Category Archives: Short Research Papers

Sentiment Analysis of Open Source Software Community Mailing List: A Preliminary Analysis

Title: Sentiment Analysis of Open Source Software Community Mailing List: A Preliminary Analysis

Authors: Jumoke Abass Alesinloye (National University of Ireland, Galway), Eoin Groarke (National University of Ireland, Galway), Jaganath Babu (National University of Ireland, Galway), Subathra Srinivasan (National University of Ireland, Galway), Greg Curran (Intel Shannon), Denis Dennehy (National University of Ireland, Galway)

Abstract: Open source software has become increasingly popular with companies looking to create business value through collaboration with distributed communities of organizations and software developers who rely on mailing lists to review code and share their feedback. This preliminary study reports on the sentiment analysis of the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK.org) mailing list to identify and interpret patterns of sentiment during a release-cycle in 2018.

Download: This contribution is part of the OpenSym 2019 proceedings and is available as a PDF file.

Sentiment Analysis of Open Source Communities: An Exploratory Study

Title: Sentiment Analysis of Open Source Communities: An Exploratory Study

Authors: Jennifer Ferreira (National University of Ireland, Galway), Michael Glynn (Intel Shannon), David Hunt (Intel Shannon), Jaganath Babu (National University of Ireland, Galway), Denis Dennehy (National University of Ireland, Galway), Kieran Conboy (National University of Ireland, Galway)

Abstract: Open Source Software (OSS) mailing lists have become popular targets for mining sentiment and emotions, as they provide a centralized communication hub between the distributed OSS community. Sentiment and emotions within communities can provide insights into how a community responds to certain events, who are the key members and how their behaviours impact the rest of the community. Such insights can inform initiatives aimed at fostering positive interactions between OSS community members, strengthening social ties, and helping the community accomplish its tasks. This poster presents our initial results from sentiment analysis of an OSS mailing list, and answers two key questions: (1) Given that the mailing list is used for peer-review of code, is the community sentiment negative overall? (2) Is community sentiment related to the month of the release cycle?

Download: This contribution is part of the OpenSym 2019 proceedings and is available as a PDF file.

Open Data Collaborations – A Snapshot of an Emerging Practice

Title: Open Data Collaborations – A Snapshot of an Emerging Practice

Authors: Thomas Olsson (RISE Research Institutes of Sweden), Per Runeson (Lund University)

Abstract: Data defined software is becoming more and more prevalent, especially with the advent of machine learning and artificial intelligence. With data defined systems come both challenges – to continue to collect and maintain quality data – and opportunities – open innovation by sharing with others. We propose Open Data Collaboration (ODC) to describe pecuniary and non-pecuniary sharing of open data, similar to Open Source Software. To understand challenges and opportunities with ODC, we ran focus groups with 22 companies and organizations. We observed an interest in the subject, but we conclude that the overall maturity is low and ODC is rare.

Download: This contribution is part of the OpenSym 2019 proceedings and is available as a PDF file.

The Classification and Potential of Business Archetypes by Using Open Data

Title: The Classification and Potential of Business Archetypes by Using Open Data

Authors: Run Duan (Guangdong University of Technology), Tetsuo Noda (Shimane University)

Abstract: Public data collected or possessed by administrative agencies and subsequently released as Open Data is expected to bring about positive economic effects. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the business archetypes of using Open Data to establish whether this expectation holds true, and to classify Open Data business archetypes into 7 types to predict their commercial potential.

Download: This contribution is part of the OpenSym 2019 proceedings and is available as a PDF file.

Determining the Geographical distribution of a Community by means of a Time-zone Analysis

Title: Determining the Geographical distribution of a Community by means of a Time-zone Analysis

Authors: Jesus M. Gonzalez-Barahona, Gregorio Robles (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos) and Daniel Izquierdo-Cortazar (Bitergia)

Abstract: Free/libre/open source software projects are usually developed by a geographically distributed community of developers and contributors. In contrast to traditional corporate environments, it is hard to obtain information about how the community is geographically distributed, mainly because participation is open to volunteers and in many cases it is just occasional. During the last years, specially with the increasing implication of institutions, non-profit organizations and companies, there is a growing interest in having information about the geographic location of developers. This is because projects want to be as global as possible, in order to attract new contributors, users and, of course, clients. In this paper we show a methodology to obtain the geographical distribution of a development community by analyzing the source code management system and the mailing lists they use.

This contribution to OpenSym 2016 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2016 proceedings on or after August 17, 2016.

