In the r/opensource subreddit, a really good question was asked by u/Fandekasp
Is there an awesome list of open source projects dedicated to tackling global challenges?
I promised to set one up here at Pangloss Labs and as we’re not far from the United Nations in Geneva I’ve used the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as categories. Here it is, a list of open source hardware and software projects from around the globe that are helping to make the world a better place.
If you know of one that we missed please just tell us and we’ll happily add it. Thanks!
SDG1 No Poverty
- OpenCBS an innovative platform offering an Open Source Core Banking System as well as other value-added solutions for the microfinance and financial services industry
- MIfos We provide the end to end set of technologies whether you’re a user looking for software out of the box, a partner looking to resell Mifos X, or a developer looking to build your own solution for mobile banking or digital financial services.
- Mojaloop Mojaloop is open-source software for financial services companies, government regulators, and others taking on the challenges of interoperability and financial inclusion.
SDG2 Zero Hunger
SDG3 Good Health & Well-Being
- GNU Health A Free/Libre project for health practitioners, health institutions and governments. It provides the functionality of Electronic Medical Record (EMR), Hospital Management (HMIS) and Health Information System (HIS).
- MOTECH Mobile Technology for Community Health
- OpenBCI Open Source Brain Computer Interfaces
- OpenLMIS A web based open source software purpose built for national governments in developing countries to use to manage their supplies of medical/heatlh commodities (medicines, bednets, etc.). The goal is to reduce stock outs of essential health products.
- Careables Platform that enables citizens to co-design and deliver people-centered health products through means of digital fabrication.
- LogAir An open source mobile pollution device that maps PM2.5 concentration in the air
- Safecast Safecast is a global volunter-centered citizen science project working to empower people with data about their environments.
- OpenMRS The world's leading open source enterprise electronic medical record system platform.
SDG4 Quality Education
- OER Commons OER Commons is a public digital library of open educational resources. Explore, create, and collaborate with educators around the world to improve curriculum.
- Kiwix lets you access free knowledge – even offline. Store Wikipedia or any website on your mobile phone or computer, easily
- Moodle Open-source learning platform
- Kolibri makes high quality education technology available in low-resource communities such as rural schools, refugee camps, orphanages, non-formal school systems, and prison systems.
- Wikipedia the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
SDG5 Gender Equality
- Open Gender Project Creating and promoting a practical and inclusive way to handle gender in software.
- Wikigender Your online platform to share research, data and solutions to advance gender equality.
SDG6 Clean Water & Sanitation
- OHorizons Open Source Water Purification Systems
SDG7 Affordable & Clean Energy
- OSeMOSYS – Home Open Source Energy Modelling System
- Open Energy Models Open Source Energy Modelling Systems
- LF Energy Open Source for Energy Transition
- OpenEnergyMonitor Open source monitoring for understanding energy. Exploring the context of renewable energy and zero carbon
- Open Smart Grid Platform Open, generic, scalable and independent ‘Internet of Things’ platform for large infrastructures
- ONSSET Open Source Spatial Electrification Tool
- OpenEMS Open Source Energy Management System
- Hydrogen Bicycle Kit We’re developing an “open source” conversion kit to transform a “classic” bike into a hydrogen electric bike
SDG9 Innovation, Industry & Infrastructure
- OpenHab Software for smart home management
- Open Data Kit Free and open-source software for collecting, managing, and using data in resource-constrained environments.
- Open Robotics ROS for building robots, Gazebo for simulating them
- Safecast Safecast is a global volunter-centered citizen science project working to empower people with data about their environments.
- OpenBuilds Build an open source machine for building things
- Field Ready Humanitarian Aid Supplied made in the Field
- openTCS The open transportation control system
- WikiHouse is a digitally-manufactured building system. It aims to make it simple for anyone to design, manufacture and assemble beautiful, high-performance homes that are customised to their needs.
- Oasis Loss Modelling Framework An open source catastrophe modelling platform, free to use by anyone.
- Open Source Ecology Open Source Blueprints for Civilization. Build Yourself.
