Kopern

Kopern is an open-source software platform designed to support collaborative scientific data analysis and reproducible research. The project aims to provide a modular environment for ingesting datasets, building analysis pipelines, and sharing results across research teams. It emphasizes interoperability, provenance tracking, and extensibility to accommodate multiple disciplines.

Kopern originated from a collaborative effort among universities and research centers in Europe and North America during the mid-2010s. The first public release introduced core components for data ingestion, workflow execution, and data provenance. Since then, subsequent releases have added cloud integration, scripting interfaces, and a plugin ecosystem to extend functionality and accommodate diverse workflows.

The platform is built around a modular architecture that separates the core engine from optional extensions. It supports multiple data formats, a reproducible workflow language, and automatic capture of metadata and computational provenance. Interaction is provided through a web-based dashboard and a command-line interface, enabling both interactive analysis and automation. A plugin system allows research groups to contribute new data readers, processing steps, and visualization tools without altering the core.

Kopern is used by research groups across fields such as astronomy, climate science, and geophysics for collaborative analysis, data publication, and education. The project prioritizes adherence to open standards and seamless integration with other science platforms and data repositories.

Governance is conducted by an international community of contributors, guided by a merit-based model and open collaboration principles. Kopern is released under an open-source license, with licensing terms reflecting a commitment to permissive reuse and community governance.