Global Health and Open Source in Africa—Why Is It Important?

The term "open source" refers to software source materials or source codes made freely and openly available with permission to be redistributed, customized, repurposed and rebuilt, legally and most often without fees—as opposed to proprietary software where the codes are kept private, must be bought, and usually cannot be significantly modified by the user. Here’s a good definition from the Open Source Initiative 

http://www.opensource.org/docs/osd

IntraHealth is an avid supporter of open source systems because we have found that they encourage collaboration, transparency and efficiency, while investing money into local capacity-building instead of software licenses.  Open source allows for collaborative creativity as well as localized customization, and adaptation, while promoting independence and local enterprise.

 Even better, when significant contributions are made, they can be shared openly and easily with others.