Contribute to M-Lab#

M-Lab sits at the center of a global ecosystem of organizations working to measure, understand, and improve Internet connectivity. Through open infrastructure, open-source measurement tools, and publicly available datasets, the platform connects researchers, technology partners, policymakers, and users around the world. The ecosystem works because many different partners contribute in different ways.

Types of Contributors to M-Lab#

• Researchers
• Developers 
• Integrators 
• Infrastructure Partners

Note that all M-Lab usage and contributions are subject to M-Lab’s Acceptable Use Policy and Privacy Policy. 

Research, Analyze and Visualize M-Lab Data#

M-Lab publishes open datasets on Internet performance, which researchers, analysts, and developers can use to study connectivity, infrastructure, and network behavior. We encourage researchers and practitioners to explore and build with this data. 

M-Lab provides documentation and best-effort support to help people get started.

To work with M-Lab data:

• Review the data documentation
• Join the public mailing list for updates and announcements)
• Contact the team if you have questions about research or analysis
• Developers with experience in data analysis, visualization, or application development may also contribute by building tools that work with M-Lab’s tests and datasets. All of these resources are open source and openly licensed. Check out the following resources:
  • M-Lab's conceptual and technical scope and policies
  • M-Lab's Roles & Responsibilities for new researchers
  • M-Lab's requirements and procedures for accepting new tools

Develop a Measurement Test#

Researchers who are developing open-source Internet measurement tests can apply to host their tools on the M-Lab platform. If your project aligns with M-Lab’s technical standards, research goals, and open data principles, we welcome you to contact us to discuss hosting your test.

Before reaching out, please review the following documentation:

-M-Lab Conceptual & Technical Scope and Related Policies -Experiment Developer Responsibilities, Requirements, and Guidelines

These resources explain the expectations, responsibilities, and technical requirements for researchers who want to run experiments on the M-Lab platform.

Integrate an M-Lab Test into Your Website or Application#

M-Lab’s open-source measurement tests can be embedded into websites, mobile apps, and other software. Doing so allows your users to test their Internet connection while contributing data that helps researchers better understand global network performance.

One widely used example is the Network Diagnostic Tool (NDT), which has been integrated into platforms including:

• Google Search
• SpeedUp America
• Fing
• and other third-party applications

If you plan to integrate an M-Lab test into your product, please review M-Lab’s Privacy and Acceptable Use policies. Additional technical guidance is available in the Developers Guide and data documentation.

Become an Infrastructure Partner#

Infrastructure partners donate/host servers, provide cloud resources, or otherwise support the operation of M-Lab’s global testing platform.

• Donate virtual server(s) or cloud credit
• Bring Your Own Server and host a Measurement Lab site
• Provide transit
• Or let us know other ways you'd like to contribute!

There are many ways to get involved with the platform, so please reach out if you’re interested.

Give Financial Support#

M-Lab welcomes the direct financial contributions of organizations that find our work beneficial. You can donate directly through GitHub or if you can sponsor the M-Lab platform.