GOSCON is the Government Open Source Conference, an annual event produced by Oregon State University's Open Source Lab. Now in its seventh year, the conference focuses on the role of open source software and collaboration as an enabler of leading Open Government and Transparency initiatives throughout the United States. Speakers come from all levels of government, from City Officials to Federal Agencies. Notable past speakers include Aneesh Chopra, now Chief Technology Officer of the United States, Vivek Kundra, now Chief Information Officer of the United States, and Dugan Petty, Chief Information Officer of the State of Oregon. The conference has welcomed visitors from as far afield as Brazil, Belgium, Japan and Russia.

Attendees will be treated to in-depth explorations of Open technology strategy, policy, acquisitions, operations, organizational readiness, exemplary projects and business cases. Conference content includes lessons learned in the development and integration of open source solutions into agency environments, exposure to projects and existing software applications and services, and opportunities to establish and foster relationships for collaboration around shared interests. GOSCON offers a place for government and industry luminaries and to gather, present and network with representatives from both public and private sectors, in a non-commercial setting.

Who Should Attend

Senior Information Technology officers in the public sector;  Chief Information Officers and other managers with a responsibility for Information Technology, along with their senior strategic planning, architecture, procurement and legal staff should attend this conference. Cross-state associations with common or shared business practices and problems will want to attend and consider collaborative development projects. GOSCON is also an ideal event for advocates of open government, transparency and open source projects.

GOSCON provides an educational forum to explore both the business case and real-world applications for open source methods and technologies to deliver the next generation of government services. Attendees will have an opportunity to hear from industry experts and their peers’ lessons learned in the development and integration of open source solutions, and to establish communities for collaboration around common interests. The format of the conference provides ample time for direct engagement with speakers and attendees.

History of the Conference

The Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON) is produced and hosted by Oregon State University’s Open Source Lab (OSL) as part of its mission to educate and build community. In 2005 a Public Sector program was established within the OSL to educate and share information amongst governmental organizations and other public sector institutions. While many highly technical events exist for developers, system administrators and other technical staff, no adequate source of information or event existed which was designed for information technology management and the staff they rely on to evaluate, plan and resource, and oversee implementation of enterprise-class technology solutions. The non-profit GOSCON was established in October of 2005 as a platform for education, information, and collaboration. Now in its fifth year, GOSCON is helping fuel the adoption of open source technology in the public sector by attracting IT leaders worldwide to its annual event.

For more information on past GOSCON’s, please visit the Conference Archives.