Speaker
Description
LGC (Logiciel Général de Compensation) is a software that computes position estimates and associated statistics based on observations obtained by CERN surveyors. Since the mid-1980s, LGC has been a crucial tool to perform geodetic computations in various contexts - from simple levelling campaigns to advanced monitoring projects. The CERN Geodetic Metrology group continues to maintain, improve, and modernize LGC. Over time, LGC has achieved maturity and stability thanks to extensive testing and continuous improvements.
Up to now, LGC has been a proprietary software, with its use restricted to CERN and rarely licensed to outside entities. Driven by growing interest from external partners, this paper details the beginnings of the journey for transitioning LGC to an open-source platform. By open-sourcing LGC, we aim to ensure its long-term viability and quality, encourage contributions from a wider user/developer base, and foster community mutual assistance around accelerator alignment problems. We detail the motivation behind this initiative and the role played by the newly established Open Source Project Office (OSPO) at CERN for facilitating open-source licensing and distribution.
