KEMBAR78
Mapping of Belgian open source market | PDF
[ RMLL 2013, Bruxelles – Thursday 11th
July 2013 ]
Mapping of Belgian open source market
Presenter : Dr Ir Robert Viseur
2
Open source in Belgian public sector
3
Prerequisite: organization of
Belgium
• Belgium = federal state composed of regions (territory) and
communities (people).
• Regions (3): Flemish Region, Walloon Region and Brussels Region.
• Communities (3): French Community, Flemish Community, German
Community.
• Merger between Flemish Region and Community (= Flanders).
• Belgium also composed of provinces (10).
• Closest to the citizen: Belgian municipalities (589).
• The municipalities are autonomous but...
• Subject to the power of supervision of the Walloon region.
4
Open source policies in Belgium
• No real headquaters for informatics policy.
• Consequence: widely heterogeneous policies...
• And case-by-case use of free softwares.
• Differences between federal state, Flanders,
Walloon Region, Brussels Region, French
Community, German Community, provinces and
municipalities.
• Policies in municipalties influenced by power of
supervision of the Walloon region.
• See (Viseur, 2010) for more details.
5
Big picture (federal state)
• Variable use of free softwares.
• Strong interest in open standards, less for free
sofwares (FEDICT).
• Open data portal: data.gov.be.
• European context: INSPIRE, PSI, etc.
6
Big picture (Brussels)
• Variable use of free softwares
• Support of free softwares by CIRB
(www.cirb.irisnet.be).
• Example: expertise in OpenOffice.org migration.
• Interest for open data :
• Open data portal for city of Brussels:
opendata.bruxelles.be.
• Availability of data from URBIS portal (CIRB).
7
Big picture (Flanders)
• ICT services outsourced to Belgacom and HP
consortium until 2014.
• Some reference initiatives.
• Examples:
• Free software use in Schoten.
• Open Data in Gent: data.gent.be.
8
Big picture (Wallonia and FC) (1/2)
• ICT teams and external ICT structures dedicated to
Walloon public sector (+ outsourcing: e.g. former GIEI).
• Walloon authorities in flavour of promoting free
softwares and open data.
• See « DÉCLARATION DE POLITIQUE RÉGIONALE
WALLONNE ».
• « Promouvoir l'utilisation des standards ouverts et les logiciels
libres » (p. 120)
• See « Master Plan TIC ».
• « Objectif stratégique. Libérer les données publiques pour doper
l'offre de services aux citoyens » (p. 77).
• But variable use in public sector...
9
Big picture (Wallonia and FC) (2/2)
• Used by ETNIC (www.etnic.be) and SMAL
(www.smals.be) ICT centers.
• « Sleeping » forge: forge.etnic.be.
• Bottom-up project: CommunesPlone.
• Integrated with Qualicité in IMIO inter-communal
structure (www.imio.be).
• As a replacement for Agoractités and Qualicité
custom softwares.
• Open data portal (new): opendata.awt.be.
10
Keep in mind
• Two lead projects:
• CommunesPlone software suite (IMIO).
• Open data in Gent.
• Soon: Hackathon eGov Wallonia the 4th, 5th and
6th October 2013 in Namur
(hackathonegovwallonia.net).
• See (Viseur, 2010) for more details.
11
Open source companies in Belgium
12
Sources of data
• Study mainly build on LogicielLibre.be directory (~
150 companies).
• Only for companies clearly communicating their
engagement in open source technologies (pure
players or hybrid offer).
• Less knowledge about the Flemish market.
13
Location of companies in Belgium
14
Size and rentability of open source
companies in Belgium (1/2)
• Low number of bankruptcies (~5 between 2004 and
2011).
• Financial indicators (from BNB figures, median):
• Solvability: 37.1%.
• Equity: 129 239€.
• Revenues: 3 256 911€ (partial data).
• Rentability on assets: 6.8%.
• Ratio « salaries / added value »: 79.7%.
(work in progress...)
15
Size and rentability of open source
companies in Belgium (2/2)
• Ten open source companies in ERP sector (figures
for 2009):
• Total of 87 employees (average of 9,7 employees by
active company).
• ~45% of companies have 5 employees or more
(average in walloon ICT sector: ~25%).
• 80% of companies are profitable.
• Companies creating the largest number of jobs are
not always the most publicized.
• Example: Alfea Consulting (22,8 employees, profitable).
16
Products and services available in
Belgium (1/2)
• What we looked at :
• Sale of hardware
• Certified hardware.
