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Open Source is a form of licensing agreement that allows users to freely modify an existing project, generate a new project or even derive an existing project into a larger entity making the work more advanced. However the definition of open source brings also broader cultural impact of working in the open, hence open source promotes a wide exchange of ideas within the community into making it more creative, user-friendly and flexible. Designing the open source way gives us the advantages of having a more secure, qualitative and interoperable project.
Open source software is generally free, and so is a world of support through the communities surrounding each piece of software.
Most every Linux distribution, for instance, has an online community with excellent documentation, forums, mailing lists, forges, wikis, newsgroups and even live support chat paid or unpaid.Another important reason why you should aim for using open source software, is cost.
Using Generally, using open source software generates a lower total cost of ownership when compared to closed source and proprietary alternatives. Converting into open source software generally has a lower up-front cost (because the software often comes at no cost or relatively low cost), and shifts the cost center from licensing (an operating expense) to customization and implementation (a capital expense). Additional costs like training, maintenance, and paid support are sunk costs.
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It’s recommended that you use desktop applications for creating documents and assets. However sometimes it’s not possible to install additional applications on a device so we also included various alternatives of online editors and conversion tools you can use on your desktop browser (or even in some cases mobile). |
Open Formats
What are open formats?
An open format is a file format for storing digital data, defined by a published specification usually maintained by a standards organization, and which can be used and implemented by anyone. For example, an open format can be implemented by both proprietary or free and open source software, using the typical software licenses used by each.
In contrast to open formats, closed formats are considered trade secrets. Open formats are also called free file formats if they are not encumbered by any copyrights, patents, trademarks or other restrictions (for example, if they are in the public domain) so that anyone may use them at no monetary cost for any desired purpose.
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Some of the most popular file formats for graphics and content are the following:
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Why do open formats matter?
In a world where paper documents increasingly get replaced by electronic records, long term access to the data becomes critical. This is especially the case for legal contracts and government documents which stay valid and relevant over decades, or even centuries.
Like paper and pens have been available from multiple vendors, and not just one single source, document file formats and the applications creating these file formats need to be supported by and available from multiple vendors. This guarantees long-term access to data, even if companies disappear, change their strategies or dramatically raise their prices.
Open standards and formats that are equally accessible and do not favor one particular vendor, help maintain a diverse ecosystem of vendors. This as well causes competitive pricing, thus ensuring the best use of money from investors or tax payers. Open standards also lower the barrier of entry, allowing new companies to join the ecosystem.
Creating data standards is all about interoperability: the ability to exchange standardized data between systems owned by different subjects. For that to happen one more step is required: representation – making the decision which file formats to use, how to format dates, how to store images, etc. In the end, you can land with the same information represented in possibly different file formats. The resulting files carry the same information, and a preference for one or the other is mostly a matter of preference, if you have the resources all of them can be used in parallel.
Often enough the choice is limited and conditioned by the default formats used by the data provider. To maximize reuse of the data, it may be necessary for a publisher to use a number of formats and structures available across different platforms that suit the users needs. Choosing the right format enables simpler management and reuse of the data in the long run. All data formats need software to be read or adjusted. This varies from regular proprietary software, for example Microsoft Excel, to more advanced software to manipulate specific data.
Popular formats and their open alternatives
Popular formats that we know are proprietary formats and software which are any format/software that is copyrighted and bears limits against use, distribution and modification that are imposed by its publisher, vendor or developer. Proprietary remains the property of its owner/creator and is used by end-users/organizations under predefined conditions. This says that we cannot use them for our projects or even change them, making it hard to achieve results for an open project.
The best method to change these problems are to use open alternatives that will make your work easier and more convenient.
As an alternative of the Office Package we can mention LibreOffice (Write, Impress, Draw, etc.) as a free and open source office suite to help you creating different file formats which are adaptable with your project.
Regarding the alternatives that may benefit you more in design, please see point 4 where are listed some of the online (and not only) platforms you can use for your open source project.
