OSGeo - User contributions [en]

Election 2025 Candidate Manifestos

2025-12-20T11:28:04Z

Codrina:

A space for the candidates for election to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

You are welcome to follow the template, and add further relevant info as you need:

== ''Name Template'' - ''Country'' ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/''name''/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

=== My vision ===

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

== ''Vicky Vergara'' - ''Mexico'' ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/vicky-vergara/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

I haven't changed much from the last times I wrote a manifesto:
* On [https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2023_Candidate_Manifestos#Vicky_Vergara_-_Mexico_.28OSGeo_profile.29 2023] I wrote about my hobbies and what I like to do during a FOSS4G.
* On [https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2021_Candidate_Manifestos#Vicky_Vergara.2C_Mexico_.28OSGeo_profile.29 2021] I wrote about what the 9 year old me thought about where I live and how it has changed.
* On [https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2019_Candidate_Manifestos#5._Vicky_Vergara.2C_Mexico_.28OSGeo_profile.29 2019] I wrote about that my laziness make me do and redo things until I figure out how to do them efficient and fast, so the next time I do them I can be lazy.
* On [https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2017_Candidate_Manifestos#Vicky_Vergara 2017] I wrote about how I arrived to OSGeo

My conclusion re-reading the ''about me'' in those manifestos: I like to talk and write.

Some day I would like share with you the autographs I have gathered during the FOSS4G, that is I made people talk and write :-), in all languages, for example, this year I have in Nepali, Bengali, Japanese

This time I will leave my autograph in Spanish here:

Deseo que todo en su vida personal y profesional sea de lo mejor para todos.
Vicky

(Translation: I hope that everything in your personal or professional life is the best for you all.)

=== My vision ===

Summary if my Vision of OSGeo:

* OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the Flora of the world.
* OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the Fauna of the world.
* OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the Climate of the world.
* OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the People of the world.
* OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the Countries of the world.
* All OSGeo community members are PSC (Propose, Suggest and Comment)

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

Normal life in front of the computer:
* Developing any of the pgRouting software:
** pgRouting
** vrpRouting
** osm2pgrouting
** pgRouting workshop
* Work on OSGeoLive:
** Documentation
** Checking the installed software
* Member of committees:
** Code of Conduct Committee
** System Administration Committee
** Board Member
* Other tasks
** Google Summer of Code mentor
** Read and answer mails

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

* The right to be the best one can be.
* Promote the development and use of Open Source Software.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

'''Think''' about why things are not happening.

* Why "[abc] is NOT [xyz] OSGeo".
* Why do some projects do not start incubation?
* Why is there no local OSGeo chapter in X country?
* Why do we have mostly sponsors from North America and Europe?
* Why we only hear (and see) those, who raise their voice and shout out loud. But we miss to reach the silent majority?
* What causes the "inactivity"?
* Are we scalable?
* Why ....

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

Vice president of the Latin America Area

== ''Jeroen Ticheler'' - ''The Netherlands'' ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/jeroen-ticheler/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

I’m Jeroen Ticheler, director and owner of ([https://www.geocat.net GeoCat]), founder of ([https://www.geonetwork-opensource.org GeoNetwork]) and current member of the board of directors of OSGeo.

I’m obsessed with helping organising and publishing (geospatial) data using free and open source software in a sustainable way. I started my career at the United Nations supporting Early Warning Systems with satellite imagery and quickly moved to also support the management of geospatial data.

Now, 25 years onwards, the GeoNetwork software we develop runs at over 85% of national geoportals in Europe (find thousands of harmonized, authoritative datasets ([https://inspire-geoportal.ec.europa.eu/srv/eng/catalog.search#/datathemes here]) ) and is in use at all levels in governments around the world.

A bit more background on me can be found in ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/jeroen-ticheler/ my OSGeo profile]) and in ([https://wiki.osgeo.org/w/index.php?title=Election_2023_Candidate_Manifestos#About_me the description]) for the 2023 elections.