- Hydrogen Bicycle Kit We’re developing an “open source” conversion kit to transform a “classic” bike into a hydrogen electric bike
SDG10 Reduced Inequalities
- MOTECH Mobile Technology for Community Health
- Electric wheelchair conversion kit An open kit to bring electric drive to any existing wheelchair for cheap (and -hopefully- safe)
- Mighty House Mighty House is an open source tool kit that enables everyday people to create transitional shelter for those experiencing homelessness.
- Open Data Kit Free and open-source software for collecting, managing, and using data in resource-constrained environments.
- Enabling The Future A Global Network Of Passionate Volunteers Using 3D Printing To Give The World A "Helping Hand."
SDG11 Sustainable Cities & Communities
- CityOS Open source city software available to all
- QGIS A Free and Open Source Geographic Information System
- WeFix Thoiry Smartphones / Tablettes
- LogAir An open source mobile pollution device that maps PM2.5 concentration in the air
- Bike Shepherd Velos à Ferney-Voltaire
- CoopCycle A federation of bicycle delivery cooperatives, and the open source logisitics/commerce software to power them.
- OpenFarm Grow Your Food. Farm and garden through knowledge sharing
- WikiHouse is a digitally-manufactured building system. It aims to make it simple for anyone to design, manufacture and assemble beautiful, high-performance homes that are customised to their needs.
- OpenDroneMap Drone Mapping Software. Generate maps, point clouds, 3D models and DEMs from drone, balloon or kite images.
- OpenHab Software for smart home management
- FarmBot Open-Source CNC Farming
- CiviCRM Open source constituent relationship management for non-profits, NGOs and advocacy organizations.
- OSGeoLive a self-contained bootable DVD, USB thumb drive or Virtual Machine based on Lubuntu, that allows you to try a wide variety of open source geospatial software without installing anything.
- Open Source Ecology Open Source Blueprints for Civilization. Build Yourself.
SDG12 Responsible Consumption & Production
- RepRap – RepRap RepRap is humanity's first general-purpose self-replicating manufacturing machine.
- Open Source Circular Economy Days A global ecosystem of resilient local circular economies bound by the spirit of openness, collaboration, diversity and motivation for a thriving planet and fairer society.
- Field Ready Humanitarian Aid Supplied made in the Field
SDG13 Climate Action
- ffem Foundation for Environmental Monitoring
- OS-°C an Open Source collaboration community to build a software platform that will dramatically boost global capital flows into climate change mitigation and resilience.
- Apache Open Climate Workbench An effort to develop software that performs climate model evaluation using model outputs from a variety of different sources
- Public Lab Public Lab is a community where you can learn how to investigate environmental concerns.
- xanthos Xanthos is an open-source hydrologic model, written in Python, designed to quantify and analyze global water availability.
SDG14 Life Below Water
- FAO Fisheries OPEN ARTFISH stands for Open Approaches, Rules and Techniques for Fisheries statistical monitoring.
- WikiWatershed A web toolkit designed to help citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, researchers, educators, and students advance knowledge and stewardship of fresh water.
- Open-Source Ocean Acoustics open source tools and resources in ocean acoustics
- FishBase A Global Information System on Fishes
- FOCUS The FOCUS (Fisheries Open Source Community Software) community has been established with the purpose to create and maintain free software dedicated to the management and preservation of the fishery resource.
SDG15 Life On Land
- Open Foris Free open-source solutions for environmental monitoring
- Open Source Seeds Protecting seed as commons – the alternative to monopolies and corporate power!
- OpenDroneMap Drone Mapping Software. Generate maps, point clouds, 3D models and DEMs from drone, balloon or kite images.
SDG16 Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
- ContraxSuite Open Source AI powered Legal Software
- Oasis Loss Modelling Framework An open source catastrophe modelling platform, free to use by anyone.
- bellingcat Tools for open source investigations
- MySociety Tools for democracy. Our code is open source
SDG17 Partnerships For The Goals
- Toolkit: Activating the 2030 Agenda An open source kit to build your own multi-stakeholder SDG lab
I’m sure I missed a whole bunch. If you know of one that we missed please just tell us and we’ll happily add it. Thanks!
