for Synthetic Biology

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Wui Yeoh ◽  
Neil Swainston ◽  
Peter Vegh ◽  
Valentin Zulkower ◽  
Pablo Carbonell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Software Library ◽  
Current State ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Common Problems ◽  
Data Tracking ◽  
Python Package

Abstract Advances in hardware automation in synthetic biology laboratories are not yet fully matched by those of their software counterparts. Such automated laboratories, now commonly called biofoundries, require software solutions that would help with many specialized tasks such as batch DNA design, sample and data tracking, and data analysis, among others. Typically, many of the challenges facing biofoundries are shared, yet there is frequent wheel-reinvention where many labs develop similar software solutions in parallel. In this article, we present the first attempt at creating a standardized, open-source Python package. A number of tools will be integrated and developed that we envisage will become the obvious starting point for software development projects within biofoundries globally. Specifically, we describe the current state of available software, present usage scenarios and case studies for common problems, and finally describe plans for future development. SynBiopython is publicly available at the following address: http://synbiopython.org.

scholarly journals Open-Source Software Application for Hydrogeological Delineation of Potential Groundwater Recharge Zones in the Singida Semi-Arid, Fractured Aquifer, Central Tanzania

Hydrology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Kassim Ramadhani Mussa ◽  
Ibrahimu Chikira Mjemah ◽  
Revocatus Lazaro Machunda
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Drainage Density ◽  
Suitability Analysis ◽  
Lineament Density ◽  
Fractured Aquifer ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Potential Groundwater ◽  
Semi Arid

This study attempted to delineate and map potential groundwater recharge zones of the Singida, semi-arid, fractured crystalline basement aquifer using open source remote sensing and GIS software. Various thematic maps such as lithology/hydrogeology, soil, land-cover/use, slope, lineament density, drainage density and rainfall distribution were integrated in QGIS software. Vector input layers were rasterized and resampled using QGIS wrap projection function to make sure that the grid cells are of the same size. Reclassification using SAGA and GRASS reclass algorithms in QGIS was carried out to realign the factor classes in a consistent scale, and reclassification to a scale of 1 to 5 was carried out to harmonize the results. The study identified a number of potential areas for groundwater recharge, groundwater exploration, groundwater development and potential areas for artificial groundwater recharge. Potential groundwater recharge zones for the Singida semi-arid fractured aquifer are restricted to areas with high lineament density, cultivated areas, grassland and flat to gentle slopes. The potential of groundwater recharge is also observed in areas with low drainage density. The delineated zones provide a good understanding of the potential recharge zones, which are a starting point for recharge zone protection. This blended approach can be utilized for carrying out suitability analysis using the weighted overlay analysis approach. Areas designated good and very good are recommended for artificial recharging structures as an alternative technique for enhancing groundwater recharge through rainwater harvesting. This will help to augment groundwater storage in this semi-arid environment.

scholarly journals An open source database for the synthesis of soil radiocarbon data: ISRaD version 1.0

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey R. Lawrence ◽  
Jeffery Beem-Miller ◽  
Alison M. Hoyt ◽  
Grey Monroe ◽  
Carlos A. Sierra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Original Data ◽  
R Package ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Radiocarbon Data

Abstract. Radiocarbon is a critical constraint on our estimates of the timescales of soil carbon cycling that can aid in identifying mechanisms of carbon stabilization and destabilization, and improve forecast of soil carbon response to management or environmental change. Despite the wealth of soil radiocarbon data that has been reported over the past 75 years, the ability to apply these data to global scale questions is limited by our capacity to synthesis and compare measurements generated using a variety of methods. Here we describe the International Soil Radiocarbon Database (ISRaD, soilradiocarbon.org), an open-source archive of soils data that include data from bulk soils, or whole-soils; distinct soil carbon pools isolated in the laboratory by a variety of soil fractionation methods; samples of soil gas or water collected interstitially from within an intact soil profile; CO2 gas isolated from laboratory soil incubations; and fluxes collected in situ from a soil surface. The core of ISRaD is a relational database structured around individual datasets (entries) and organized hierarchically to report soil radiocarbon data, measured at different physical and temporal scales, as well as other soil or environmental properties that may also be measured at one or more levels of the hierarchy that may assist with interpretation and context. Anyone may contribute their own data to the database by entering it into the ISRaD template and subjecting it to quality assurance protocols. ISRaD can be accessed through: (1) a web-based interface, (2) an R package (ISRaD), or (3) direct access to code and data through the GitHub repository, which hosts both code and data. The design of ISRaD allows for participants to become directly involved in the management, design, and application of ISRaD data. The synthesized dataset is available in two forms: the original data as reported by the authors of the datasets; and an enhanced dataset that includes ancillary geospatial data calculated within the ISRaD framework. ISRaD also provides data management tools in the ISRaD-R package that provide a starting point for data analysis. This community-based dataset and platform for soil radiocarbon and a wide array of additional soils data information in soils where data are easy to contribute and the community is invited to add tools and ideas for improvement. As a whole, ISRaD provides resources that can aid our evaluation of soil dynamics and improve our understanding of controls on soil carbon dynamics across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The ISRaD v1.0 dataset (Lawrence et al., 2019) is archived and freely available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2613911.