=== My vision ===

For the coming two years I want to focus on change in OSGeo. For this I have written ([https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KRdCKB8HvI9FctF1Ulg6UfoCImjEYKaQkgg9l1HueZs '''a vision document''']) that is currently up for comments by the community. My goal is to ''Get Things Done''. More specifically those things described in the vision document that have traction within the community.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

Besides my involvement as PSC chair in the GeoNetwork opensource project, I have been involved as Charter member from 2006 onwards, served on the OSGeo Marketing and Conference Committees, as well as on the OSGeo Board (2007-2009 and 2023-now).

In the last 10+ years my involvement has also been in the form of a sponsor to OSGeo and FOSS4G (both global, regional and local) and by organising a yearly Code Sprint in Bolsena 2007-2023.

In the run up to the vision document mentioned above, I have taken time to talk face to face with numerous people and the current board membership.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

As a member of the board I can help to '''make OSGeo future proof'''. This requires several concrete actions and needs our community to step up to the tasks to make that happen. As a community member with a long history, I'm convinced I can bring ideas to the table and move them forward.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

Yes, many. But the main ones would be:

# Numbered list item to '''make OSGeo financially solid''' so it can support its mission: To foster global adoption of open geospatial technology by being an inclusive software foundation devoted to an open philosophy and participatory community driven development.
# make sure there are new options for '''paid/supporting membership''' and for '''sponsoring''' that are attractive for both the community, sponsors, OSGeo and FOSS4G conference organisers.
# make sure there is '''a European legal entity of OSGeo''' that can serve its European membership, Local Chapters and the global OSGeo mission.

Furthermore one of the things that absolutely has my attention is responsible entrepreneurship. OSGeo needs to be a well balanced community of people from all parts of society, including volunteers, students and scientists, public servants and businesses.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

The role of president or vice president.

== Marco Bernasocchi, Switzerland ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/bernasocchi/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===
I am an open-source advocate, consultant, teacher, and developer. My background is in geography with a specialization in geographic information science. I live in Switzerland in a small Romansh speaking mountain village where I love scrambling around the mountains to enjoy the feeling of freedom it gives me. I’m a very communicative person, I fluently speak Italian, German, French English, and Spanish and love travelling.

I'm the QGIS.org Chair, serve on the OSGeo board as VP Europe and work as CEO of OPENGIS.ch which I founded in 2011. Since 2014 I share the company ownership with Matthias Kuhn. At OPENGIS.ch LLC we develop, train and consult our client on any aspect related to QGIS, QField, PostGIS and WebGIS technologies.

I first came in contact with the OSGEO world during my BSc when the University of Zurich was teaching us proprietary products and I started looking around for Open Source alternatives and started using QuantumGIS “Simon (0.6)”. In 2008, when starting my MSc, I made the definitive switch to Ubuntu and I started working more and more with QuantumGIS Metis (0.11) and ended developing some plugins and part of Globe as my Masters' thesis.

Since then my whole work has pivoted around QGIS and enabling people and companies to embrace opensource for their GIS needs.

=== My vision ===
Serving as a pragmatic community conciliator - collecting thoughts from people with differing opinions and trying to find the high road through difficult issues I want to focus my and the community's energies on being inclusive and forward-thinking.

I see FOSS as a very socially responsible way to develop software, but even more, I see the immense technological advantage that writing open-source code brings. This is why I always strive to allow both pragmatic and ideological views to respectfully coexist and enrich each other.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* OSGeo Board member since 2021 (VP Europe)
* QGIS contributor since 2011
* QGIS.org Chair since 2020
* QGIS.org Vice-Chair 2018-2020
* QField (originally QGIS for android) creator
* FOSS4G Session Leader, various FOSS4G Talks and workshops
* Charter Member since 2018
* Google Summer of Code 2012: Mentor
* Google Summer of Code 2011: Student Developer

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

One of my main motivations to be part of the board is to help OSGeo keep its incredible growth rate by being even more attractive to new community members, sponsors and large/corporate users. To achieve this, to me the key is maintaining the right balance between sustainable processes and helping interesting and motivating grassroots projects.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
As still fairly technical driven person, I like to understand the inner workings of things and projects before commenting on changes :)

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I am open to any role based on how I could best serve the board.

