This article is written by Calum Handforth, Adviser on Digitalisation and Smart Cities, UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development

Digitalisation is likely to be an important aspect of Covid-19 recovery, building on the strong role that digital – and innovation more broadly – has played in the response of many countries to Covid-19. In this context, open-source approaches can amplify the potential that digitalisation offers.

Open-source approaches are founded on community engagement and public ownership, in contrast to proprietary solutions that seek to retain intellectual property rights and prevent modification.

In this pandemic, digitalisation has been a crucial component in supporting healthcare systems, and communication with citizens

In a digital setting, this means that the underlying code of open-source software is made available to all. For physical technology, it’s about providing the necessary schematics, guidelines, and other resources to allow others to replicate — or build on — solutions.

In this pandemic, digitalisation has been a crucial component in supporting healthcare systems, and communication with citizens. More widely, open data has driven the development of tools such as chatbots — and wider disease monitoring; whilst digital tools have been crucial in delivering financial and other support.

In each of these fields, there are proven open-source digital solutions. From OpenMRS, used to house more than 12.5 million patient records globally, through to RapidPro — used for chatbot development, amongst other roles; and the open-source BlueTrace protocol (and Safe Paths, from MIT), which are informing the development of numerous contact-tracing apps. Each of these tools have been implemented, at significant scale, in real-world settings - and have been refined by a global community of developers. Many can compete with the best of the private sector.

At the UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development, we are collating these and other tools, in our open-source digital toolkit. We’re doing this to raise awareness of the existence, and usefulness, of these tools. Through this, we’re hoping to prevent governments from unnecessarily duplicating work, and to apply solutions that have been proven in similar crises.

Exploring open-source approaches can demand bravery and openness to change from government

But open-source is not a panacea. Proprietary or commercial solutions (also known as ‘closed-source’) — or hybrid approaches — can also have considerable value. The open-source community is also still understanding how to best work with governments, and there are valid criticisms regarding the usefulness and sustainability of some open-source solutions. This complexity, though, hints at a more fundamental challenge regarding government and open-source.

Exploring open-source approaches can demand bravery and openness to change from government. The public sector is often still reliant on outsourcing digital development - and similarly focused on buying discrete products, as opposed to holistic solutions that can require shifts to ways of thinking and working. Institutionalising the knowledge and skills to explore and sustain open-source solutions can also be difficult to justify to some decision-makers. And engaging with a software culture founded on openness can be antithetical to institutions that are inherently cautious about public perception.

Despite these challenges, open-source has considerable value. Particularly in the context of Covid-19, and particularly for lower-income countries. Open-source could be an important component for how such countries use digitalisation to respond to and recover from the disease.

Why open-source?

There are numerous advantages for leveraging these open-source tools, but two are particularly important. First, it’s about accelerating national response. The pace with which Covid-19 has evolved and spread has proved challenging for many governments. Public officials, including developers, are under pressure to build solutions. In this context, speed is crucial. However, a quick response should not be prioritised above building useful and effective solutions — nor at the expense of the rights or requirements of citizens.

Drawing on proven and rigorous open-source tools allows countries to start further down the development pathway — and not with a completely blank slate.

Open-source allows governments to institutionalise digital development

Although no open-source tool is going to be completely effective “out-of-the-box”, and each will require customisation to the local context and particular factors, drawing on open-source in a time of crisis can allow governments to move quickly — and build on established foundations.

Second, open-source allows governments to institutionalise digital development. It’s about building solutions in-house, increasing the competencies of staff, and ensuring sustainability. External consultancy and advice can be particularly valuable, including bringing new ways of thinking and working. However, building skills and approaches internally is important for developing staff and institutions and can lead to longer-term and even more sustainable solutions.

In some cases — although not all — building on open-source can also save money. On this note, one national government has potentially saved more than $1m by adapting one of the open-source tools featured in the above toolkit, instead of commissioning a new solution from the private sector. They have also been able to get the solution functioning more quickly, by drawing on in-house digital expertise in combination with a collaboration with the open-source community.

How open-source can drive recovery

Countries are tentatively considering, or exploring, how to recover from Covid-19. Digital has an important role to play here, including facilitating remote-working, contactless transactions, government digital service delivery, and other elements of what may become our ‘new normal’. Beyond this, though, there is real value in the longer-term benefits of open-source.

Building on the usefulness of open-source in institutionalising expertise, open-source is also a valuable way to build skills and knowledge in government – and also in the wider society and economy. This includes drawing on what can often be a vibrant, and global, open-source support community (although this isn’t the case for all open-source tools, and the longevity of such communities can vary).

Open-source is an important aspect of catalysing the development of local innovation ecosystems

More broadly, open-source can be a great way to drive entrepreneurship. On this note, the UNDP Global Centre partnered with Hackster.io, a million-member hardware developer community, and numerous global tech partners, to crowdsource open-source hardware solutions to Covid-19. With all schematics, design files, and documentation provided for solutions, it allows entrepreneurs anywhere to build and replicate these innovations. This initiative has led to solutions from contactless water and soap dispensers, through to low-resource and low-cost tools to monitor the spread of Covid-19.

We’re now working with our network of in-country Accelerator Labs to provide the tools and equipment (including 3D-printers, and other assets and resources) to build local supply chains to support Covid-19 recovery. In this context, open-source is an important aspect of catalysing the development of local innovation ecosystems. It’s about providing opportunities to build expertise and market opportunities – key elements of stimulating local and national economies that in turn will drive Covid-19 recovery.

The dichotomy isn’t helpful

Open-source has an important role to play in driving how governments, societies, and economies respond to Covid-19.

It can inform local and national innovation, build skills and competencies in government, and has the potential to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Similarly, open-source has as an important role to play in higher-income countries as it does in lower-income ones – especially as it’s likely that digitalisation will be a key aspect of the global recovery to Covid-19.

Despite these benefits, though, open-source is not a panacea. Similarly, proprietary – or commercial – solutions also have significant value. The international development and wider digital, communities have sometimes focused on an unhelpful – and arguable inaccurate – dichotomy. Open-source – free, publicly available – is considered good; whilst closed-source commercial products and services are inherently seen as a lesser approach. In truth, there is often no “right” option. Instead, it’s about recognising the role that digital can play — and then exploring what tool, approach, and setup is most appropriate. — Calum Handforth

(Picture credit: Unsplash)