“For the next segment of our pre-conference interview series,
we’ve turned to our host city, Portland, Oregon, for more details
on its release of open data, use of open source and support of
citizen engagement software projects. In this interview, we’re
bringing you a variety of voices from the ranks of Portland’s
public servants, from both the Mayor’s Office and the Bureau of
Technology Services.“We understand that the City of Portland was the first in the
United States to adopt a formal policy in support of opening data
to outside developers and adopting open source solutions in
technology procurement. What prompted the creation of this official
policy?“Mayor Sam Adams: We have a world-class open source software
community here in Portland, and we wanted to adopt a policy that
would help make it easier for members of this community to take
advantage of public sector contract opportunities and contribute to
innovative projects. We therefore decided to adopt a procurement
policy that placed open source software on an equal footing with
commercial software.”