== Matthew Hanson - United States ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/hanson/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

I’m Matthew Hanson. I first attended FOSS4G in 2011 and have since participated in 10 international FOSS4G and 8 FOSS4G North America conferences. That first FOSS4G changed the course of my career, and made it clear this was the community and work I wanted to be part of.

I work in Earth observation and geospatial software, focusing on cloud‑native architectures, open standards, and open‑source tooling. I’m best known for my work on STAC and related efforts, and for talks and writing aimed at making interoperable geospatial systems more accessible. I currently work at Element 84 at the intersection of open source, commercial Earth observation, and operational systems.

=== My vision ===

I see OSGeo as a truly international foundation that brings together open‑source geospatial communities that have, over time, diverged across projects, regions, and domains. OSGeo has a unique role to play in helping these communities reconnect, share practices, and recognize their common ground.

I also believe OSGeo can help welcome people who are already using and contributing to open‑source geospatial software, but do not yet see themselves as part of the OSGeo community. By acting as a neutral, inclusive convening space, OSGeo can strengthen collaboration, elevate shared standards and values, and help the community adapt to a rapidly evolving geospatial ecosystem.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

My work has focused on standards, interoperability, and community education. I am a core contributor and long‑term advocate for STAC and have served on the STAC Steering Committee since its inception. I am also a member of the editorial board of the Cloud‑Native Geospatial Forum.

I regularly speak at FOSS4G (global and North America) and related events, and write about cloud‑native geospatial systems and open standards. Much of my work bridges open‑source projects, public agencies, and commercial satellite data providers to enable practical adoption and interoperability.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

As a board member, I am interested in strengthening OSGeo’s international presence and supporting collaboration across the community. In particular, I want to help bring together open‑source geospatial communities that have grown apart, and help welcome practitioners who are already part of the ecosystem but may not yet identify with OSGeo.

I am also interested in how OSGeo can continue to evolve alongside emerging developer communities and modern software development practices, including the impact of cloud-native development and AI-assisted coding on how open-source projects are built, discovered, and sustained. I see OSGeo as a natural place to convene thoughtful, inclusive conversations around these changes.

Finally, I am interested in strengthening coordination between global and regional FOSS4G conferences, so that regional events and the global conference reinforce each other and contribute to a healthy, connected international community.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

If elected, I would like to help OSGeo strengthen connections across its diverse projects and communities, including those that operate somewhat independently today. I would also like to focus on outreach to practitioners who already rely on open‑source geospatial software but are not yet engaged with OSGeo, and encourage more cross‑project dialogue to reduce fragmentation.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

As a first‑time board member, my focus would be on contributing, learning, and supporting the existing board and its leadership. I respect the work of current board members and am open to serving in whatever role best supports the board and the broader OSGeo community.

== Rajat Shinde - India (Currently, residing in the US) ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/shinde OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===
I’m Rajat Shinde, a computer scientist and GIS practitioner from India, currently based in the United States, working with the NASA Office of Data Science and Informatics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. I hold a Ph.D. in Geographical Information Systems and have worked across academia and industry on geospatial data science, AI, and Earth observation applications.

I first joined the OSGeo community at FOSS4G in 2017. I was elected to the OSGeo Board in 2021 and re-elected in 2023. I focus on bridging communities through collaborations with OGC, IEEE (including IEEE GRSS), and MLCommons, and on strengthening contributor pathways via student programs. I serve as a Project Steering Committee (PSC) member for pgRouting and ZOO-Project, and I have been a long-term Google Summer of Code mentor and organization administrator.

=== My vision ===
My vision is to make OSGeo easier to join and easier to stay in, suggesting clear pathways to new members for contributing and growing into long-term community leaders.

