Abstract
In this thesis, I compare Free Vertical Domain Information System (FVDIS) projects, represented by the District Health Information Software version 2 (DHIS 2) project and OpenMRS, with traditional open source projects. The comparison focuses on recruitment, developer training, communication and sustainability.
The thesis was written using an Action Research approach, where I took part in both projects - as a developer and teaching assistant in DHIS 2 and as an intern in OpenMRS.
After comparing existing literature on open source software development with my experiences from OpenMRS and DHIS 2 project work, I have concluded that there are differences between FVDIS projects and traditional open source software projects related to recruitment, developer training, communication and sustainability, and these differences should be taken into account when planning and executing FVDIS projects.
Notably, the relatively limited user groups of FVDIS applications cause challenges for recruitment compared to traditional open source projects. DHIS 2 and OpenMRS takes a more organized approach to recruitment to reduce this problem. These approaches to recruitment - mandatory participation through a university course and interns via Google Summer of Code - mean that developer training has to receive a higher priority as compared to open source projects.
Based on the DHIS 2 and OpenMRS cases, I believe that handling recruitment and developer training in a fashion appropriate for FVDIS projects is critical to the sustainability of such projects.