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Taxpayers expect their money to be used as efficiently as possible so the US government has launched a new resource which enables its agencies to share open-source code for use elsewhere.
Sharing the code via Code.gov enables the code to be reused around the federal government's agencies to prevent wasting time, money, and resources on replicating existing work. The less-sensitive code will also be made available for public use with an open-source license.
“Built in the open, the newly-launched Code.gov already boasts access to nearly 50 open source projects from over 10 agencies – and we expect this number to grow over the coming months as agencies work to implement the Federal Source Code Policy,” wrote Tony Scott, U.S. CIO, in a blog post on Thursday.
The launch of Code.gov comes on the heels of the release of the Federal Source Code Policy, which seeks to further improve access to the Federal Government’s custom-developed software. 13 of the government's agencies have listed projects on the website including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, departments of commerce, energy, labour, treasury, agriculture and veterans affairs, NASA, the office of the President, the Environmental Protection Agency and General Services Administration.
Nearly 50 open source projects are listed and the number is expected to grow over the coming months as related agencies work to implement the Federal Source Code Policy. Further, Code.gov will provide useful tools and best practices to help agencies implement the new policy.
At least 20 percent of new federal code must be made available for public use for the next three years under a new open-source policy. Code developed by National Security Systems is exempt from the new policy, for understandable reasons.
“We’re excited about today’s launch, and envision Code.gov becoming yet another creative platform that gives citizens the ability to participate in making government services more effective, accessible, and transparent,” wrote Scott
What are your thoughts on the launch of the Code.gov initiative? Let us know in the comments.