I also want to strengthen a progressive, globally representative FOSS4G ecosystem that collaborates with other open-source communities to advance open standards and interoperability. I will continue supporting OSGeo India and GeoBharat to expand participation and sustained contributions in India along with other regional GIS initiatives.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* OSGeo Board: Vice President (2023–2025); elected Board member (2021, re-elected 2023)
* FOSS4G-Asia Program Committee 2026
* Standards + collaboration: OSGeo Standards Committee representative at OGC Geo-Huntsville 2023; OSGeo–OGC–ASF joint code sprint participant
* FOSS4G: FOSS4G 2021 session leader; FOSS4G Asia workshop contributor/speaker
* Project governance: PSC member (ZOO-Project, pgRouting)
* Education + outreach: UN OSGeo Education Challenge 2021 mentor (pgRouting track); engaged with UN OpenGIS and UN GeoAI WGs
* OSGeo Initiatives: GSoC student (2017), mentor (2018–present), org admin (2020–present); Google Code-in mentor (2019)
* Community resources: Contributor to the Cloud-native Geospatial Guide
* GeoAI interoperability: Leading projects with other open source communities such as MLCommons and IEEE
* Open source quality: JOSS manuscript reviewer (geospatial/geoscience software)

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* To strengthen OSGeo’s external collaborations and long-term sustainability. I want to bring in more partnerships, MoUs, and sponsorships—aligned with OSGeo values—to better support projects, events, and community programs, with a specific focus on expanding relationships across Asia (including India, Japan, Nepal, and other regional hubs).

* Finally, as GIS evolves rapidly (cloud-native, data/AI-driven, reproducibility, and open standards), I want OSGeo to continue serving as the foundation for spreading responsible and trustworthy FOSS4G practices through deeper collaboration with adjacent open-source communities and standards bodies. As OSGeo approaches its 20-year milestone in 2026, this will help in defining a roadmap towards stronger OSGeo family.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
I would like to strengthen on two points-
* Stronger links between regional and global FOSS4G: lightweight coordination and shared practices so regional events gain visibility/support, and global activities reflect regional priorities.
* More joint work with peer communities: expand cross-community collaborations (e.g., OSGeo–OGC joint code sprints and standards-aligned activities) to strengthen interoperable, responsible FOSS4G.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===
I am open to any role deemed fit by the board.

== ''Ariel Anthieni'' - ''Argentina'' ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/anthieni/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

Today is my second time writing this manifesto, to introduce you to the Board, with my two years of learning many, challenges were presented to me, such as language and opportunities to collaborate with the global and regional community.

I started, as a curiosity in 2007 when I started the SDI of the province of Santa Fe in Argentina, where I was born, where everything was new for me, in 2012 with others we founded Geoinquietos, in Buenos Aires, where it became my home, and from then on we said, thanks to the support of the OSGeo community, I organized FOSS4G in Argentina, in 2016 I chaired the FOSS4G Argentina, and participated in the organization of the 2017 and 2019 editions.
I was also part of the organization of SOTM Argentina 2017 and SOTM LATAM 2018. In 2018, I was part of the foundation of the Geolibres Association (https://geolibres.org.ar/), which supports the geospatial communities of Argentina (Geolibres Argentina, Openstreetmap Argentina, QGIS Argentina).
Our first great challenge was to organize the International FOSS4G 2021 Buenos Aires and then supporting the region and so that free software is increasingly used, accompanying the creation of the local OSGeo chapter in Brazil and the organization of the International FOSS4G 2024 Belém, coordinating the LOC along with the chairs, which marked the integration of OsGeo in other regions of the world.
Also over the last few years I had the great opportunity to participate in the International and Regional FOSS4G, as well as Code Sprint and SOTM events.

In Latin America, together with ECLAC, we were able to design, develop and implement Open source solutions for statistical institutes in more than 12 countries, for the construction of SDIs and to generate the technological solution of the SDI Americas for the entire American continent.

Apart from this, I am the CEO of ([https://kan.com.ar/ Kan Territory & IT]), where we specialize in creating open source tools for cities, companies, institutions for the integration of geospatial, statistical and alphanumeric data, enhancing their solutions.