Out of Altruism or Because it Reads Well on the CV?: The Motivations for Participation in the Freifunk Community Compared to FLOSS

Title: Out of Altruism or Because it Reads Well on the CV?: The Motivations for Participation in the Freifunk Community Compared to FLOSS

Authors: Lyudmila Vaseva (Freie Universitaet Berlin)

Abstract: Motivation of free, libre and open source software developers has been widely studied over the years. The reasons people engage in this seemingly altruistic behavior have been elaborated and classified. The present work addresses a slightly different issue: what motivates individuals to participate in community network projects? Are the reasons similar to or quite distinct from these relevant to contributors to free software? Based on recently conducted interviews with community network activists from the Germany based project Freifunk and established FLOSS motivation research, we will analyse the specifics of the Freifunk project and the factors which spur its members to action. The obtained insights could then hopefully be used to understand the underlying group processes and help build sustainable communities.

This contribution to OpenSym 2016 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2016 proceedings on or after August 17, 2016.

Evaluating Open Collaboration Opportunities in the Fire Service with FireCrowd

Title: Evaluating Open Collaboration Opportunities in the Fire Service with FireCrowd

Authors: Eleanor R. Burgess (University College London) and Aaron Shaw (Northwestern University)

Abstract: In emergency response organizations like the fire service, personnel require easy access to reliable, up-to-date safety protocols. Systems for creating and managing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) within these command and control organizations are often rigid, inaccessible, and siloed. Open collaboration systems like wikis and social computing tools have the potential to address these limitations, but have not been analyzed for intra-organizational use in emergency services. In response to a request from the Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) we evaluated a high-fidelity open collaboration system prototype, FireCrowd, that was designed to manage SOPs within the U.S. fire service. We use the prototype as a technology probe and apply human-centered design methods in a suburban fire department in the Chicago area. We find that organizational factors would inhibit the adoption of some open collaboration practices and identify points in current practices that offer opportunities for open collaboration in the future.

This contribution to OpenSym 2016 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2016 proceedings on or after August 17, 2016.

Investigating teachers’ practices of using games in school: A pattern-based approach

Title: Investigating teachers’ practices of using games in school: A pattern-based approach

Authors: Triinu Jesmin and Tobias Ley (Tallinn University)

Abstract: We introduce teachers’ practice patterns as a possible way to enhance knowledge building about game use in schools. We developed patterns through critical incident interviews with 15 Estonian school teachers and validated them in an online forum. We present the patterns, experiences around employing the approach for knowledge building and report some general themes on game use in schools that have emerged from this work.

This contribution to OpenSym 2016 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2016 proceedings on or after August 17, 2016.

A Leader-Driven Open Collaboration Platform for Exploring New Domains

Title: A Leader-Driven Open Collaboration Platform for Exploring New Domains

Authors: Michael Weiss, Ibrahim AbuAlhaol and Mohamed Amin (Carleton University)

Abstract: This paper describes the design and initial evaluation of a leader-driven open collaboration platform for exploring new domains. The goal of this platform is to enable the collaboration of subject matter experts across knowledge boundaries. Traditionally, new domains are explored from within a single specialist or a focused group perspective. However, this often introduces bias. Collaboration helps reduce such bias by providing access to a broader range of information sources, increasing the chances for producing new insights in a new domain. However, it also introduces a new problem: variance between the contributions made. Variance makes it difficult to produce a coherent document. In this paper, we derive propositions about how leader-driven open collaboration is expected to help reduce bias while containing variance. We also offer an initial evaluation of these propositions based on our observations from developing an initial prototype of the open collaboration platform.

This contribution to OpenSym 2016 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2016 proceedings on or after August 17, 2016.

Group Formation for Small-Group Learning: Are Heterogeneous Groups More Productive?

Title: Group Formation for Small-Group Learning: Are Heterogeneous Groups More Productive?

Authors: Astrid Wichmann (Ruhr-University Bochum), Tobias Hecking (University of Duisburg-Essen), Malte Elson, Nina Christmann, Thomas Herrmann (Ruhr-University Bochum), and H. Ulrich Hoppe (University of Duisburg-Essen)

Abstract: There is an underexploited potential in enhancing massive online learning courses through small-group learning activities. Size and diversity allow for optimizing group composition in small-group tasks. The purpose of this paper was to investigate how groups formed based on learner behavior affect productivity of students in a small-group task. Students classified as high, average and low were randomly assigned to homogeneous or heterogeneous groups. Results indicate that overall, heterogeneous groups were either similarly or a bit more productive than homogeneous groups. Yet, we found that homogeneous groups classified as high-level were as or more than heterogeneous groups. However, heterogeneous groups were still more productive than homogeneous-average and homogeneous-low groups suggesting heterogeneous groups are the best choice for the entire community. Students classified as low-level were more productive in homogeneous groups, suggesting that grouping less active students together, makes social loafing more difficult and students participate more.

This contribution to OpenSym 2016 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2016 proceedings on or after August 17, 2016.