Mainlining databases

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 534-546
Author(s):  
Tianyu Li ◽  
Matthew Butrovich ◽  
Amadou Ngom ◽  
Wan Shen Lim ◽  
Wes McKinney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Analytical Data ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Network Bandwidth ◽  
External Data ◽  
Data Formats ◽  
Comparable Performance

The proliferation of modern data processing tools has given rise to open-source columnar data formats. These formats help organizations avoid repeated conversion of data to a new format for each application. However, these formats are read-only, and organizations must use a heavy-weight transformation process to load data from on-line transactional processing (OLTP) systems. As a result, DBMSs often fail to take advantage of full network bandwidth when transferring data. We aim to reduce or even eliminate this overhead by developing a storage architecture for in-memory database management systems (DBMSs) that is aware of the eventual usage of its data and emits columnar storage blocks in a universal open-source format. We introduce relaxations to common analytical data formats to efficiently update records and rely on a lightweight transformation process to convert blocks to a read-optimized layout when they are cold. We also describe how to access data from third-party analytical tools with minimal serialization overhead. We implemented our storage engine based on the Apache Arrow format and integrated it into the NoisePage DBMS to evaluate our work. Our experiments show that our approach achieves comparable performance with dedicated OLTP DBMSs while enabling orders-of-magnitude faster data exports to external data science and machine learning tools than existing methods.

Using Collaborative Transportation Management in Global Supply Chain

2010 ◽  
pp. 721-730
Author(s):  
Jonah Tyan
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Global Supply Chain ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Business Trend ◽  
Physical Distribution ◽  
Strategic Partner ◽  
Transportation Management ◽  
Weakest Link ◽  
New Business

Due to escalating global competition and a decline in profit margins, most multinational corporations pursue global sourcing through a global supply chain (GSC) in order to secure market share and improve profits. The practice of e-commerce and the business trend of mass customization force both manufacturers and retailers to shorten cycle time by managing GSCs more effectively. Successful applications of GSCs, such as that by Dell Computer, have been widely discussed and publicized in the supply chain literature. However, the physical distribution of GSC execution is recognized as its weakest link and can result in inefficient and unreliable product delivery. The collaborative integration with global third party logistics (3PL) to execute physical distribution dictates the success of any GSC application. This article introduces an application of logistic collaboration, namely collaborative transportation management (CTM), which is a new business model that includes the carrier as a strategic partner for information sharing and collaboration in a supply chain.

scholarly journals Bionitio: demonstrating and facilitating best practices for bioinformatics command-line software

GigaScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Georgeson ◽  
Anna Syme ◽  
Clare Sloggett ◽  
Jessica Chung ◽  
Harriet Dashnow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Command Line ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Excellent Starting Point ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Bioinformatics Software ◽  
Programming Practices

Abstract Background Bioinformatics software tools are often created ad hoc, frequently by people without extensive training in software development. In particular, for beginners, the barrier to entry in bioinformatics software development is high, especially if they want to adopt good programming practices. Even experienced developers do not always follow best practices. This results in the proliferation of poorer-quality bioinformatics software, leading to limited scalability and inefficient use of resources; lack of reproducibility, usability, adaptability, and interoperability; and erroneous or inaccurate results. Findings We have developed Bionitio, a tool that automates the process of starting new bioinformatics software projects following recommended best practices. With a single command, the user can create a new well-structured project in 1 of 12 programming languages. The resulting software is functional, carrying out a prototypical bioinformatics task, and thus serves as both a working example and a template for building new tools. Key features include command-line argument parsing, error handling, progress logging, defined exit status values, a test suite, a version number, standardized building and packaging, user documentation, code documentation, a standard open source software license, software revision control, and containerization. Conclusions Bionitio serves as a learning aid for beginner-to-intermediate bioinformatics programmers and provides an excellent starting point for new projects. This helps developers adopt good programming practices from the beginning of a project and encourages high-quality tools to be developed more rapidly. This also benefits users because tools are more easily installed and consistent in their usage. Bionitio is released as open source software under the MIT License and is available at https://github.com/bionitio-team/bionitio.

Open Source in Government

2011 ◽  
pp. 1287-1290 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Berry
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
General Public ◽  
Source Code ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Free Software ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Software Companies ◽  
Develop Software ◽  
Software Distribution

