The Activity
All the Working Packages and sub-activities of the Spectrum sharing MakerSpace project will be managed using open-source and publicly documented project management tools (like GitLab). This process ensures visibility and transparency for all participating stakeholders. In addition, regular stand-up and update meetings will be held for all Working Packages and sub-activities. This is to facilitate cross-project collaborations where seen fit and ensure tracking of accountability for all owners.
Scouting, description, formalisation and initiation of sub-activities will take place in a fast-paced process, committing to less than a 3-week period from the inception of an idea about a sub-activity until the initiation of the work around it.
Libre Space Foundation (LSF) is embedded in the maker/hacker/DIY global community, including the Greek one. It has been coordinating and initiating a number of relevant community-building efforts through a variety of activities. These include but are not limited to organising the first Open Source CubeSat Workshop (OSCW) in 2017 on ESOC premises and organising every other OSCW (6 in total so far). In addition, LSF has been playing an integral part in the creation, building, establishment, and expansion of dedicated MakerSpace projects. These projects include SDR, Optical communications, and photonics. Also, the Organisation has been running targeted workshops about GNU Radio in Greece and Europe. As well as running an online community about open source in space with a steadily increasing focus on Spectrum-sharing-related projects and developments.
For the purpose of the Spectrum sharing Makerspace initiative, Libre Space Foundation will continue the community-building activities. Focusing specifically on the use of the Spectrum sharing band and utilizing its network to ensure synergy and up-levelled awareness within the target community. This will happen through a series of targeted communications (on mailing lists, forums, social media channels, etc.) and targeted participation and/or driving of events (workshops, conventions, meetings and hackathons).
Background
Within this project, an environment is created where significant R&D activities are happening regarding Spectrum Sharing. As the need for efficient spectrum sharing has been increasing, so has the need for new initiatives to research and develop new techniques of band utilisation, meeting the goals for each service. This set of initiatives and new players contribute to such developments in a complementary and innovative way as part of the Makerspace ecosystem across Europe. The Spectrum Sharing MakerSpace ecosystem is open to many different entities, including communities of individuals, start-up companies, crowd-funded projects, community initiatives, hackerspaces, multi-disciplinary academic labs, non-profit technology companies/foundations and others. In order to tap into the innovation and engage with such communities in a beneficial way, this activity runs a number of experiments related to spectrum sharing. These experiments focus on prototyping, tangible and measurable deliverables, and building blocks of creation that other projects can rely on in an iterative way, promoting synergetic positive feedback technology loops. More specifically, the scope of this Makerspace is the development of small software or hardware-based prototypes in the field of Spectrum Sharing in the form of independent, with short-duration sub-activities.