Open Source Initiative (OSI) Announces New Affiliate Member, DemocracyLab

PALO ALTO, Calif. - July 8, 2014 - PRLog -- The Open Source Initiative (opensource.org) is very pleased to announce DemocracyLab (democracylab.org) has joined the OSI as an Affiliate Member. DemocracyLab works to develop tools for civic engagement that promote awareness, collect insights and share ideas to address public need in government. "DemocracyLab seeks to harness our collective intelligence to address society's most difficult problems by creating open source software tools that help communities frame issues, deliberate solutions, make decisions and take collective action. To accomplish this, we are creating a participation environment for users, developers and supporters of civic tech that facilitates communication and collaboration among stakeholders," said Mark Frischmuth, founder and board chairman of DemocracyLab. Today open source models, enabled through the standards set forth in the Open Source Definition, empower a growing number of disciplines across diverse peer-driven communities of practice. DemocracyLab is a great example of how open source methods can serve its traditional role in the technology sector while enhancing development within the pubic sector. "The mission and vision at DemocracyLab was built upon shared values of open source software, transparency, meritocracy of ideas, and open participation. It simply makes sense that DemocracyLab should become an OSI affiliate." added Deb Bryant, who serves on both the DemocracyLab and OSI Boards.
The OSI welcomes DemocracyLab to our community of 30+ Affiliate Members and we look forward to working with them to continue our education of, and advocacy for. the benefits of open source, and to build bridges across the various constituencies of the open source community.

About DemocracyLab

DemocracyLab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization aspiring to revolutionize civic dialogue. DemocracyLab is a diverse group of volunteers working together to create online tools to help communities identify problems, construct solutions, make decisions and take collaborative action. You can learn more about Democracy lab at democracylab.org or by emailing, info@democracylab.org.

About the Open Source Initiative

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is a California public benefit corporation, with 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, founded in 1998. The OSI is the stewards of the Open Source Definition (OSD) and the community-recognized body for reviewing and approving licenses as OSD-conformant and is also actively involved in Open Source community-building, education, and public advocacy to promote awareness and the importance of non-proprietary software. OSI Board members frequently travel the world to attend Open Source conferences and events, meet with open source developers and users, and to discuss with executives from the public and private sectors about how Open Source technologies, licenses, and models of development can provide economic and strategic advantages. You can learn more about the OSI at opensource.org or by emailing, osi@opensource.org.

Press Contact: press@opensource.org