Best practices for openIMIS formats
The formats that would most apply to the openIMIS project would be related to imaging purposes, such as the branding assets, marketing material and communication kits. The use of SVG for vector files is recommended instead of the proprietary .ai (Illustrator files). As explained above, svg is an open format which can be read and modified easily without causing vendor lock-in or problems in the future. It being, essentially, a version of XML, means it can be modified without even using a GUI application such as Inkscape.
The openIMIS project logo is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, which is a Creative Commons license and recommended for use in digital assets such as logos, icons, brochures etc.
Converting proprietary formats to open formats
A file’s format—the way that it’s saved and encoded—determines what you can do with it and which programs will open it. The application you used to create the file in the first place will let you save it as something else. If you’re viewing a document online in Google Docs, for example, you can click File and Download to bring up a list of formats to which you can convert the page. These include Microsoft Word, PDF, and plain text.
For your video conversion needs, you can’t go wrong with the free programs Handbrake and VLC. VLC Media Player can play a whole host of video formats, including MPEG-4, H.264, WMV, and MKV with no extra plug-ins. With the program open on screen, choose Media, then Convert/Save and choose the format you want it into.
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When selecting file formats online for archiving, the formats should ideally be:
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Some preferred file formats:
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At GIZ and openIMIS specifically, we work with a variety of software tools and platforms, due to the diverse network of partners we collaborate with. This oftentimes results in licensing and compatibility issues when working across different groups as there is no standardized process of information output. This manual intends to solve at least a part of this problem by outlining best practices stakeholders can follow to reduce friction as part of their collaboration experience at openIMIS. It also understands the usage of proprietary tools such as Microsoft or Adobe software and suggests compromises without completely shifting a user’s software stack (e.g some contributors might not have permissions to install additional software on their devices). It’s recommended that you use desktop applications for creating documents and assets. However sometimes it’s not possible to install additional applications on a device. In many of these cases we provide alternatives such as using open formats or even offering online tools which can be used from a web browser.
Adhering as closely as possible to these guidelines will result in improved interoperability across openIMIS contributors and partner projects, including other GIZ projects. While the motivations of working in an open source environment might be of ethical nature for some, this manual tries to not consider these and take a pragmatic approach instead in order to have an impact across the openIMIS open systems. We realize switching fully to free open source software and practices is not feasible for many organizations and hence provide best practices for a variety of use cases.
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Many of these guidelines are intended to be considered as strong recommendations, however due to the complex nature of this topic, it is impossible to come up with a rule of thumb which applies for the sheer amount of contributors at openIMIS or GIZ. If in doubt, the best course of action is to file an issue on our Jira Service Desk if you need recommendations from other openIMIS contributors. |
Open Formats
Why open formats?
In a world where paper documents increasingly get replaced by electronic records, long term access to the data becomes critical. This is especially the case for legal contracts and government documents which stay valid and relevant over decades, or even centuries. At organizations such as GIZ the same applies.
Like paper and pens have been available from multiple vendors, and not just one single source, document file formats and the applications creating these file formats need to be supported by and available from multiple vendors. This guarantees long-term access to data, even if companies disappear, change their strategies or dramatically raise their prices. The formats in which information is published – in other words, the digital base in which the information is stored - can either be “open” or “closed”. An open format is one where the specifications for the software are available to anyone, free of charge, so that anyone can use these specifications in their own software without any limitations on re-use imposed by intellectual property rights. The benefit of open file formats is that they permit developers to produce multiple software packages and services using these formats.
If a file format is “closed”, this may be either because the file format is proprietary and the specification is not publicly available, or because the file format is proprietary and even though the specification has been made public, re-use is limited. If information is released in a closed file format, this can cause significant obstacles to reusing the information encoded in it, forcing those who wish to use the information to buy the necessary software. Using proprietary file formats for which the specification is not publicly available can create dependence on third-party software or file format license holders.
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Some of the most popular file formats for graphics and content are the following:
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The formats that would most apply to the openIMIS project would be related to imaging and text document purposes, such as the branding assets, marketing material and communication kits. For example, the use of SVG for vector files is recommended instead of the proprietary .ai (Illustrator files). As explained above, svg is an open format which can be read and modified easily without causing vendor lock-in or problems in the future. It being, essentially, a version of XML, means it can be modified without even using a GUI application such as Inkscape.