He is also actively involved in UN, UNGGIM and the UN Open GIS Initiative.

**Representation and current positions**
* Chair of the OSGeo UN Committee
* Co-Chair UN Open GIS
* OSGeo representative in the UNGGIM network of Geospatial Societies
* President of Geolibres Argentina
* CEO of Territorio Kan & TI

**Communities in which I participate**
* IDERA – IDE of Argentina
* UN OPEN GIS
* OSM LATAM
* QGISArgentina
* OSM Argentina
* Geolibres Argentina
* UNGGIM
* OSGeo UN Committee

=== My vision ===

My vision is very simple, to be able to achieve the use of open source in every corner of the planet, integrating and growing local communities to be able to achieve greater insertion in people's lives, improving their quality of life. and that it is not a limit on language, technology or knowledge transfer. Also raise awareness for the evolution of a sustainable Foundation over time so that it can continue supporting the projects that are incubated and new projects.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

* OSGeo representative in the UNGGIM 2022 Geospatial Societies network - current
* President of the OSGeo 2024 UN Committee - current
* Collaborator in the State of the LATAM Map 2025
* VP LATAM of OSGeo 2024
* Member of the OSGeo Board of Directors 2023-2024
* Coordinator of FOSS4G 2024 Belém (International)
* Collaborator in FOSS4G-AR 2017 and 2019
* Chair of FOSS4G-AR 2016
* Coordinator of FOSS4G Buenos Aires 2021 (International)
* Founding Member of Ge@inquietos Argentina
* Founder and current President of Geolibres Argentina
* Responsible for the Local Chapter OSM Argentina and QGIS Argentina
* Member of the SDI of Argentina since 2012

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

To be able to generate greater insertion of the regions that do not currently participate with the creation of local chapters in the countries that are missing. Achieve the sustainability of the foundation, seeing the possibility of obtaining a sponsor for open source in general, and from different regions. Continue supporting integration with the governments of the UN member countries and that language is not a limitation to integration.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I would like to introduce more options so that open source developers from regions such as Latin America can easily access it, finish finalizing the local chapter of Colombia and strengthen links with the UN and its member countries through agreements and possible sponsorship. Then continue building with everything that has been achieved year after year to make the foundation increasingly more sustainable.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

I would like to be Vice President for Latin America, to be able to reach more countries and communities.

== Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

I am still a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at (Terrasigna)[1], a Romanian based SME. Apart from extracting knowledge from geospatial and Earth Observation data, in the last years I’ve also been heavily involved in the design, development, implementation and outreach activities of the FOSS4G Observatory https://www.oss4geo.org/, with support from the European Space Agency. I consistently use open source in my day-to-day work, just as I guide my decisions on the values and principles of the open source world.

=== My vision ===

The vision outlined in my previous nominations in the board elections has not changed, it has only grown more consistently. OSGeo has forged in the last two decades, under its umbrella, a strong community, with a stable core lead by a transparent governance, a community not only based on professional skills and interests, but also in terms of fundamental guiding values and views upon the world. And in today’s world, increasingly agitated and with strongly alienated communities, the Foundation is a place of stability, of kindness, a place of respectful disagreements, a place of support and growth, professional and personal. My vision is that this bubble must extend as far and wide as possible, because I believe that only with decency and gentleness we can, together, surpass all obstacles, professional or non-professional.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

In the last 2 years, I have continued to serve the geospatial community as an OSGeo board member, working systematically in consolidating OSGeo's presence within Europe, by representing the Foundation with various occasions, initiated by European organisations, such as the European Commission and the European Space Agency. In my previous mandates, I have actively worked to secure the formalisation of the partnership between OSGeo and the European Space Agency through a Memorandum of Intent and afterwards I have been working to enhance the collaboration between OSGeo and ESA. And I believe this work must be throughly continued.
I am also an active member of the Romanian geospatial community - the OSGeo Local Chapter - that I have been part of since 2008 and which I am honoured to serve as vice-president since 2015.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