Open source software (OSS) is computer software that has its underlying source code made available under a licence. This can allow developers and users to adapt and improve it (Raymond, 2001). Computer software can be broadly split into two development models: • Proprietary, or closed software, owned by a company or individual. Copies of the binary are made public; the source code is not usually made public. • Open-source software (OSS), where the source code is released with the binary. Users and developers can be licenced to use and modify the code, and to distribute any improvements they make. Both OSS and proprietary approaches allow companies to make a profit. Companies developing proprietary software make money by developing software and then selling licences to use the software. For example, Microsoft receives a payment for every copy of Windows sold with a personal computer. OSS companies make their money by providing services, such as advising clients on the GPL licence. The licencee can either charge a fee for this service or work free of charge. In practice, software companies often develop both types of software. OSS is developed by an ongoing, iterative process where people share the ideas expressed in the source code. The aim is that a large community of developers and users can contribute to the development of the code, check it for errors and bugs, and make the improved version available to others. Project management software is used to allow developers to keep track of the various versions. There are two main types of open-source licences (although there are many variants and subtypes developed by other companies): • Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) Licence: This permits a licencee to “close” a version (by withholding the most recent modifications to the source code) and sell it as a proprietary product; • GNU General Public Licence (GNU, GPL, or GPL): Under this licence, licencees may not “close” versions. The licencee may modify, copy, and redistribute any derivative version, under the same GPL licence. The licencee can either charge a fee for this service or work free of charge. Free software first evolved during the 1970s but in the 1990s forked into two movements, namely free software and open source (Berry, 2004). Richard Stallman, an American software developer who believes that sharing source code and ideas is fundamental to freedom of speech, developed a free version of the widely used Unix operating system. The resulting GNU program was released under a specially created General Public Licence (GNU, GPL). This was designed to ensure that the source code would remain openly available to all. It was not intended to prevent commercial usage or distribution (Stallman, 2002). This approach was christened free software. In this context, free meant that anyone could modify the software. However, the term “free” was often misunderstood to mean no cost. Hence, during the 1990s, Eric Raymond and others proposed that open-source software was coined as a less contentious and more business-friendly term. This has become widely accepted within the software and business communities; however there are still arguments about the most appropriate term to use (Moody, 2002). The OSMs are usually organised into a network of individuals who work collaboratively on the Internet, developing major software projects that sometimes rival commercial software but are always committed to the production of quality alternatives to those produced by commercial companies (Raymond, 2001; Williams, 2002). Groups and individuals develop software to meet their own and others’ needs in a highly decentralised way, likened to a Bazaar (Raymond, 2001). These groups often make substantive value claims to support their projects and foster an ethic of community, collaboration, deliberation, and intellectual freedom. In addition, it is argued by Lessig (1999) that the FLOSS community can offer an inspiration in their commitment to transparency in their products and their ability to open up governmental regulation and control through free/libre and open source code.

Re-inventing model-based decision support with Australian dryland farmers. 1. Changing intervention concepts during 17 years of action research

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. McCown ◽  
P. S. Carberry ◽  
Z. Hochman ◽  
N. P. Dalgliesh ◽  
M. A. Foale
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Support Intervention ◽  
Decision Support Intervention ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Starting Point

The idea that simulation models of agricultural production can serve as tools for farmers remains a compelling idea even after 3 decades of mostly disappointing development efforts. This paper is the first in a series that reports on 17 years of systems research that used models differently from the Decision Support System idea that has dominated the field. The starting point of FARMSCAPE (Farmers’, Advisers’, Researchers’, Monitoring, Simulation, Communication And Performance Evaluation) was finding whether farmers could value simulation when conditions for appreciation were improved by (a) specifying the simulator for individual paddocks in question and (b) delivering customised simulation to decision makers as a supporting service rather than software as a decision support product. The first aim of the program has been to learn how to effectively intervene in farm management practice using complex, abstract models of croplands, specified with local soil, climate, and management data. The second aim has been to learn how a resulting service that farmers value can be delivered cost effectively by a third party. This first paper deals with an aspect of the first aim, i.e. valued decision support intervention. In the terms used by Checkland (1981), the activities that served this systems practice aim were guided by ‘what we thought we were doing’ in intervening in farmers’ practice, i.e. our systems thinking. This first paper concerns FARMSCAPE systems thinking and how it evolved over 17 years as we learned successively through discovery of a new concept or representation in the literature to overcome limitations of the then-current conceptual framework. Subsequent papers deal with customising scientific monitoring and simulation for farmers, communication as engagement in situations of practice, understanding decision support intervention as facilitation of personal knowledge construction, and piloting commercial delivery of a simulation-based service to farmers and their advisers.

The Aerospace Plane: Collisions and Damage to a Third Party on the Surface of the Earth: Which Liability Regime will Rule?

1991 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-280
Author(s):  
Lousewies S.A.L.B van der Laan
Keyword(s):  
Outer Space ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Chicago Convention ◽  
Legal Regime ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Legal Questions ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Outer Space Treaty ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Aerospace Plane

The article addresses the establishment of a legal regime concerning liability questions of the aerospace plane. The existing air and space law, as laid down for example in the Chicago Convention and the Outer Space Treaty -especially the definition of the words ‘aircraft’ and ‘space object’-is used as a starting point. The applicability of the existing regimes to the aerospace plane is then evaluated. Two concrete cases, namely liability resulting from damage to third parties on the suiface of the earth and liability after collisions, are presented in depth to illustrate the legal questions that this new hybrid craft will raise. Finally some modest suggestions are made as to the resolution of the conflicts.

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