May custom-developed software projects be publicly accessible? [215]

By Office of Science Quality and Integrity

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.

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. SM 502.11 defines the requirements (including reviews and point-in-time snapshot release) for releasing a version of a software project as a USGS scientific software information product. The SHARE IT Act requires all source code to be made available within the Federal Government for reuse, and the USGS encourages sharing all source code with the public.