The years that have passed and the experiences and knowledge they brought, only strengthen the idea with which I started in 2019. OSGeo, through its mission and values, thought its governance model can and should play a leading role in coordinating the progress of the geospatial domain, systematically and institutional-wise. I do plan to continue the work started in 2019, to promote the vision and values of OSGeo as well as its powerful geospatial software solutions within the European institutional and commercial space. But the last years taught me another important aspect. The financial stability of the OSGeo Foundation is a crucial aspect and should be consistently and heavily guarded. In a new mandate, I will invest significant more efforts into the protection and growth of the OSGeo finances, with a keen eye on potential support from European institutions.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

As in previous years, I trust that engaging young people within the OSGeo community should be a primary focus.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

I am happy with any role assigned.

[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Election 2025]]

Board Meeting 2024-12-01

2024-11-18T12:24:45Z

Codrina:

This board meeting is '''scheduled Sunday 01 December 2024''' at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingdetails.html?year=2024&month=12&day=01&hour=12&min=0&sec=0&p1=250&p2=26&p3=49&p4=155&p5=51&p6=312 '''12:00''' UTC] through [https://meet.jit.si/OsgeoBoard Jitsi], a record of motions is preserved on [https://www.loomio.org/g/kdSmIwxu/osgeo-board Loomio] and actions on the [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues OSGeo todo] issue tracker.

This is a F2F meeting during the FOSS4G 2024 event.

Board members that will be present in Belém:
# Jeroen Ticheler
# Tom Kralidis
# Codrina Ilie
# ''Add your name here''

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''roll call''
# ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# OSGeo and UN/WMO collaboration
# OGC-ASF-OSGeo Joint Code Sprint 2025
# SAC Budget increase request
# FOSS4G Global and Regional events in the future
# OSGeo finances
## Status of OSGeo as a 501(c)(3) organization
## Relation to local and regional chapters
## OSGeo sponsor plan
# ''Add your topic here''

== Minutes ==

* Presiding:
* Scribing:
* Attending:
* Guests:

=== Actions ===

* See https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues

== IRC Log ==
* no log, Jitsi meeting

== Next meeting ==
*[[Board Meeting 2024-12-31]]

[[Category:Board]]
[[Category:Board Meetings 2024]]

Europe-meeting-2024-09-19

2024-09-19T16:29:21Z

Codrina:

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# OSGeo European Local Chapter legal entity
# OSGeo European LC discussion channel

== Minutes ==

* Chair:
* Scrib:
* Attending: Luis, Javier, Tonis, Jachym, Jeroen, Codrina, Angelos, Besfort

=== OSGeo European LC discussion channel ===
* we should try to adopt discourse as our main discussion channel;
* Javier to contact Jorge Sanz for support

=== FOSS4G European conference ===
* Tonis discussed with the Mostar team. They are waiting for the reply from the University;
* Tonis is also waiting for a response from the Spanish team
* Next week we should have an answer.

=== OSGeo European Local Chapter legal entity ===
* in progress

Europe-meeting-2024-09-19

2024-09-19T16:21:52Z

Codrina:

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# OSGeo European Local Chapter legal entity
# OSGeo European LC discussion channel

== Minutes ==

* Chair:
* Scrib:
* Attending: Luis, Javier, Tonis, Jachym, Jeroen, Codrina, Angelos, Besfort

=== OSGeo European LC discussion channel ===
* we should try to adopt discourse as our main discussion channel;

=== FOSS4G European conference ===
* Tonis discussed with the Mostar team. They are waiting for the reply from the University;
* Tonis is also waiting for a response from the Spanish team

=== OSGeo European Local Chapter legal entity ===

Europe-meeting-2024-08-22

2024-08-22T16:56:05Z

Codrina:

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# OSGeo European Local Chapter legal entity
# ''Add your topic here''

== Minutes ==

* Chair: Codrina
* Scrib: Codrina
* Attending: Luis, Javier, Iván, Tonis, Jorge, Jachym, Jeroen, Codrina

