Terms of Reference for the ASTRON Open Source Committee

	Organisatie / Organization	Datum / Date	
 Auteur(s) / Author(s):			
Tammo Jan Dijkema
Yan Grange
André Gunst
Ronald Halfwerk
Thomas Jürges
Ronald Nijboer

ASTRON

	11-10-2017	
Ruud Beukema	ruudbeukema.nl		

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.	

Table of contents:

1 Introduction	2
2 Objectives	2
3 Roles and Responsibilities	2
4 Tasks	3
 1	Introduction
Within ASTRON, open source code is developed for both software and firmware. By developing code as open source, it can be used by others outside ASTRON. In return ASTRON wants to get a justified compensation for the use of ASTRON open source code by external parties. We feel that whenever external parties have success with using code that is developed by ASTRON, ASTRON should get some form of acknowledgement or credit for the delivered effort. This is important for the visibility of ASTRON in the world, but also as a justification towards NWO-I.
 2	Objectives
The main objectives of the Open Source committee are to:
 1.	Define and support the implementation of the ASTRON open source policy with respect to software and firmware;
 1.	Ensure ASTRON gets the credits for the use of our open source code by third parties.
 3	Roles and Responsibilities
The Open Source committee will have representatives from all relevant groups within ASTRON, i.e. from the Data Science group (Astronomy Group), from the SDOS group (Radio Observatory), and from the DESP, Computing and BTT groups (R&D). The term in the committee of each member is two years. This term can be extended. Leaving members of the committee take care of a new member.
The Open Source committee will choose a chair from its members. After a maximum of one year a new chair will be chosen. The chair is also responsible to write and distribute the minutes. The Open Source committee meets, at least, four times per year.
The Open Source committee reports to the ASTRON ZMT.
The Open Source committee has the mandate to approve on specific cases that deviate from the Open Source Policy.
Decisions in the Open Source committee can only be taken by a majority of the members of the committee.

 4	Tasks
The Open Source committee has the following tasks:
 1.	Advise Project Manager on the use of open source;
 2.	Propose changes and updates to the ZMT  regarding the open source policy;
 3.	Advise on cases where the open source policy doesn’t suffice;
 4.	Approve specific cases which deviate from the policy;
 5.	Advise on requests of re-licensing open source code;
 6.	Create an awareness of having an open source policy;
 7.	Create preconditions to ease the generation of open source code;
 8.	Initiate solutions to make open source material visible and creditable.