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OpenMS

OpenMS Inc.
United States of America
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About

Launched: 2003
Record Updated: May 19, 2026
Computing framework
Computing library
Research software community
OpenMS is an open-source C++ library (+ Python bindings) and set of workflows and webapps for mass spectrometry data management, analysis and visualization. It empowers rapid development of mass spectrometry related software. OpenMS is freely available under the three clause BSD license and runs under Windows, macOS and Linux. The OpenMS members have a strong commitment to creating an open, inclusive, and positive community.

Mission

OpenMS is an expert driven project for the analysis and understanding of mass
spectrometry data. OpenMS platform includes C++ libraries and tools, a python package, and a framework for creating and hosting web-apps. Together these enable solution-tailored reproducible AI ready pipelines for all of your data analysis needs. These tools are supported by an active global community with computational mass spectrometry expertise.
OpenMS Inc was founded in order to ensure that the core codebase and knowledge embodied in OpenMS would remain available to everyone. Furthermore OpenMS Inc seeks to take the research software engineering skills and best practices that we have learned in the first 20 years of building OpenMS and help other research software infrastructure projects develop best-practices and best-structures.

Key Achievements

1. 25 Years of active development on the C++ library.
2. Hiring of project manager and community manager.
3. Google Summer of code organization for the second year in a row.

Technical Attributes

Maintenance Status

Actively Maintained

Open Code Repository

Implemented

Technical Documentation

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Code License

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Technical Attribute Statements

Programming Languages

  • c++
  • python

Technology Readiness Level

  • Actual system proven in operational environment

Code Licenses Used

  • BSD licenses

Content Licensing

  • Creative commons licenses
  • Traditional copyright

Standards

Community Engagement

Code of Conduct

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Community Engagement

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Community Statements

Community Engagement Activities

  • Annual meetings
  • Conference participation
  • Interest, working, user, or advisory groups
  • Mailing lists and discussion forums (including Slack)
  • Social media
  • Staff roles with responsibility for community engagement
  • Volunteer or ambassador network
  • Webinars and training

Additional Information

Organizational History

OpenMS started in the mid-2000s as an academic open-source framework for mass spectrometry analysis, initiated by the groups of Oliver Kohlbacher (University of Tübingen), Knut Reinert (Free University of Berlin) and Ruedi Aebersold (ETH Zurich). It was developed to address the lack of modular, reusable LC-MS tools in proteomics. The first major release appeared around 2007–2008, introducing a C++ core and workflow tools like TOPP, TOPPView, and TOPPAS. Over time, OpenMS expanded from proteomics into a broader mass spectrometry platform supporting DIA/SWATH, metabolomics, and other omics, with key additions such as OpenSWATH, pyOpenMS, and PSI standard formats (mzML, mzTab). More recently, it became more formally organized through OpenMS Inc., a nonprofit supporting governance, funding, and infrastructure. Today, OpenMS is a widely used platform for reproducible computational mass spectrometry in research and industry.

Organizational Structure

Business or Ownership Model

Non-profit organization

Non-profit Status

501(c)3

Current Affiliations

OpenMS Inc. is the corporate entity and fiscal home of the OpenMS project. As a Pennsylvania–based nonprofit organization recognized as a 501(c)(3) public charity, OpenMS Inc. supports the continued development, governance, and community stewardship of the OpenMS open-source software ecosystem. Through nonprofit oversight and dedicated fiscal management, we ensure that OpenMS remains freely available, sustainable, and driven by the needs of its scientific community. OpenMS receives direct funding from LIBIS(https://libis.uni-heidelberg.de/), Elixir (https://elixir-lang.org/), and de.NBI (https://www.denbi.de/).

Funding

Primary Funding Source

  • Contributions
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