Digital Infrastructure Research
This space is being used to develop a response to the Ford Foundation's, "Digital Infrastructure Research RFP".
Problem Being Addressed (summary & interpretation of Roads & Bridges report - not a element in the Concept Notes template):
Much of the digital infrastructure on which commerce depends has been generated and is maintained through Open Source Software (OSS) projects and open communities. Open Source Software tends to be initiated, created, and maintained through social modes of production, rather than traditional capitalist modes of production in which the creator makes proprietary claims of ownership to maximize profits. Instead, the project freely distributes code and other resources under open licenses with the hope of maximizing social value through use not restricted by proprietary intellectual property claims. The process of social modes of production has generated significant innovation and in-turn has lowered the barriers for cycles of creativity and innovation through the development of gratis and libre digital infrastructure including frameworks, languages, standards, applications, development tools, etc. These intellectual assets have been used extensively by for-profit and public organizations as critical elements of their value chain and operations. Social modes of production frequently struggle to resource continuing maintenance of digital infrastructure products and services as the demand for their software product increases without corresponding levels of resources to supply maintenance and development. This problem is endemic to the mixing of production models, as traditional for-profit companies and corporatized public agencies prioritize maximization of profit, there is the tendency toward free-riding on OSS to increase profit margins and pass the additional revenues on to equity holders. It is in part the financial Free-Riding effect of start-ups, venture capitalists, and for-profit companies that has put the sustainability of OSS digital infrastructure at risk and along with it, the well being of the organizations that rely on it. The conundrum facing OSS communities and the users of OSS digital infrastructure is how to preserve and nurture the benefits of social modes of production, while also ensuring that corporate free-riding is reduced to a level that allows for product sustainability and growth.
Narrative Questions (from Concept Notes template)
What is your research question? (100)
Most organizations considering OSS are unfamiliar with authentic open models of production, or how to assess the relative health of OSS communities. Decision makers lack resources to responsibly determine the reliability and sustainability of infrastructure which they depend upon. With such resources, “business readiness,” could be assessed while project success could be furthered.
How do potential investors assess the readiness of open source software projects and the communities that support them: What characteristics and behaviours are most beneficial--and are they present--to ensure the successful formation and operation, as well as long term sustainability of open source communities of practice?
Why is this question important to answer? (200)
Open source software is now recognized as a feasible alternative to proprietary software, and a viable model for production, resulting in a growing number of projects and supporting communities of practice. Each of these projects and communities create their own cultures and cooperatives resulting in a variety of production and organizational models, without clear metrics for assessing effectiveness and appropriateness, i.e. “readiness”. In addition, open source’s popularity has even given rise to dubious actors/motives interested in realizing the benefits of open source without the investment.
This research, and resulting outputs, will provide the resources necessary for decision-makers to assess the business-readiness of both the OSS infrastructure and the communities that enable it. The transparency these resources provide, we believe, will result in better decisions, and reduced risk, improving the potential for innovation, where cost reduction, collaboration, sustainability, are key factors for success.
In addition, project maintainers will benefit as they may use the same resources to help inform their own plans and priorities--where to invest--so that their community can mature, become more dependable, and itself, “business ready.”
What research method(s) will you use to answer this question? (200)
Mixed methodology based on artifact reviews, surveys, and interviews supplemented by historiographical analysis of specific projects and corporate users.
What data or other resources will you use to answer this question? (200)
Publicly available information from project sites and forums.
Survey data.
Interviews
What is your vision of success? (200)
Guiding questions: Who is the audience for this work? What do you hope the near and long-term impacts of this work are on the digital infrastructure field? How will this work address the needs marginalized and under-represented communities?
Tell us more about the project team and collaborators. (200)
Guiding questions: Who will be working on this project? Who might you collaborate with, formal or informal? How does your team think about diversity with respect to this project and this problem space?