Analyzing the Connection Between GitHub Activity of Open Source Software Projects and Relevant Funding and Governance Models

Abstract

Open-Sourced Software, or OSS, is a type of software that allows those besides its initial authors to edit it. Examples include NFTs, blockchains, cryptocurrencies, and various more. By releasing the code to the public, the software becomes more developed and advanced. Despite the recent boom of OSS projects in the tech industry, the effects of different funding and governance models in relation to GitHub activity remains unclear. This research analyzes if there is a link or correlation factor between an OSS’s GitHub Development Activity and its relative funding and governance model. Through a Big Query script and SQL script  on various GitHub OSS blockchain projects, we were able to collect data on the user activity of several terabytes of blockchain projects. By identifying project metrics, and categorizing various project types, the study aims to find patterns in trends and development activity. The findings and study will provide valuable insight to project elements that influence OSS project success, and the effects of difference governance structures in the process.

This abstract is part of a collection in which the overarching large project under Dr. Jiasun Li was subdivided into discrete critical tasks that were carried out by multiple individuals or smaller teams. Abstracts in this collection read similarly given the shared project goals, but represent distinct tasks completed by the abstract authors towards finalizing the described analysis.