FSP FAQs: Software

Yes. Publicly available, third-party code may be used to support USGS research as specified in SM 502.11. [Read More]

USGS scientific software information product review and reconciliation documents may be attached to an IPDS record to document the process. [Read More]

Two options exist: First, the approved USGS hosting platforms support external collaborator accounts. Second, the software project may be made publicly accessible as an open-source software development project. [Read More]

Scientific software information products may be reviewed incrementally as part of the development process or in aggregate just prior to becoming public. [Read More]

Yes. Scientific software information products may be released either concurrent with- or subsequent to- the corresponding open-source software project being made publicly accessible. However, all requirements of Federal Policy must be satisfied when doing so. [Read More]

Yes. USGS software projects may be made publicly available as open-source software projects (refer to the SHARE IT Act) but are not citable by other USGS products.

No. However, most custom-developed source code is still governed by ACIO Open Source Software requirements, and the SHARE IT Act, which have their own release requirements (but are outside of the scope of SM 502.11). [Read more]

USGS scientific software information products and scientific data products follow similar FSP requirements for review and approval. Both are considered noninterpretive information. Scientific data are subject to the requirements of the OPEN Government Data Act while scientific software information products are subject to the SHARE IT Act. [Read more]

The IPDS record of the manuscript must contain the IP number and DOI of the accompanying data/software release. [Read more]

While open-source software projects and scientific software information products are both publicly accessible, they differ in significant ways. [Read more]

Scientific software is ready for approval and public release when a version of the software is no longer under development, includes the appropriate documentation, and has been reviewed in accordance with SM 502.11 requirements. [Read more]

USGS scientific software information products must be released following the requirements described in SM 502.11 and may be cited like any other published work. [Read More]

Software projects are hosted within a version control system (VCS). [Read more]

Because software may be further developed and subsequently updated after the original version is released, all revised software should be released with a new version number. Although the approach to version numbering can vary, revised software releases can be grouped into three general categories: major revision, minor revision, and patch. [Read more]

Yes. Software produced by the USGS and released publicly is in the public domain. However, some software may be partially or wholly owned by a non-Federal partner (e.g., university) and may elect to apply a license, including an open source license that includes restrictions. USGS employees have several options to navigate these circumstances. [Read more]

In the United States, an original work of the U.S. Government is not eligible for copyright protection (17 USC 105a) and is automatically in the public domain. These works should include a license file with a public domain dedication statement to notify the public of the copyright status of the software. [Read more]

Generally, source code associated with USGS software releases must be made available at minimum for Federal Government-wide reuse. Source code for USGS software releases must include an appropriate open-source license or secured re-use rights; be included in the USGS source code inventory; be accompanied by documentation to facilitate reuse and participation by third parties. [Read more]

Yes. USGS scientific software information products must be assigned a DOI with the 10.5066 prefix. [Read more]

Department of the Interior, including USGS, applies strict requirements and platform authorizations for sharing software in public repositories. To avoid potential violations, policy-compliant and secure internal code repositories are available for sharing and releasing software. [Read more]

Author should work together with their supervisor and Science Center Director to determine if a set of source code is appropriate for release as a USGS scientific software release or if the algorithms or statistical methods would alternatively be more appropriate for inclusion in an associated manuscript or the metadata of a data release. [Read more]

The authoritative or original reference copy of all USGS scientific software information products must be maintained on an approved platform. As of the writing of this FAQ, these the two platforms options were (1) https://code.usgs.gov/ or (2) https://github.com/doi-usgs/. [Read more]