Thanks for all the great posts over the last two weeks, some really strong opinions and excellent comments! Marcus Young (our excellent e-tutor) shared this link with me as a great discussion topic.
When we took over this module it taught databases using Microsoft Access with NO spatial queries. Now we have changed the module to ONLY open source software (MySQL, PostgreSQL, PostGIS and QGIS) with a very strong spatial dimension.
If you haven't posted a comment for week 1 or week 2 you must do so by 8pm tonight (18th) - any posts after today will not count for week 1 or 2.
Paul McKenzie
In my opinion, the Open Source movement is unlocking the potential of a world of talent and facilitating individuals in realising their ability and sharing with the world their ideas and creations; who, due to circumstances such as underprivileged origins would never have got the opportunity. Prior to this initiative patents and copyrights held by conglomerates and financial giants prevented access to fundamental tools i.e. Hardware, Software, and Data, thus stunting the evolution of Information Technology (IT).
ReplyDeleteDespite aversion from those who stand to lose out financially from the Open Source initiative, since its advent, major stack holders in IT have begun to recognise the benefits. One example being Google's adoption of the OS Software Open Source Maps (OSM) within its API.
Furthermore, using OS Hardware licenses companies have begun to share versions of their Hardware with a view to accelerating and improving the quality of their designs. An initiative practiced by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in 2011 and practiced by the Bank of America on an ongoing basis.
With this Expansion and Diversification alluded to by Don Duet complications and risks are expected, but I believe the pros out way the cons in terms of the potential technological advancements.
In my opinion I feel the movement of open source is excellent, educational and will gain many advantages over the years in regards to technological advancements. As its focus is not just on software but now hardware aswell such as servers, computers, storage and many other types of technology, there will be no restrictions for having the ability to gain access to data and people will be able to look, learn, enhance the data and share ideas amongst the world.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Emma, Re the hardware, it will certainly provide more options whilst also pushing the price down for consumers.
DeleteOpen source really does have the potential to 'level the playing' for talent and creativity around the world with particular advantages for those living in developing countries where economics can hold back innovation or progress. Its hard to identify any real negatives from an end user point of view. While open source hardware is possibly a latecomer (with the exception of cloud storage - although this often appears free but storage is limited without upgrades), software is very well established and has become a source of rapid innovation potentially making it attractive to big organisations who want to cut costs but use the best software available. For the individual end user - wherever they are in the world - open source software and data allows anyone with access to a computer (or smartphone) to access or share high quality educational materials (through MOOCS) from some of the worlds most respected institutions and organisations, and join a community of other users or innovators. Open source data is s key benefit of the OS movement, particularly for research and analysis - much of which is (hopefully)high quality government data..Forbes magazine (Marr, 2016) listed a top 33 free data list which is worth a look http://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/02/12/big-data-35-brilliant-and-free-data-sources-for-2016/#2577501a6796
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ReplyDeleteThanks to the development of mobile computing, open source data can be used by an ever increasing percentage of the world. Freely available data can be used by populations in regions where services such as education and financial are either not present or underdeveloped. A potential concern with open source data could be that its use by individuals without sufficient training may lead to results that are inaccurate.
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas, I love the idea that people from underdeveloped countries can get on the scene too. You make a good point about the quality of training but with more MOOC's (Massive Open Online Course) available, hopefully this should not be a problem.
DeletePersonally, I think that the Open Source Movement is a good thing as it encourages integration of information from a much wider variety of sources. I agree with what Thomas mentioned above, with regards to the quality of raw data or information being contributed, however I feel that having additional information can only be a positive thing. One example I found that highlights this is Tabby Evo which is an open source framework for the creation of electric vehicles. Users have access to the companies blueprints and design plans and are encouraged to view, improve on and share their opinion on the current designs. At first the idea of releasing blueprints etc to anyone seems counter-intuitive from a business standpoint, however it allows for the integration of ideas from many outside perspectives as well as being used as an educational tool, both contributing to the growth of the Electric car industry. Kind of went down a rabbit hole there...
ReplyDeleteHi Mark, I totally agree - plus the release of OSH blueprints etc. can open it up to a sort of peer review process which can help improve designs. One example I can think of is drone hardware; I know of some who modify the drone with plastic parts produced using 3D printers from OS designs to make them lighter and thus fly for longer.
DeleteI though the video was quite interesting. The fact that it is presented by Goldman and Sachs does make me inherently suspicious. While there are definitely beneficial applications of open source movement, having Goldman and Sachs as your advocate to me implies that there must also be drawbacks.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the extended open source movement, I strongly support the open sourcing of education and the relaxing of intellectual property laws when it comes distributing more equitably the knowledge resources that humanity has compiled. I think it would be of extreme benefit if the open source ideology extended further particularly into fields such as pharmaceuticals whose corporations are so strongly protected with copyright ring-fencing.
