Transitioning from Proprietary to Open Source Software: Issues and Lessons Learned through OpenELIS

The session will be structured as a path from the starting point of   the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) multi-state   collaborative functional requirements gathering prior to an RFP to the   feasibility study phase we’re in now with the OpenELIS LIMS   application developed in Minnesota and Iowa. The evaluation and risk   assessment of options discovered during market research will be   discussed and tradeoffs made and challenges we expect in the   transition. Issues touched on will include: IP and licensing;   Resource, infrastructure and funding; Role of Steering Committee and   project management, update of business case and regulatory approvals;   Statewide and agency open source policy; Ecosystem changes, multi-  state, interagency and interdivisional relationships; System   architecture, core vs. modules, documentation.