How data and research can support better policy outcomes for open source collaboration

Open source software is the foundation of our digital infrastructure and economy, but it is too often overlooked and misunderstood by policymakers. This matters not just because governments may overlook digital infrastructure as a public good that needs to be supported, but also because policies may inadvertently endanger open source collaboration. To address this gap, there is a critical need for more data and research on the role of open source collaboration in the global economy. 

In this presentation, a member of GitHub’s policy team will discuss their developer-centric policy advocacy strategy and how data and research support better policy outcomes for developers. We will provide a demo of the GitHub Innovation Graph, a new platform of metrics and data on global software development activity, and discuss how this could be used as a tool for policymakers, researchers, and journalists. Finally, we will discuss important policy developments developers should be aware of and how you can get involved.