GOSCON

Established in 2005, the GOSCON (Government Open Source Conference) is a conference held annually in Portland, Oregon, United States to explore the use of open standard and open-source software in the public sector.

University and Government IT managers from the local, state and national level discuss opportunities and challenges presented by the use of Open Source Software—some of which are specific to public sector situations (such as the typical government procurement process) and some of which are shared by many IT departments (such as questions about the ongoing support of Open Source Software projects). Speakers have included Open Source Software project leaders such as Brian Behlendorf, Larry Augustin and Ward Cunningham; Government and University IT managers at various stages of Open Source Software implementations; academic researchers and corporate executives. Past sessions have covered:

* The ROI of Open Source Software in government settings (2005)
* The "Community source" model (2005)
* Best Open Source Software practices for state and local government agencies (2005)
* The impact of Open ICT infrastructure on economic development (2005)
* Open Source Software and public procurement policies (2006)
* Forming collaborations between government agencies (2006)
* The global view of Open Source Software and its use in governments (2006)
* Specific application topics including transportation, corrections, health & human services, etc.

Oregon State University's Open Source Lab conceived of and hosts the conference. Deborah Bryant is the founder and director.

External links

* [http://www.goscon.com GOSCON site]