OA Digital provides software development, services and research. We believe that much of what we do is of interest to all those managing and using spatial data. If this applies to you, we invite you to take some time and browse our software pages and research publications.

Internally much of our software development is about supporting the Open Archaeology initiative. Our long-term aim is to provide a completely free and open source solution, with a modular architecture, for data management and analysis covering the entire work flow from in the field data capture to analysis and dissemination.

This open source and modular approach is then easily applied to other challenges. Without wanting to get into a philosophical or ethical debate about open source, we believe there are a number of compelling and pragmatic reasons for its use in business, academia and the public sector:

1. Get better return-on-investment!
   • own the software you pay for instead of renting it
   • open opportunities for cumulative and micro-investments
   • ensure that development takes the right direction
   • open opportunities for everyone to contribute
2. Ensure sustainable software research and practice!
   • become independent of the fate of software vendors
   • make sure that code lives beyond the lifespan of a single project
3. Break the vendor lock-in!
   • base your workflow on open and stable data formats and protocols
   • create modular software infrastructures with simple, manageable tools
   • foster transferable skills and knowledge instead of product-specific skills
4. Promote good scientific practice!
   • ensure reproducibility of research
   • avoid "black-box" data processing
   • unlock the knowledge built into software and algorithms
   • freely share public-funded research and results
   • allow participation free from financial constraints

We have published a number of documents on what we perceive to be important aspects and potentials of FOSS technology. You can find them in our Research section.

Also make sure to visit the Open Archaeology site to learn more about FOSS and archaeology.