8:02 a.m.
Hello,
I'd initially posted this to the CommOps list and was directed here to
Mindshare.
I've recently resurrected the NeuroFedora SIG (it's my area of research
so I'm quite happy to maintain it), but while I was looking around I saw
that we already have a few science related SIGs in Fedora---I was aware
of maybe one or two, but not all of them, in spite of one or two being
featured on labs.fp.o!
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SIGs/bigdata
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Category:Astronomy_SIG
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SIGs/ML
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SIGs/FedoraMedical
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SIGs/NeuroFedora
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SIGs/Robotics
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SIGs/SciTech
Now, mostly, these are groups of people who come together and package up
software that is relevant to the particular field, and the SIGs work
independently of each other. However when one looks at them, one
realises that lots of work that each SIG does overlaps with other SIGs.
I think it's quite within our community goals to further Open Science.
So, I was wondering if we could organise the SIGs better under a common
umbrella: "Fedora <3 science" or something of the sort. It'll give all
SIGs a common theme. It'll enable us to market science in Fedora better
(or so I think), and it'll enable other community members
interested in other sciences to start their own SIGs in the future. Of
course, it'll enable better science, and we may even get more scientists
involved in FOSS, and giving back to it.
Open Science shares most of the values of FOSS---everyone, whether or
not a scientist should be able to obtain and analyse data using tools
that should be free of restrictions; everyone should be able to read
scientific results (this is part of the Open Access movement); everyone
should be able to access, study, learn, and contribute to the scientific
process. It is necessary for science informed policy making---especially
with things like fake news doing the rounds nowadays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_science
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access
http://opensourceforneuroscience.org/
What do folks think? I'm happy to help with this, of course---I'd really
like to make Fedora a "go-to" distribution for whatever sciences the
community can support, not just Neuroscience.
--
Thanks,
Regards,
Ankur Sinha "FranciscoD"
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Ankursinha
Time zone: Europe/London