• Open hardware
• Open source edition.
• Services.
• Hosting, SaaS and cloud computing.
17
Products and services available in
Belgium (2/2)
(Viseur, 2011)
18
Products and services: details (1/2)
(Viseur, 2011)
19
Products and services: details (2/2)
(Viseur, 2011)
20
Quelles sont les relations entre
entreprises ?
(part of the full graph ; work in progress...)
21
Lead open source Belgian projects
• OpenERP.
• Claroline / Dokeos / Chamilo.
• CommunesPlone.
• Drupal.
• Ekiga.
• The DataTank (new).
22
Discussion
• Comparison with France
• Lack of representative organisations such as April
(www.april.org), Aful (aful.org) or CNLL (www.cnll.fr).
• Differences between popular technologies due to average size of
companies ?
• In general
• Wide range of services for open source technologies, but...
• Lack of providers in several domains (SIG, lawyers and embedded
softwares).
• Some lead initiatives about open source or open data in public
sector, but...
• General lack of clarity about open* policies.
• Commercial activities with open hardware or open data (except
Data.be) ?
23
Thanks for your attention.
Any questions ?
24
Useful additional readings...
• Verstichel, P. (2013), Open Data – Données Publiques: Et la Wallonie
dans tout ça ?, Jeudis du Libre, Mons, 20 juin 2013.
• Viseur, R. (2013), Les modèles d'affaires des prestataires en
logiciels libres, Atelier « open source », Agence Bruxelloise pour
l'Entreprise (ABE), 27 mars 2013.
• Viseur, R. (2011), Cartographie des marchés Open Source belges et
français, Rencontres Mondiales du Logiciel Libre, Strasbourg, 11
juillet 2011.
• Viseur, R. (2010), Logiciels libres et données ouvertes en Belgique:
point de situation, Rencontres Mondiales du Logiciel Libre,
Bordeaux, 08 juillet 2010.
25
Contact
Dr Ir Robert Viseur
Email (@CETIC) : robert.viseur@cetic.be
Email (@UMONS) : robert.viseur@umons.ac.be
Phone : 0032 (0) 479 66 08 76
Website : www.robertviseur.be
This presentation is covered by « CC-BY-ND » license.

Mapping of Belgian open source market

  • 1.
    [ RMLL 2013,Bruxelles – Thursday 11th July 2013 ] Mapping of Belgian open source market Presenter : Dr Ir Robert Viseur
  • 2.
    2 Open source inBelgian public sector
  • 3.
    3 Prerequisite: organization of Belgium •Belgium = federal state composed of regions (territory) and communities (people). • Regions (3): Flemish Region, Walloon Region and Brussels Region. • Communities (3): French Community, Flemish Community, German Community. • Merger between Flemish Region and Community (= Flanders). • Belgium also composed of provinces (10). • Closest to the citizen: Belgian municipalities (589). • The municipalities are autonomous but... • Subject to the power of supervision of the Walloon region.
  • 4.
    4 Open source policiesin Belgium • No real headquaters for informatics policy. • Consequence: widely heterogeneous policies... • And case-by-case use of free softwares. • Differences between federal state, Flanders, Walloon Region, Brussels Region, French Community, German Community, provinces and municipalities. • Policies in municipalties influenced by power of supervision of the Walloon region. • See (Viseur, 2010) for more details.
  • 5.
    5 Big picture (federalstate) • Variable use of free softwares. • Strong interest in open standards, less for free sofwares (FEDICT). • Open data portal: data.gov.be. • European context: INSPIRE, PSI, etc.
  • 6.
    6 Big picture (Brussels) •Variable use of free softwares • Support of free softwares by CIRB (www.cirb.irisnet.be). • Example: expertise in OpenOffice.org migration. • Interest for open data : • Open data portal for city of Brussels: opendata.bruxelles.be. • Availability of data from URBIS portal (CIRB).
  • 7.
    7 Big picture (Flanders) •ICT services outsourced to Belgacom and HP consortium until 2014. • Some reference initiatives. • Examples: • Free software use in Schoten. • Open Data in Gent: data.gent.be.
  • 8.
    8 Big picture (Walloniaand FC) (1/2) • ICT teams and external ICT structures dedicated to Walloon public sector (+ outsourcing: e.g. former GIEI). • Walloon authorities in flavour of promoting free softwares and open data. • See « DÉCLARATION DE POLITIQUE RÉGIONALE WALLONNE ». • « Promouvoir l'utilisation des standards ouverts et les logiciels libres » (p. 120) • See « Master Plan TIC ». • « Objectif stratégique. Libérer les données publiques pour doper l'offre de services aux citoyens » (p. 77). • But variable use in public sector...