However, when it comes to an internet of things that potentially log and compromise a person’s private activities I maintain strong reservations and I think it’s important that we don’t normalise nefarious activities just because those activities are part of a paradigm that also comprises of beneficial diffusion of knowledge.
Hi Sophie, totally agree with you about education and the open source movement! It gives so much opportunity to anyone who has access to it.
DeleteHi Sophie - that is an aspect that I hadn't considered and I think you make a really important point - after all we happily download software onto our personal devices placing a lot of trust in those supplying it..
DeleteI echo most of the above comments in that I can only really see positive things coming out of the open source movement. For computing technology to be beneficial to all of humanity then it must be accessible. As Michelle has said, not everyone can afford proprietary software packages and high-end computer systems, so this movement is a really significant step towards enabling underprivileged individuals, small business and charities for example, with the technology to keep pace with what’s happening in the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think one of the issues with a lot of free software and hardware is that it isn’t always designed to be user friendly – especially for novices so this can be a real hindrance to the take-up of it by the everyday person. Open-source operating system Linux founder – Linus Torvalds was quoted in a recent BBC News online article as saying he couldn’t develop a UI to save his life which I thought was quite revealing!
I also think open source hardware offers many exciting opportunities for creativity, for example the idea for a personalised smartphone (called Phonebloks) where by attaching individual third-party components to a main board you can personalise it as much as you want. Apparently Google is interested in the idea, so in all likelihood it won’t eventually be released as free hardware – but I love the idea!
The Open Source movement is excellent for many individuals and many businesses worldwide. It may not be so popular with corporations that have monopolised certain parts of industry but it is certainly allowing a lot more users and uses in a variety of fields. The sharing of knowledge, information and ideas across a wide spectrum is helping to give more power to the people that love what they do and this is overall benefiting industry which has been proven by the huge range of hardware and software that has come available to the market and the speed in which they are developing.
ReplyDeleteIn the digital age, this hardware and software is immensely important to allow the volume, velocity, variety and veracity of data to be collected and anaylised in order to help better understand the world we live in and how we can use it for our benefit.
Open Source Software (OSS) is gradually becoming more and more mainstream and is aiding the ever so powerful development of the digital age. It is going hand in hand with the advances in data variety, volume and velocity. With the push for more OSS from the open source movement it will be interesting to see how and where it will be used in the future. OSS is already being widely applied across industries including banking (Goldman Sachs'), retail (Tesco), network providers (Vodafone) and of course with large computer companies (Linux). OSS has proved to be inexpensive, reliable, innovative and has a great opportunity for interoperability. Another great advantage of OSS is that it is constantly updated and therefore problems in the coding and application can be identified and fixed very efficiently. This also applies to the constant updating of any present security holes in the software which is a major and very current issue faced by many companies across the globe. For the first time not only data and software can be openly sourced but there is also opportunity for hardware applications for storage, servers and computing.
ReplyDeleteThere are many benefits of the use of OSS in GIS industry including the low cost and interoperability. I have personally benefited from OSS as I have used the ARCGIS Explorer desktop application when volunteering at a small -scale conservation charity and during a tutoring in schools project in a local high school. It was great to have a free, easily accessible program to use and demonstrate difficult GIS concepts in such a simplified version for people who have never been introduced to the topic.
hey guys, first time blogger. I think that the idea of more open source is a good thing to a certain extent. as long as procedures are in place to help keep anonymity throughout data. And I believe that special examples should be made of highly personal details like medical records which should be completely kept out of the public domain. Nor do I feel it is necessary to have a digital records of every detail of my day to day life. these type of things will soon be a very real occurrence if you are to believe all the hype about the internet of things and how it will help to keep us optomized and healthy by recording even the amount of food we take from the fridge.
ReplyDeleteAll the monitoring can have its advantages too as we will also be able to have a more efficient and centralized control of our energy usage (probable through phone apps) and we will be able to see where wastages are occurring the most.
but on the topic at hand, I believe that open source is a very good way of giving a portion of control back to the end user and allowing modifications is a great way to enable innovation and creativity. This will hope to improve also collaboration between scientific bodies and further aid research and discovery of global scale phenomenon which could not be conducted by one scientific institute on its own.
