A case study of private–public collaboration for humanitarian free and open source disaster management software deployment

Abstract

Free and open source software (FOSS) has been increasingly adopted for humanitarian purpose worldwide, yet the factors for successful deployment of humanitarian FOSS in a disaster situation remain largely unexplored. Drawing upon the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, this study identifies the key issues in collaborative deployment of FOSS for humanitarian relief operations. The research further elaborates the key research issues by adopting a case study approach in which qualitative data were gathered from key informants from both private and public sectors. The results suggest that task–technology fit, expertise management, and inter-organizational relationship management play critical roles in humanitarian FOSS deployment.