Converting proprietary formats to open formats
A file’s format—the way that it’s saved and encoded—determines what you can do with it and which programs will open it. The application you used to create the file in the first place will let you save it as something else. If you’re viewing a document online in Google Docs, for example, you can click File and Download to bring up a list of formats to which you can convert the page. These include Microsoft Word, PDF, and plain text.
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When selecting file formats online for archiving, the formats should ideally be:
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The process of converting proprietary formats to open formats is variable, it always depends on the complexity of the files and varies from format to format. For example, converting from .ai to .svg using Adobe Illustrator may be as easy as exporting as .svg from the software, but sometimes it may not work out. These edge cases are the hardest ones to get around to. Usually, it may be necessary to have to re-write or re-create the assets from scratch and then export them to SVG, to ensure maximum compatibility.
File Conversion Tools
There are many online (and not only) platforms that can help you to convert open formats. In this sector, we will present some ways you can convert open formats in your desktop software, online platforms and even using terminal for people that would love to pick up some new skills while working on the projects.
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LibreOffice
Software Code | Open Source |
Platform | Linux, Windows, macOS |
While using LibreOffice as a software, you can convert files manually by using the option Save As and choosing the format, or directly from the terminal.
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You would have to replace pdf with the extension of what file format you want to convert to.
If we go into details and you don’t want LibreOffice to open an empty window on your desktop you can enter the --headless option.
Turning to the command line is a great way to convert several files at once. If for example you want to convert all of the Microsoft Word documents in a folder to LibreOffice Writer format, you'd type:
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The conversion takes far less time than opening all of those files in LibreOffice Writer and doing the conversion manually.
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This section focuses on the conversion feature of the LibreOffice suite in its whole. In the next chapters LibreOffice Draw, Writer and Impress are specifically mentioned for the relevant document file formats they can be used for. |
Pandoc
Software Code | Proprietary |
Platform | Online Browser |
Pandoc is a software tool which allows you to convert various text markup files. It supports (among other) PDF, .docs and .odt. It offers a detailed guide with instructions you can follow to install and use it.
You're not just limited to straight conversions. You can, for example, add a table of contents, typographic quotes, custom headers, and syntax highlighting to the resulting file. Take a look at Pandoc's documentation for details and the open formats it allows you to convert.
Zamzar
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Software Code | Proprietary |
Platform | Online Browser |
Zamzar is an online file conversion platform that lets you convert documents, images, videos & sound and many more open formats. As you are not required to install it, you can use it from any browser, even mobile.
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Note: We cannot endorse usage of 3rd party tools which are not independently audited. Use at your own risk. |
BatchPhoto Espresso
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Software Code | Proprietary |
Platform | Online Browser |
Another free online image converter, which means you don't need to download any software to use it.
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For content (including graphics, video, audio and similar creative assets) we use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. That ensures openIMIS assets are re mixable by others, yet openIMIS is credited and derivation work which is based on our assets need to have the same license.
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For more details and questions on other licensing (such as software code) you can visit the License page on the openIMIS wiki. |
Creating design assets for openIMIS
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Software Code | Open Source |
Platform | Linux, Windows, macOS |
Recommended Project Formats | .odg |
Recommended Export Formats | .SVG (plain SVG), JPG, PNG, PDF |
LibreOffice Draw is a free and open source vector graphics editor. Draw lets you produce anything from a quick sketch to a complex plan and gives you the means to communicate with graphics or diagrams, flowcharts and even technical drawings.
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Software Code | Open Source |
Platform | Linux, Windows, macOS |
Recommended Project Formats | .odt |
Recommended Export Formats | .odt, docx*, .pdf, .epub, |
LibreOffice Writer is part of the open source LibreOffice suite and can export files to HTML, XHTML, XML, Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), and several versions of Microsoft Word files.
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Software Code | Open Source |
Platform | Linux, Windows, macOS |
Recommended Project Formats | .odp |
Recommended Export Formats | .odp, .pdf, .gif, |
LibreOffice Impress is a tool for creating effective multimedia presentations in slide shows.
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