Anticipated Benefits

• Enhanced appeal to scientists of Ubuntu as a computing platforms
• Generation of new knowledge in methodologies for and leadership of large, community-driven OSS project through:
  • discovering new trends in scientific software usage
  • evaluating Linux as a computing platform for scientists
  • categorising researchers and their software, based on computing needs
• Support for the National R&D and Innovation strategy through:
  • human capital development (advanced Linux, OSS and development skills)
  • promotion of local ICT innovation
  • lowering of technological barriers to entry
  • empowering researchers in poorly funded institutions and developing countries
  • establishment of global R&D collaboration through global user and contributor communities for proposed scientific platforms

Benefits of OSS and Open Standards

The importance of developing and adopting an open source platform, based on open standards, for scientific computing can hardly be overstated. The work that scientists do and the reports that they write today may inform work that is done in 10, 20, 30 years' time or more. It is imperative that this work be based on platforms and standards whose specifications are publicly available and not dependent on proprietary software for replication and access.

By adopting OSS and open standards based platforms, researchers will also gain the additional benefit of freedom and empowerment to use and customise their scientific software as they see fit.

Learn more:

Visit the project wiki
Read the project team's blog

Alternatively, you can contact
Hennie Bezuidenhout
Project Manager
Tel +27 12 841 3060
Email hbezuide@csir.co.za