=== OSGeo European Local Chapter legal entity ===

* should we consider an association - as the legal form of organisation - with paying members, example: https://www.python.org/psf/membership-faq/#id2
* one of the main reasons to have an European Local Chapter is to have one discussion partner for European institutions, such as EC.
* we need to prepare a draft for the bylaws of the Local Chapter
* There is no hierarchy in the OSGeo Local Chapters with respect to OSGeo. What should be the relation between European LC and OSGeo and the LC in Europe?
* The European LC would be a support system for the national
* Language of the bylaws? what can be the nationality of the board members?
* How to move money between European LC and other LC in Europe and OSGeo inter, are there any taxes?
* Can the European LC sell things, such as T-shirts?
* ACTION: Jeroen to start the bylaws and share with the group to contribuite.

=== Call for the FOSS4G Europe ===

* the call for venue is drafted and it will be published in the next days;
* primary schedule for a LOC: call open in September, decision made in October;
* suggestion: the chair of current FOSS4G Europe must find the next European LOC.

Europe-meeting-2024-08-22

2024-08-22T16:49:25Z

Codrina:

Europe

2024-08-16T09:14:34Z

Codrina: /* General Meetings */

= Europe =

Welcome to the wiki page of the Europe OSGeo Chapter. 

Note: This is not the first time work has been done to create an OSGeo Europe Chapter. In fact, a legal entity was established in Belgium in 2017 and was closed in 2023. See the [[Europe archive]] for everything related to that. 

== ToDo list ==

* Decide about the legal structure (Initial talks at BOF FOSS4G Tartu 2024)
* Write and publish the Bylaws (Action: retrieve the documents from the previous EU Chapter)
* Create activity calendar
* Set up priorities and goals

== Introduction ==

FOSS4G Europe conferences are becoming more popular every year. Europe faces specific legal challenges, such as the current Cyber Resilience Act, that have an impact on OSGeo projects, contributors and businesses in Europe. European institutions are interested in sponsoring OSGeo Europe, for which they need a legal and representative entity. OSGeo is registered in the USA, and can therefor not always easily support these challenges.

== Why should OSGeo have a European local chapter ==

== Mission and objectives ==

== General Meetings ==

* [[Europe-meeting-2024-07-18]]
* [[Europe-meeting-2024-08-22]]

== List of initial members ==

The European OSGeo Chapter has the support of the following people:

* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/jeroen-ticheler/ Jeroen Ticheler]
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ Codrina Maria Ilie]
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/angelos-tzotsos/ Angelos Tzotsos]
* [https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/User:Lads Luís de Sousa]
* [[Jorge Sanz]]
* [[User:tkardi|Tõnis Kärdi]]
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/jimenezshaw/ Javier Jimenez Shaw]

[[Category:Local Chapters]]
[[Category:Europe]]

Europe-meeting-2024-08-22

2024-08-16T09:14:22Z

Codrina: Created page with "== Agenda == === Current items === # ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary'' # OSGeo European Local Chapter legal entity # ''Add your topic here'' == Minutes ==..."

Europe-meeting-2024-07-18

2024-08-16T06:37:29Z

Codrina:

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# Purpose of European legal entity
# Conference
# Digital services act
# ''Add your topic here''

== Minutes ==

* Chair: Codrina
* Scrib: Codrina
* Attending: Felix, Luis, Javier, Iván, Angelos, Tonis, Jorge, Jachym, Jeroen

=== Purpose of European legal entity ===

Ideas:
* Legal structure in Europe;
* National entities - different structures
* What do we need - actually - flexible, as a community
* See also: https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Europe and https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Europe_archive

What we need to investigate for (some) countries, when it comes to a legal entity:

* The actual form of the legal entity;
* Bank account;
* Taxes;
* Liabilities;
* Costs of opening and running the entity;
** 500€ to set up (including notary)
** 1000€/year for administration
* Membership of companies/Legal entities and people (persons)
* Setting up, running day-to-day, closing down

Why to try
* From Europe to Europe
* Local entity as partner to ESA, EU Commission
* FOSS4G-Europe founding and organising

* ACTION: Codrina to send a list with what aspects should we know about creating and running a legal entity for the OSGeo Europe Local Chapter before we decide.

