In February 2022 the Sequoia Project released its Emergency Preparedness Information Workgroup’s Pandemic Response Insights and Recommendations. This workgroup was convened in the fall of 2020 at the height of the pandemic with a diverse set of stakeholders from all areas of the healthcare system. The resulting short report is worth a read as it offers concise analysis and recommendations. The first task the workgroup undertook was to conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis focused on pandemic response. There was a strong public health focus that resulted from this activity: “During a declared emergency, and during non-emergency times as well, public health should be viewed as a collaborator and partner with equal access to shared data” (p. 6).
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The Sequoia Project Releases a Useful Workgroup Report on Information and Pandemic Response
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The National Science Foundation Bets Big On Open Source Platforms
The National Science Foundation (NSF) wants to grow the community of researchers who develop and contribute to open source and enable pathways for collaboration that lead to new technologies that have broad impacts on society...[NSF] just announced US $21 million to fund open source development through a new program: Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (PEOSE).
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Getting Started With Carbonio, An Open Source Collaboration Platform
In recent years, interest in using open source collaboration platforms to enhance business productivity increased. Proprietary software has managed to overwhelm customers with a maze of licensing requirements and pay-to-play features that many companies don't want to manage. On the other hand, open source offers alternatives that give companies the liberty of choice and allow new businesses to enter existing markets easier with more control over upfront costs.
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European Commissioner Outlines Open Source Priorities
The Commissioner welcomed developments in open source throughout public administrations in Europe to seize the economic and innovative potential of open source. These include the Action Plan on Free Software and Digital Commons in France, the initiatives in Estonia, Spain and Italy, as well as the newly created Centre for Digital Sovereignty in Germany. According to the Commissioner, several factors are needed to use the potential of open source and to reach the political goals of the EU: nurturing a tech startup culture, utilising the digital single market for lean and sustainable tech industry, overcoming planned obsolescence, pooling the efforts of the EU’s Member States for technological independence and improving cybersecurity.
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US Department Of Defense Publishes New Guidelines For The Internal Use Of Open Source For Cyber Defense Purposes
On January 24, 2022, John Sherman, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the US Department of Defense (DoD) released internally (and published two days later) a Memorandum for the Senior Pentagon Leadership, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, the Commanders of the Combatant Commands, the Defense Agency and the DoD Field Activity Directors. Particularly, it provides the Department of Defense with new guidelines on software development and open source software, addressing the opportunities and challenges that open source can represent for the public sector, and how the latter should interact in this regard.
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Cures Act EHR Reporting Program Draft Measures—What this Means for Public Health
As part of the ONC Health IT Certification Program, Congress mandated the establishment of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) Reporting Program to help determine the effectiveness of the program. The first step toward implementation was the development of an initial set of CEHRT developer metrics which were released in draft form in December 2021. When finalized, these metrics will represent data that EHR vendors will have to report to ONC as a Condition and Maintenance of Certification. The initial focus of the metrics developed was interoperability, and public health was one of four categories considered.
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26 open source creative apps to try in 2022
The server and mobile industries know open source well. But open source isn't just about the technology. First and foremost, open source is about sharing, and if there's one thing people love to share more than anything, it's self-expression in the form of art. Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, you can foster your own creativity with open source applications, and possibly end up with something you're proud to share with others. Here are 26 applications in seven different artistic categories to help you act on your every inspiration.
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3 Ideas For Bringing Innersource To Your Company
Like open source, innersource is all about being transparent and collaborative. This usually leads to a sense of belonging that favors employee happiness if done right. Regardless of org charts, geographies, or expertise levels, innersource creates an inclusive environment where employees contribute and collaborate in the open and learn from one another. When everyone defaults to transparency, silos tend to disappear, and employees save time by reusing code, processes, or best practices from different parts of the organization.
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ONC Releases Several New Specifications in 2022
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) started off the new year by releasing several new specifications supporting health information interoperability...On January 3, 2022 ONC released the Version 3 Draft of the US Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) which defines a core set of data for common interoperability transactions in healthcare. It defines classes of data as well as specific data elements within those classes and represents the data that can be expected to be shared at minimum between data partners. While public health is included, ONC has recently recognized that public health use cases (and therefore their data needs) differ from clinical care use cases...
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How Radical Transparency Is Transforming Open Source Healthcare Software
At Tidepool, where I work as a Community and Clinic Success Manager, the company's mission is to make diabetes software more accessible, meaningful, and actionable. Operating in the open is how we achieve that. Tidepool's diabetes management software is an open source platform free for both clinicians and people impacted by diabetes. And, because the company is a nonprofit, it also operates according to the transparency rules that govern 501(c)(3) organizations.
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