Abstract
This thesis is based on an action research project where I have participated in the establishment of an open distributed development network, and the development of the open source health information system District Health Information Software version 2 (DHIS2). The project was initiated at the University of Oslo in May 2004, as a part of the larger Health Information Systems Programme (HISP) network. HISP is a global research and development network with the aim of improving health information systems in developing countries.
Following an action research approach, the author has actively participated in the establishment of the DHIS2 project at the University of Oslo, and participated in the inception and training of development teams in both Vietnam and India. Based on findings from participation in a global development community, and field trips to Vietnam and India, the author seeks to explore the challenges of establishing sustainable nodes in distributed open development networks.
I argue that the success of efforts to establish sustainable distributed development nodes, is highly dependent on the ability to create local expertise, and the integration of the local teams with the distributed development community.