OMS Transition to Open Source

Outbreak Management was funded for 2008 with three funding streams; OMS Development, OM Enterprise Architecture, and OMS Transition to Open Source.  The current state of OMS does not lend itself to an effective open source model due to the architecture and complex code.  The OMS Transition to Open Source project will ensure OMS application development follows NCPHI open source direction.

OMS was originally developed in visual basic and .NET components were added as the application evolved.  In order to allow for wide spread adoption of an open source application, OMS was converted to C# - a language with a more common syntax of typical open source projects. 

The transition project has identified several key infrastructure needs that are critical for OMS open source success.  Effective governance models and project management of a core team will need to be in place to accept product direction and code.  A community of practice must be in place contributing and participating.  Development must continue of the application with transparency both externally and internally.  A public communications site must be operational with code repositories, bug trackers, beta and stable releases, comprehensive code documentation, and a message board.  A roadmap needs to be in place to shape future application development.  We must also have a defined quality management and bug fix process.

The OMS transition to open source established five key goals: collaborative software development via community contribution, improving software quality (OMS evolution) via community peer review, increased awareness of OMS and its impact on Public Health, increased dissemination and support of OMS, and to leverage and contribute to NCPHI open source efforts.