David McCann

By David McCann

What I’ve Learned (and Will Learn) in Kampala Shouldn’t Stay in Kampala

I’m excited to return to Kampala for the ICT4D conference representing the Digital Impact Alliance. When I left Kampala in 2012, my home of two and a half years, many things were different. I left UNICEF having grown and trained the software development team that took U-Report from concept to a platform of over two […]

By David McCann

Three Considerations for Total Cost of Ownership

“Global Good” Open Source Software (OSS) products in the Technology for Development (T4D)  sector are mature products that have already received millions of dollars in investments and have been widely-deployed. One million dollars–the rough estimate of annual running cost for many existing Global Goods–may seem like a high cost if procured as a one-off, but […]

By David McCann

Is Open Source Overrated?

No. This was my one-word stance on the question when I was invited to participate in a session about open source at this year’s MERLTech Conference. As the discussion proceeded it became clear that there was nearly a consensus view—despite a diversity of perspectives—about problems with the way the “Big Aid system” (a combination of […]

By David McCann, Michael Downey

Can Open Source Deliver the Dream of Digital Development?

Next year will mark 20 years since the term “open source software” was officially coined, and the “free software” movement has been around even longer. But in the international development field, open source has only been a key consideration for the last decade or so. Today, the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL)’s Platform and Services team […]