Last week I received a call for project proposals, called “Open Source for Vienna”. The technology funding agency of the city of Vienna has launched a call for proposals that support the switch of the local government to open source software (OSS). They claim the city has been using OSS since 1989 for the public administration. They see OSS as an enabler for efficient and lean government.
The call hopes to attract visionary ideas to better communicate between the Vienna city government and its citizens as well as to solve future administrative challenges in a modern and economic way.
You can find additional information about this call at http://www.zit.co.at/foerderungen/aktuelle-calls/open-source-fuer-wien.html (Only in German).
How are your local and national governments thinking? Is this a general trend for public administrations? Is the city of Vienna in this respect a front-runner or follower?