  • 9.
    9 Big picture (Walloniaand FC) (2/2) • Used by ETNIC (www.etnic.be) and SMAL (www.smals.be) ICT centers. • « Sleeping » forge: forge.etnic.be. • Bottom-up project: CommunesPlone. • Integrated with Qualicité in IMIO inter-communal structure (www.imio.be). • As a replacement for Agoractités and Qualicité custom softwares. • Open data portal (new): opendata.awt.be.
  • 10.
    10 Keep in mind •Two lead projects: • CommunesPlone software suite (IMIO). • Open data in Gent. • Soon: Hackathon eGov Wallonia the 4th, 5th and 6th October 2013 in Namur (hackathonegovwallonia.net). • See (Viseur, 2010) for more details.
  • 11.
  • 12.
    12 Sources of data •Study mainly build on LogicielLibre.be directory (~ 150 companies). • Only for companies clearly communicating their engagement in open source technologies (pure players or hybrid offer). • Less knowledge about the Flemish market.
  • 13.
  • 14.
    14 Size and rentabilityof open source companies in Belgium (1/2) • Low number of bankruptcies (~5 between 2004 and 2011). • Financial indicators (from BNB figures, median): • Solvability: 37.1%. • Equity: 129 239€. • Revenues: 3 256 911€ (partial data). • Rentability on assets: 6.8%. • Ratio « salaries / added value »: 79.7%. (work in progress...)
  • 15.
    15 Size and rentabilityof open source companies in Belgium (2/2) • Ten open source companies in ERP sector (figures for 2009): • Total of 87 employees (average of 9,7 employees by active company). • ~45% of companies have 5 employees or more (average in walloon ICT sector: ~25%). • 80% of companies are profitable. • Companies creating the largest number of jobs are not always the most publicized. • Example: Alfea Consulting (22,8 employees, profitable).
  • 16.
    16 Products and servicesavailable in Belgium (1/2) • What we looked at : • Sale of hardware • Certified hardware. • Open hardware • Open source edition. • Services. • Hosting, SaaS and cloud computing.
  • 17.
    17 Products and servicesavailable in Belgium (2/2) (Viseur, 2011)
  • 18.
    18 Products and services:details (1/2) (Viseur, 2011)
  • 19.
    19 Products and services:details (2/2) (Viseur, 2011)
  • 20.
    20 Quelles sont lesrelations entre entreprises ? (part of the full graph ; work in progress...)
  • 21.
    21 Lead open sourceBelgian projects • OpenERP. • Claroline / Dokeos / Chamilo. • CommunesPlone. • Drupal. • Ekiga. • The DataTank (new).
  • 22.
    22 Discussion • Comparison withFrance • Lack of representative organisations such as April (www.april.org), Aful (aful.org) or CNLL (www.cnll.fr). • Differences between popular technologies due to average size of companies ? • In general • Wide range of services for open source technologies, but... • Lack of providers in several domains (SIG, lawyers and embedded softwares). • Some lead initiatives about open source or open data in public sector, but... • General lack of clarity about open* policies. • Commercial activities with open hardware or open data (except Data.be) ?
  • 23.
    23 Thanks for yourattention. Any questions ?
  • 24.
    24 Useful additional readings... •Verstichel, P. (2013), Open Data – Données Publiques: Et la Wallonie dans tout ça ?, Jeudis du Libre, Mons, 20 juin 2013. • Viseur, R. (2013), Les modèles d'affaires des prestataires en logiciels libres, Atelier « open source », Agence Bruxelloise pour l'Entreprise (ABE), 27 mars 2013. • Viseur, R. (2011), Cartographie des marchés Open Source belges et français, Rencontres Mondiales du Logiciel Libre, Strasbourg, 11 juillet 2011. • Viseur, R. (2010), Logiciels libres et données ouvertes en Belgique: point de situation, Rencontres Mondiales du Logiciel Libre, Bordeaux, 08 juillet 2010.
  • 25.
    25 Contact Dr Ir RobertViseur Email (@CETIC) : robert.viseur@cetic.be Email (@UMONS) : robert.viseur@umons.ac.be Phone : 0032 (0) 479 66 08 76 Website : www.robertviseur.be This presentation is covered by « CC-BY-ND » license.