Open Digital Infrastructure

Open Digital Infrastructure represents the set of open-source code, standards and knowledge assets that digital building blocks like software libraries, compilers, communication or network protocols are composed of.

They are created by individuals, volunteer communities, in research institutions and SMEs or other corporate environments. Together, they form a foundation of free and public code that is designed to solve common challenges – firstly, in programming, but when applied, also to provide a multitude of core functions for society.

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Open Digital Infrastructure in Astrophysics

At what points in a software instrument’s lifecycle does an injection of financial resources help or hurt? Are science driven software instruments sustainable for the long term, say the next 40 years? In the project’s report, 17 software projects cover questions on science capability, developer model, target community, bibliometrics, funding profile, and sustainability efforts.

Research Question
How is open infrastructure used in astrophysics research, and what supports its long-term sustainability?

In astronomy, financial support for maintaining existing digital infrastructure is generally much harder to secure than funding for developing new digital infrastructures that promise new science. Sustaining astronomy’s digital infrastructure is a new topic for many, the sustainability challenges are not always widely known, and sometimes even formulating answerable questions can be formidable: What is the relationship between money and sustainability for community-driven, open- knowledge software instruments that enable transformative research in stellar astrophysics?

Round 1
Team
Frank Timmes
Design Researcher
Lars Bildsten
Design Researcher
Richard Townsend
Design Researcher
Resources
Research Report
Research 'One-Pager'
Research video