Let’s shift the conversation—from launching tools to sustaining ecosystems.

#UNOSW #DigitalInfrastructure #UNOpenSourceWeek

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5pm-7pm Thursday (tomorrow) I'll host an unofficial #UNOpenSourceWeek get-together in Manhattan

There's a public plaza with seating at 222 East 39th St., between Second and Third Avenues

https://apops.mas.org/pops/m060017/

next to a giant orange road safety mural

https://streetartnyc.org/blog/2022/07/13/street-art-for-mankind-to-unveil-new-midtown-nyc-road-safety-mural-created-with-dragon-76/

I'll bring some drinks and snacks and I'll be wearing an orange hat.

“It takes up most of the time to maintain this ecosystem. We’re all excited about innovation, we had hackathons — we need that of course. But understanding that it’s two sides of the same coin, and if we don’t maintain, we will never get to innovate in a healthy and sustainable way. That really needs to be nailed down in all rooms.”
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“We do public procurement. It’s not a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have. #OpenSource is what we’re all running on. No matter what product it is, it is the foundation. Using a mindset that is not 'funding' per se as in giving money once in a while for a short time, but understanding that this is something that needs continuous investment, and that it’s going to pay back in multiple ways. That is often still seen outside this room as a niche topic.”
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“At the same time, we need to find ways to avoid volunteer burnout, more security issues arising from an absolute increase: AI is creating a lot of stress in the infrastructure layer. The goodwill of providing more support can backfire if we don’t take all this into account.”
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“We also need to understand production logic in the sense of governance models. That’s often the most critical part. We cannot just top-down apply new models to communities that have worked in a decentralized, volunteer manner for a long long time.”
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“The reality is also that money doesn’t solve all problems, unfortunately. It can create wrong incentives, it can increase stress and pressure, it can rip communities apart, it can do good in the short term but harm in the long term. We need to take all of these factors into account, if we want to channel support into our shared digital infrastructure, into #OpenSource communities.”

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“It’s a global task: it doesn’t stop at borders; it’s not a geographical topic; it connects all of us; it’s one shared ecosystem. Understanding this nature, also the production logics of open source software is important for governments and all actors, if you want to do good in this ecosystem.”
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“collectively, because that makes them better. We invest in infrastructure when it’s roads and bridges. We need to find out how to do this in the digital world. The blueprint we’re trying to create is like a new government muscle: how can we take care of this in a way that is sustainable, secure, supports our values, & then share it? It doesn’t help if just one of us doing it, we need to do that collectively. This is why it’s great that we’re talking about this at the UN…”

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"for better outcomes, more engagement, healthy competition and innovation, bringing us the results that we need to achieve the SDGs, new business models, whatever it is we desire.

What we are trying to do is provide a blueprint. We believe we’re doing something in a specific way that is new, trying to carve out a new role for governments. What does a government need to deliver in the 21st century? We had the example with airports: a few tasks, we decided to take care of…"

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