Can I contribute code to open source projects, and if so, how should I identify and document my contributions? [136]

Yes. Software, as with other USGS authored or produced data and information that are released publicly, is in the public domain. During software development by USGS employees, including development of scientific software codes, some aspects of the software may be partially or wholly owned by a non-Federal entity such as a university collaborator. In those cases, the other entity may have the ability and desire to maintain intellectual property rights for the software project and could elect to apply a license, including an open source license that restricts public domain access. In these cases, the USGS employees may choose to structure their contributions so that specific components, such as a statistical algorithm, are available in the public domain. It is a best practice, when possible, for USGS software authors and developers to document their contributions in the codebase of the open-source project as those of a Federal Government employee. Commonly, this can be handled effectively through a code management tool such as Git, in which USGS contributions will be made via pull requests from a USGS repository/branch and can include USGS documentation. Conversely, the use of any copyrighted code in USGS software products requires written permission from the copyright holder and a statement indicating the copyrighted material is used with permission (refer to SM 1100.6).