Open Source

Four people, eight weeks, and $150,000. That is what it took for the Digital Transformation Agency to deliver a working prototype of a bulk email and text-message notification system. There was no need to build notify.gov.au from scratch.

“Many hands make light work” is an old adage both familiar and comforting. One feels that if things get out of hand we can just throw more resources at the problem and it will suffice. However, we have made it harder on ourselves in three distinct ways, all of which are relevant to planning and programs in the public sector.

Betters ways to receive early warning of health deterioration before a transfer to intensive care occurs are urgently needed. Good technology in other wards goes a long way to meeting that challenge.

Good healthcare technology advances diagnosis and treatments. The best solutions deliver holistic efficiency, faster insight and accuracy that maximises both benefits and finite funds.

Running an old, insecure version of software — open-source or proprietary — can and will jeopardize the security of any site. It’s Equifax that is to blame, not open-source.

No robots or lasers here: digital transformation doesn’t have to be big and flashy to make a difference, says Code for Australia head Alvaro Maz. Simple, labour-saving innovations allow resources to be used elsewhere.

Jurisdiction need not be a barrier to collaboration when organisations can build on each other’s work.

What does “open source human services” mean? Nicholas Gruen and Chris Vanstone explain The Australian Centre for Social Innovation’s new Weavers project.

Drupal is now the default for lots of governments, but Australia has still found a way to do something disruptive. All over the world, people are keeping an eye on the federal government’s optional, open source website platform govCMS, according to the architect of the code base at its foundation.

Will Canberra’s anointment of an open source publishing platform finally usher in the world of modern digital engagement? Australian agencies have some catching up to do.