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.

Announcements

Planetary Science Data

Check out the *NEW* Planetary Data webpage with information about data archives and opportunities.

SPD-41 Science Information Policy

We have recently released Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Policy: SPD-41: The Science Information Policy. This policy consolidates existing guidance on maximizing the openness and accessibility of the information that SMD produces. Learn More

We’ve also released a Request for Information to gather feedback on the implementation to the information policy  and on the impact of the proposed changes to SPD-41.

Virtual Townhall 

We will be hosting a Virtual Townhall on January 26, 2022, at 3 pm Eastern Time. See the Science Information webpage for the full details.

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:

• Transform to Open Science (TOPS) provides the visibility, advocacy, and community resources to support and enable the shift to open science.
• OSSI Infrastructure (More information coming soon!)
  • SMD Data Catalog
  • Publications Search
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
    • NASA SMD AI Workshop Report
  • Science Platforms
  • Open-Source Software awards
• OSSI Policies
  • SPD-41: The Science Information Policy
  • SMD's Strategy for Data Management and Computing for Groundbreaking Science 2019-2024
• Open-Source Science for Data Processing and Archives Workshop
• Science Mission Directorate Science Data
  • Astrophysics Data
  • Planetary Science Data
  • Heliophysics Data
  • Earth Science Data
  • Biological and Physical Sciences Data
  • High-End Computing
  • Citizen Science