Open-Source Science Initiative

NASA is making a long-term commitment to building an inclusive open science community over the next decade. Open-source science is a commitment to the open sharing of software, data, and knowledge (algorithms, papers, documents, ancillary information) as early as possible in the scientific process. The principles of open-source science are to make publicly funded scientific research transparent, inclusive, accessible, and reproducible. Advances in technology, including collaborative tools and cloud computing, help enable open-source science, but technology alone is insufficient. Open-source science requires a culture shift to a more inclusive, transparent, and collaborative scientific process, which will increase the pace and quality of scientific progress.

To help build a culture of open science, NASA is championing a new initiative: the Open-Source Science Initiative (OSSI). OSSI is a comprehensive program of activities to enable and support moving science towards openness, including policy adjustments, supporting open-source software, and enabling cyberinfrastructure. OSSI aims to implement NASA’s Strategy for Data Management and Computing for Groundbreaking Science 2019-2024, which was developed through community input.

open source initiative

Announcements

 

Join TOPS for a Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity community forum,  Thursday March 9, 2023 1-2 PM ET

Join TOPS March 09, 2023 for a joint community forum between the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) SEA Change, Creative Commons, and TOPS, Open Science: Challenges and Opportunities for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In the forum we will introduce the three organizations and then openly discuss what is open science in higher education institutions, how can learning to practice open science encourage equity across the entire STEMM enterprise, and how do we ensure that voices from traditional underrepresented geographical regions are not only included but prioritized? For more information and to register, visit the TOPS Community Forum page. Please Ask Questions beforehand.

 

NASA TOPS is excited to announce 10 federal agencies have joined us in celebrating the Year of Open Science.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) declared 2023 as the Year of Open Science.  NASA, along with 10 other Research and Development federal agencies and 88 Academic institutions under the HELIOS umbrella, celebrate this opportunity to advance the adoption of open, equitable, and secure science through open science policies and practices.

While the open sharing of data, tools, and resources has been NASA policy for many years, the “Year of Open Science” initiative provides a launchpad for open science values and ethics to reach a wider community of data users and broaden the use of these data.

NASA is excited to be a part of this multi-agency initiative across the federal government, sparking change with engagement in open science practices while making the search for knowledge about our universe more equitable and inclusive.

Open Science practices can more rapidly produce better science within diverse communities. NASA works on big questions, and there are complex problems to solve – together with the Open Science community, NASA’s mission incorporates more people, data, and tools than ever before.

January 17 Townhall on SPD-41a: Scientific Information Policy for the Science Mission Directorate

SMD will hold a virtual community townhall on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET to discuss the recently updated Scientific Information Policy for the Science Mission Directorate (SPD-41a). Find more details and instructions on how to participate.

Request for Information: Scientific Data and Computing Architecture to Support Open Science

NASA's Science Mission Directorate is conducting a study of its scientific data and computing resources to identify capabilities, architectures, and opportunities that can support a sustainable, open, and secure scientific process. As part of this study, a Request for Information (RFI) has been released on NSPIRES. Responses to the RFI must be submitted by February 21, 2023.

SPD-41a Science Information Policy

SMD has released SPD-41a: Scientific Information Policy for the Science Mission Directorate. SPD-41a updates the previously released SPD-41, which consolidated existing Federal and NASA policy on sharing scientific information. Visit the Science Information Policy page to learn more about the policy, read guidance for SMD-funded researchers, and find answers to frequently asked questions. 

SPD-41a was developed with input from the SMD research community via National Academy studies, community workshops, and requests for information in 2018 and 2022. SMD has released a summary response to the most recent Request for Information (RFI) on the Scientific Information Policy. SPD-41a is compliant with the recent Office of Space and Technology Policy Memorandum on Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research.  

New Open-Source Science Initiative (OSSI) Funding Opportunity 

The OSSI is pleased to announce a new funding opportunity under ROSES-2022, F.15 High Priority Open-Source Science (HPOSS). This program will provide funding for innovative work that supports the goals of the OSSI, including making science more accessible, inclusive, and reproducible. Proposals must be for new work on technology that would support open-source science, which could include developing new data formats, software, frameworks, or libraries. HPOSS has a rolling due date, and proposals under ROSES-2022 will be accepted until March 29, 2023. Visit the NSPIRES page for more details. 

A virtual information session for prospective proposers will be held on January 19, 2023, 1:00-2:00 pm ET. Submit your questions about HPOSS to be addressed during the event.

NASA’s PubSpace has launched within the STI Repository!

NASA’s PubSpace has launched within the STI Repository! If you don’t know, PubSpace is a collection of NASA-funded scholarly publications. Over 27,000 metadata records (with links to full-text articles) and 9,800 full-text journal articles are currently available in the collection! Check it out for yourself here: https://go.nasa.gov/3ATbltR

For more information on PubSpace and NASA’s Public Access initiative, visit our About Public Access page: https://go.nasa.gov/3VlRn38

 

Why do Open Science?

  • Broadens participation and fosters greater collaboration in scientific investigations by lowering the barriers to entry into scientific exploration
  • Generates greater impact and more citations to scientific results

Learn more about the benefits of open science.

 

Open-Source Science at NASA

Open-Source Science Initiative (OSSI) includes the following components: