The Department of Defense (DoD) released the Open Technology Development (OTD) Roadmap in order to reduce the cost of acquisition and to increase interoperability and re-use across DoD programs. OTD methodologies rely on the application of common standards and interfaces; open source software and design; collaborative, distributed culture and online tools; and technological agility. Adopting an OTD approach implies a paradigm shift in the procurement and management of such programs, as well as in the day-to-day activities of a contractor's development team.

This paper presents case studies of two DoD projects that are early adopters of Open Technology Development: the Common Distributed Mission Training Station (CDMTS) and Delta3D. CDMTS is a Government Off The Shelf (GOTS) cross platform Instructor Operator Station (IOS) framework. Delta3D is an Open Source Software (OSS) Gaming Engine that is used to develop 3D visualizations and game-based trainers.

In this paper, we outline the practical implications of developing and maintaining next generation (training) systems in an open and collaborative manner. We identify the challenges associated with managing multiple customers and funding lines; establishing an effective development team; ensuring common coding standards and practices; and performing configuration and release management in such an environment. Finally, we explore how these two DoD projects address the key challenges and focus areas identified in the OTD Roadmap.