GIS SOFTWARE

QGIS (qgis.org) is a geographic information system (GIS) tool that runs on a desktop PC. It’s an alternative to ESRI’s ArcGIS platform. Both platforms are designed to allow users to analyze and edit spatial data and create maps.

Why we love it:

ArcGIS has been around for decades as the go-to platform for geospatial analysts. But for those of us who are only occasional users of spatial data or have a one-off need to create a map, ArcGIS has a steep price tag and a substantial learning curve. We’re not geospatial analysts or experts, so we don’t need or use all of the bells and whistles that are part of ArcGIS. Similarly, we’ve been looking for easy-to-use GIS software, one that is cheap and doesn’t require us to invest a ton of time to learn. QGIS has fit the bill in both ways.

QGIS offers the ability to create, edit, manage, and export vector and raster layers in several formats. You can easily explore, edit, and create GIS data in a variety of formats—more than 70 vector formats are supported. So far, QGIS has been able to handle all of our GIS software needs and has been a pleasant surprise addition to our library of open source tools.

DATA REPOSITORIES

There aren’t a ton of data repositories out there, but for projects or organizations that want to maintain their own data repository instead of using a shared repository such as Zenodo or FigShare, Dataverse (dataverse.org) is our preferred repository platform.

Why we love it:

For a quick-and-dirty repository, create a Dataverse for your institution or project using the Harvard Dataverse. Or, you can install, host, and manage Dataverse on your own web server.

Once a new Dataverse has been created, you can create a record for each dataset you wish to upload. You can use a single metadata record for multiple data files—i.e., a record can include a README.TXT file to explain methodology, data collection protocols, variable names, cleaning protocols, etc.; a raw data file; a cleaned data file; cross-tabulations; and other supplementary files. Metadata records are usually set to be publicly accessible, while datasets themselves can be open or closed.

INTEGRATED LIBRARY SYSTEM

Koha (koha-community.org) is an enterprise-class, standards-compliant platform for managing all aspects of library operations. It has been around for a long time now, has a vibrant development community with many options for support, and has been widely adopted by all kinds of libraries.

Why we love it:

Koha includes modules for acquisitions, circulation, cataloging, serials management, authorities, flexible reporting, label printing, multi-format notices, and offline circulation for when internet access is not available. Koha will work for consortia of all sizes, as well as multi-branch and single-branch libraries.

Koha is such a solid piece of software, it’s biggest drawback might be that it seems “too good to be true.” We’ve worked at multiple organizations that were skeptical of switching from a commercial vendor to Koha because it seemed there must be some kind of catch. How could a system that does everything that an expensive vendor-supported system can do, at a fraction of the cost, be for real?

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Moodle (moodle.org) has been around for more than 10 years now and has developed into one of the leading learning management systems, able to compete head-on with 60 onlinesearcher.net commercial products. Moodle boasts tens of thousands of installations and more than 90 million users.

Why we love it:

The support environment for Moodle is mature, with dozens of certified implementation partners to assist organizations that want some help to get up and running. Moodle works for classes that are entirely online, for hybrid classes, and as a learning management system that supports traditional classroom instruction. There’s little, if anything, a commercial system can do that Moodle can’t do just as well.

IMAGE EDITING

GIMP (gimp.org) is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program and our choice for image editing.

Why we love it:

GIMP is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring. The GIMP project originated more than 20 years ago, and it’s been undergoing steady development since then. Whether you need to edit images for work or just for personal use, GIMP gets the job done.

SCREENSHOT TOOL

Greenshot (getgreenshot.org) is a lightweight, standalone app for taking screenshots. It’s an open source platform for Windows, with a low-cost ($2) Mac version.

Why we love it:

Greenshot is deceptively simple, yet it’s something many of us on the FireOak team use on a daily basis. While the native Windows snipping tool is nice, Greenshot lets you assign a simple keystroke for various kinds of screenshots and automates file naming and saving conventions for screenshots. For instance, you can set Greenshot to use the keystroke “alt printscreen” to take a screenshot and save it in My Documents > Screenshots. You can set filenames to follow a particular pattern such as the capture date and time, followed by a title (pulled from metadata such as a meeting title, document title, or website name). Greenshot is one of those apps that we often use without even thinking about it and have come to rely on as part of our standard toolset.

VPN (VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK)

OpenVPN (openvpn.net) is exactly what it sounds like—an open source VPN solution. It allows users to install and run their own VPN servers; set up a cloud-based VPN server on Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud; or pay a service fee for the consumer-oriented Private Tunnel, which runs on OpenVPN.

Why we love it:

OpenVPN is a powerful VPN solution. Hosting your own VPN instead of using a VPN service provider means you aren’t relying on a third party to protect your privacy and anonymity. VPN providers shouldn’t be logging your internet activity, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t doing so.

If you’re used to setting up servers, installing and configuring the OpenVPN server is straightforward. Combined with Amazon AWS or another cloud service, you can easily set up a few OpenVPN servers around the world. One of the biggest complaints from VPN users in general is that they’re slow, so it’s important for international travelers and organizations with locations around the world to have VPN servers that are relatively close to where people are using the VPN. Distance matters, particularly when dealing with network latency, so it’s helpful to have VPN connections that are geographically convenient. With OpenVPN, we’re often setting up a new server via Amazon AWS on the continent where we’re traveling. It’s a cost-effective and simple way to secure our internet traffic without sacrificing speed.

Plus, since OpenVPN is open source, you can use either the OpenVPN client or any other client supporting the Open- VPN protocol.

HARD DRIVE ENCRYPTION

VeraCrypt (veracrypt.fr/en/Home.html) is an open source disk encryption tool for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It was a fork from the now-defunct TrueCrypt software.

Why we love it:

VeraCrypt allows you to easily encrypt your entire hard drive. Without getting into too many details about the process, VeraCrypt lets users select an encryption algorithm and hash algorithm, then it will create an encrypted volume on the device. The process is designed to make the contents of your hard drive inaccessible to anyone who does not have your VeraCrypt password. Whenever you’re ready to dispose of drives at work that may contain sensitive or confidential data, or if you need to dispose of hard drives that once stored your personal tax returns and financial documents, spend a few minutes to use VeraCrypt to encrypt the device before sending it off to recycling.

JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG

These are just a few of the open source tools and applications we routinely use ourselves or encounter on a regular basis. There are plenty of others that are so entrenched in our everyday lives we don’t even necessarily think about them as being open source—the Android operating system, WordPress, WikiMedia, Google’s Chromium browser, and Mozilla’s Firefox browser are just a few. The promise of open source continues to blossom, and we look forward to seeing all the new apps, tools, and platforms emerging in the coming years!