Origin is an open source software development platform for web content delivery. For a web content delivery platform, see Origin (free service). Origin is a free web-based interactive scientific plotting application. Origin supports a wide range of scientific visualization tools for both desktop and Internet-connected computers. It also includes a library of over 50 different scientific imaging packages, as well as easy-to-use installation and configuration options for Windows and Linux operating systems.

Origin was developed by NASA as an alternative to Microsoft Office and integrates well with the popular Excel template format used in PowerPoint presentations. Workbooks in Origin can be customized with a variety of features, and there are a number of wizards to help with the basics of data analysis or plotting. One of the most useful features of Origin is the project browser. Project Explorer allows users to group related graphics in one place and drag and drop items from files on your computer, such as photos or scanned documents, to Origin to share with other users. Other tools include the ability to upload images from your computer, view numbers from scientists or other datasets, and create tables from Microsoft Office data.

Origin offers more advanced features on its free web app, including data analysis software for R and Python programming. You can also use Origin to process data from scientific databases such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s GenFate database. This database contains millions of health and disease records that you can analyze using Origin. Data can be sorted to show relationships between variables, and relationships can be drawn directly in the Chart Wizard.