Our open source ecosystem is growing. More developers and companies engage in open source every year because it is cost efficient, it enables rapid innovation, and it promotes open standards. Open source is becoming the default for software development.

The importance of open source software is no longer in question. However, its importance raises important questions about the open source ecosystem. Open source contributors want to know where they should place their efforts and know that they are making an impact. Open source communities want to attract new members, ensure consistent quality, and reward valuable members. Open source companies want to know which communities and software to engage with, communicate the impact the organization has on the community, and evaluate the work of their employees within open source. Open source foundations want to identify and respond to community needs, evaluate the impact of their work, and promote communities.

In response to these issues, the CHAOSS community is developing metrics, methodologies, and software for expressing open source project health and sustainability. By measuring open source project health and sustainability, CHAOSS seeks to improve the transparency of open source project health and sustainability so that relevant stakeholders can make more informed decisions about open source project engagement.