An update of Italy's law for e-government, Codice dell'Amministrazione Digitale, (CAD) urges public administrations to share software applications. DigitPA, a governement IT resource centre, should act as a clearing house, enabling public administrations to share and re-use applications and software.
"Taking re-use into account should be done from the beginning, including the drafting of contracts", explains DigitPA in a introduction on CAD, published on the centre's website.
Concerning re-use of software, changes were made to articles 68, 69 and 70 of CAD, writes Roberto Galoppini, an Italian open source strategist, on his website. For instance, in the new version, public administrations are told to now also consider sharing software modules. Another change instructs public administrations to consult DigitPA, so it can help to identify if applications or parts of software projects can be shared and re-used.
The updated CAD came into effect on 10 January. It was discussed last week Wednesday at a workshop at the Luspio University in Rome. According to Galoppini, one of the presenters, Italy's public administrations have very little experience with sharing software. "It has always been rare. Making it a reality requires good-will and infrastructures."
DigitPA is the successor of Cnipa, (National Centre for Informatics in Public Administration) that was overhauled late last year. Galoppini: "On the new organisation's website, a lot of the previously available material is not yet available, including the section on open source software." He also notes that the site does not clarify how public administrations are to contact DigitPA.
More information:
CAD (in Italian)
Luspio event invitation (pdf, in Italian)