Open Source Release Process

The diagram below shows the workflow of the release process for candidate open source packages. Please follow the specific instructions to ensure a prompt release.

1. UPLOAD REQUEST

• Submitter of open source package completes an upload access request form to express intention for sharing the code base as open source on OSADP and agree to the terms and conditions of the website
• Submitter to supply basic information about the package for a preliminary approval review:
  • Submitter's name
  • Sponsoring Agency and POC (name and email)
  • Github username
  • Organization/Company
  • Email
• OSADP administrator, in conjunction with USDOT, reviews and grants approval for upload.
• Uploader to provide the following item upon approval:
  • Draft application page content

2. STAGING

• After approval and receipt of required documents, submitter is given access to a private Github repository
  • USDOT OSADP and application POC authorize and approve
• Required files (please refer to the linked templates with respect to the level of detail and information to include in these files):
  
  • Source code or assets:
    • Complete (code, files, images, tables, data...)
    • Functional and stable
    • Excludes malicious code
    • Excludes executable files or personal information
    • Virus scanned
  • README.txt (template) provides a summary of the open source package and provides other useful information
  • RELEASE-NOTES.txt (template) if the code is not an intial release, these notes should describe incremental differences in this release and associated instructions e.g., what's new. This is a required element if the uploaded code is an incremental release to a previous version.
  • LICENSE.txt (sample) declares the license that this open source is released under and discusses associated terms and conditions.
    • Apache 2.0 is the preferred license for OSADP.
    • Other open source licenses may be considered but please contact us to get specific approval.
  • ATTRIBUTION.txt (sample) acknowledges or gives credits to individuals, a group, or an organization that have contributed to the open source
    
• Optional files:
• Installation instructions
• User Guide
• Systems engineering documents:
  
  • User Needs
  • Concept of Operations
  • System Requirements
  • System Architecture and/or Design
  • Configuration management plan
• Development documents:
  
  • Release plan
  • Evaluation/Impact assessment plan
  • Test plans/procedures
• Project information:
  
  • Scope statement or project background
  • Final Report/Summary of Results
• Submitter can update and make changes to the code and files while they are on Github at anytime. Prior to a release, the code set is frozen for review.

3. REVIEW 

• All uploaded packages will be reviewed by the OSADP administrator in conjunction with USDOT for compliance with the checklist prior to public release on OSADP
• OSADP staff may communicate with submitter:
  • To ensure all requirements are met satisfactorily
  • To address any incorrect or lacking elements
  • To revise content for the application page
• OSADP staff prepare the application’s page for OSADP and provide a link for final approval to:
  
  • USDOT OSADP POC
  • USDOT application POC
  • Uploader
• USDOT approves public release of application content onto OSADP

4. PUBLIC RELEASE

• Open source packages will be released on OSADP and can be download by registered users
• Public announcement will be made on OSADP home page about the release

Here's a quick checklist for open source uploading process: