* The Government Open Code Collaborative lets members share code
Another open source collaborative group was created recently, as part of an effort to share code and spread software development efforts among governmental and non-profit organizations.
The Government Open Code Collaborative (GOCC) is designed to let agencies and entities in the public sector more easily share software code and homegrown applications. The project was created because many state and local CIO offices oversee similar projects – electronic voting and car registration, online tax payment systems and public document sharing.
The goals of the GOCC include increased efficiency and cost cutting among agencies by borrowing software code among collaborative members, instead of doing the work in-house, or contracting it out. Another side-benefit to the collaborative, observers say, is the possibility of better software being written as a result of the code sharing.
The GOCC consists of local- and state-CIOs and various state-level secretaries from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Utah, Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and West Virginia. Under the terms of the GOCC, the 11-member group will set up a “code repository” where members can deposit code form various government projects while other members can “withdraw” code from the bank free of charge and use it however they choose. Code can be modified and redeposited into the code bank when alterations are made.
Some of the code already up on the site includes an Election Tally system, a Security Alert System and scripts for operating a Web cam.