The video raises lots of positives for the OS movement such as the volume of data available and how we can now bring datasets togther. But there is still the question of quality, especially when it comes to data accuracy and reliability - which makes it even more important to use reputable sources.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, there are so many useful OS initiatives at the moment, such as the UK's Open Data. Even throughout the time of studying on this course, the number of datasets available through the NI Open Data website has grown massively. The software too has been invaluable - e.g. QGIS, ogr2ogr, and the software we use in this module. When comparing QGIS to ArcMap I would even say QGIS is the better software for some tasks and that is all down to it being FOSS with its dozens of plugins available, developed and refined through the OS community.
I would have to agree with the sentiments expressed above. Prior to this course, I had always thought that Open Sourced meant that something could be used for free and not enhanced and/or changed as the video suggests. In terms of hardware and software, it can only aid the world of GIS by forcing bigger companies to lower their prices. I think one of the most exciting things is that Open Source is still relatively new (PostGIS & Openlayers are the first two that spring to mind with both made available over the last 15 years) and with time can only get better.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of what this all means for GIS, I think Open Source data can only be positive in highlighting the benefits it brings for businesses as it gives them the opportunity to access data that in turn enables them to learn, and enhance new ideas. Although this once again addresses the issue of data and privacy, in terms of bigger corporations exploiting Open Source Data, I would agree with Brendan that the pros very much outweigh the cons in this instance.
The key benefit of the Open Source Movement has to be its accessibility. The multitude of free data available to all internet users just creates so many opportunities for new uses and new ideas. It allows people of all skill levels to use existing data and provide new data which would not be possible without the Open Source movement. In addition to this, the increasing amount of open source software and hardware allows for individual people, schools, businesses and organisations in under-developed areas to have access to this data and to share their knowledge and ideas. However like some others have said, this may impact on the quality of the data available however with more knowledge, this should not be a major issue compared to the benefits of Open Source.
ReplyDeleteLike Lianne mentioned, I have also used OS software whilst completing a Tutoring in Schools project. The use of the free software meant that the pupils and teachers could get experience of using GIS and see its benefits without any costs to the school in the form of expensive software.
Last month the Open Source Hardware Association launched their OSHWA open source hardware certification programme. It's clear that the open source movement continues to expand beyond just software and indeed open data has become an expectation for many too. The concept of Open Source Hardware has been around since the late 1990's though, but the continued success of OSS may have given OSH another chance to widen it's appeal. The emergence of 'crowd funding' might also be spurring on OSH start-ups. It is evident that the open source business model is not only sustainable but that the collaborative approach to design and maintenance, benefits both the consumer and also the providers of services, by tapping into the knowledge and skills of a varied array of contributors interested in the advancement of the product rather than merely increasing shareholder's dividends. Of course, one of the main benefits of adopting OSS is the reduction in costs, so any CEO who switched their enterprise to using OSS would theoretically increase his/her shareholders dividends, by switching. Too cynical ? Probably - but what percentage of QGIS users further develop the package and how many, like me, are content to use this powerful and robust software free of charge.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the open source movement is a great movement, not only is data available for all to use as well as change, it's also allowing small businesses to expand globally.
ReplyDeleteHowever, "free software" (similar to open source except any changes must go back to the original developer before being made permanent) seems to me the data will be more reliable
Open source data is a good idea though, provided the reliability can be improved.
As others have said, this is great for education purposes due to the ease of access and the cost
Finally; I guess we also have to think about privacy. Because anyone can add data, they may add data that others may not want shared, (addresses or something).
I agree with the comments already posted and think the open source movement appears to be quite a good thing. For software, hardware and data to really benefit the largest audience then it should be accessible to everyone, and open source seems to be the best way of achieving this. I think in order for the OS movement to continue accelerating it must ensure individuals maintain their privacy rights, which we have discussed in an earlier blog post. Another concern is of quality of data since open source software can be quite difficult to understand for first time users. This may result in poorer quality data, but I guess with time it will become easier and easier to use. Perhaps the open source movement will accelerate many much-needed innovations e.g. Tesla has made its electric car technology open source, and with luck this will accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. Also, as others have mentioned, making education open source has the potential to be hugely beneficial to many underprivileged nations. Lastly, in terms of hardware, I think 3D printing has exciting prospects even though the 3D technology is in its infancy.
ReplyDeleteThere is a concern that 3d printing could be used to create dangerous items, however the potential benefits for sectors such as healthcare outweigh the negatives
DeleteOpen source data has no doubt become an integral aspect of modern day society. Cities like Los Angeles, New York and closer to home, Bristol have provided open access to large datasets that anyone can access. The relationship between people and place has changed drastically due to the developments in software, hardware and data. I feel that open source data has tremendous potential in an educational sense (as a number of people have already mentioned) and providing people with the opportunity to manipulate and analysis data would be extremely beneficial. However, I would be slightly concerned about who actually creates all this data. One error in a dataset ultimately leads to another error which Peter Burrough famously referred to as GIS irony in 1986. For any open source dataset to be useful, it has to be accurate, precise and exclude as many errors as possible.
ReplyDeleteThe City of Portland uses interactive data to manage and support their services. This is showcased within a suite of videos available from Penn State University, 'Geospatial Revolution.'
DeleteOpen Source Software has changed so much in recent years with the world as a whole becoming more digitised. As the video stated there will be more positive impacts on businesses both large and small, education and the public. However it did not highlight any disadvantages.
ReplyDeleteDue to it being open sourced there will be less technical support when things go wrong meaning users will have to rely on other users to help fix their problems. Also there is a potential for malicious users.
I feel although it has some drawbacks it is extremely important to society as it helps people who are less well-off learn without having to pay extortionate fees.
As stated, open source data is a great resource, easily accessable, free and it encourages collaboration of ideas and data. However, as has been said already, there may be concerns regarding reliability of data available. Anyone really can make up the datasets used and thus, we must consider is it wise to accept these datasets at face value? There could be errors or mistakes that could potentially skew results.
ReplyDeleteHowever, looking back to the positives, open source is a great way for people to be introduced to GIS software as it gives them a free chance to try it, although perhaps sometimes the programs are not very user friendly..
Like pretty much everything, there are positives and negatives, but in this instance I feel that the positives outweigh the negatives.
Access to a range of data has multiple benefits across a number of sectors. I agree with Andrew in that the disadvantages are not explored within the video and I share some of the scepticism expressed by Sophie about the 'advocate' in this instance. There are also issues associated with privacy and inaccuracy as well as the potential for 'unhelpful' manipulation of data. However, OSS does provide an opportunity to 'consume' and contribute to data sources and platforms. An interesting platform/project is Ushahidi https://www.ushahidi.com/about. I notice that they have become more sophisticated in their 'offer' but the platform has a good record of supporting humanitarian efforts.
ReplyDelete‘Putting the power of digital making into the hands of people all over the world’ sounds like a great goal. This - the strategy of Raspberry Pi - an open source computer hardware manufacturer, perhaps sums up the positive philosophy of the open source movement whether it be in computer hardware, software or the myriad of other things that seem to have taken on this philosophy - from building houses to alternative energy systems.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t had much experience with open source; open office, Mozilla and Chrome (built on open source). But it is far more prevalent than I thought. The software is dominant in some technologies. The Linux OS, thanks to Android smartphones, is the most used OS globally. Firefox has a 6% share of the browser market and Google Chrome, though not open source itself, is powered by open source and has a 56% share of this market.
The availability of open source software is paramount to computer software being available to everyone, particularly in developing nations and poorly resourced regions. I think the availability of open code and open hardware offers huge potential in learning and developing the computer pioneers of the future. It also seems to be coming to the fore in many other fields and has potential for developing environmentally friendly technologies open to all.
Open source data seems to be out there, for example: much of that collected by the government and their agencies and international agencies such as the UN. However, with increasing privatisation of services I wonder if this is changing? As private corporations - Google and Facebook for example - collect ever increasing amounts of data, traded as a commodity, will this ever be open source? I couldn’t find an answer. Looking at remote sensing data as part of this course, the Landsat programme has produced tens of thousands of images that the public can access free of charge, a huge source of open source data. However, depending on your needs, higher resolution images are only available from commercial satellite operations, for a fee.
I have to agree fully with the previous statements that open source is and can be a good thing. There is also much potential in this area for developing areas due to the 'free' style of this data/information being made available. The important and maybe most significant attribute is the element of accessibility. Another benefit is in the way of research and collaborative thinking on projects that bear societal and economic impact.
ReplyDeleteOpen source data and software improves user accessibility. It aids small business and researchers, it provides educational tools and a basis for future expansion in regards to interaction with data. However that is under the assumption that the software is user friendly. In reality for some small companies the presence of a GIS expert or similar field will be required.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the data available allows for great opportunities and countless uses. This whole concept is just another part of the ever expanding digital world we all live in. A world where information is accessible and privacy is a concern.
I believe that the change to open source material is a good one. Not only does the change allow businesses and educational institutions to obtain free software, hardware and data but it also allows for greater integration, allowing connections with many other public information. Introducing open source material also means that businesses can modify the open source material to suit their own needs. The fact that software, hardware and data is now freely available also means that many users can add their own input into problems and issues which occur within data.
ReplyDeleteWhile i do feel there is mostly advantages within open source material, i also believe there is one main issue. The fact that material is now becoming freely available also means that it is prone to more malicous users which could exploit it