=== Digital services act ===

*Possibility to donate to projects directly - Legal structure to provide the money flow
* “FLOSS steward” as per CRA. The global OSGeo Foundation is a bad option since it has a specific US foundation status not able to move funds (potentially we want to leverage CRA stewardship into maintainer sponsorships)

=== Conference ===

* What should the connection between OSgeo Europe LC and FOSS4G Europe be?
* No history on FOSS4G regional conferences to contribute to the budget of OSGeo
* FOSS4G is not registered as a trademark but has a long tradition of being used in the context of Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial. The domain was originally registered by Venkatesh Raghavan (Venka) who later graciously donated it to OSGeo - under the condition that using the name should stay open to anybody who does something reasonably related to Free and Open Source Geospatial. If you are not sure, simply ask on the main mailing list (starting from here). https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G

Europe-meeting-2024-07-18

2024-08-16T06:36:47Z

Codrina: adding the minutes

Europe

2024-07-13T14:34:29Z

Codrina: /* List of initial members */

= Europe =

Welcome to the wiki page of the Europe OSGeo Chapter. 

Note: This is not the first time work has been done to create an OSGeo Europe Chapter. In fact, a legal entity was established in Belgium in 2017 and was closed in 2023. See the [[Europe archive]] for everything related to that. 

== ToDo list ==

* Decide about the legal structure (Initial talks at BOF FOSS4G Tartu 2024)
* Write and publish the Bylaws (Action: retrieve the documents from the previous EU Chapter)
* Create activity calendar
* Set up priorities and goals

== Introduction ==

FOSS4G Europe conferences are becoming more popular every year. Europe faces specific legal challenges, such as the current Cyber Resilience Act, that have an impact on OSGeo projects, contributors and businesses in Europe. European institutions are interested in sponsoring OSGeo Europe, for which they need a legal and representative entity. OSGeo is registered in the USA, and can therefor not always easily support these challenges.

== Why should OSGeo have a European local chapter ==

== Mission and objectives ==

== General Meetings ==

*

== List of initial members ==

The European OSGeo Chapter has the support of the following people:

* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/jeroen-ticheler/ Jeroen Ticheler]
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ Codrina Maria Ilie]

[[Category:Local Chapters]]
[[Category:Europe]]

FOSS4G-Europe-2024/BirdsOfAFeather

2024-07-03T11:21:56Z

Codrina:

= Introduction =

Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions are unstructured timeslots where people can self-organise themselves to discuss topics of interest.

= General Information =

At the [[FOSS4G-Europe-2024]] conference in Tartu, a number of spaces have been reserved for people to flock together in Birds of a Feather sessions.

= How to organize a BOF =

BoF sessions are informal gatherings of people around a specific topic. BoF's can be held in BoF rooms at specified timeslots or taken off-site for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

The FOSS4G Europe conference provides the BoF rooms in the main venue building [https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=58.3734&mlon=26.7162#map=19/58.37352/26.71657 Vanemuise 46], but the setup of the bird-of-feather meetup is done informally using this wiki by you yourself.

= Wednesday 3 July 18:00-19:00 =
== Room Destination Earth (Van46 ring) on 3.07 ==
=== FOSS4G-Europe 2025 ===

* Description: Tartu hosts the largest FOSS4G-Europe ever. In 2025 the main FOSS4G is again outside Europe, so let's keep it going.
* Person to contact: Luís de Sousa, Tõnis Kardi, Alexander Kmoch, Jeroen Ticheler

'''Agenda'''
* Which local chapter can host in 2025
* OSGeo-Europe as a (in)formal chapter
* Financing and relation with OSGeo

'''Who is coming''':
* Luís de Sousa
* Jeroen Ticheler
* Codrina Ilie

== Room GEOCAT (301) on 3.07 ==
=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

== Room LAStools (327) on 3.07 ==
=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

== Room QFieldCloud (246) on 3.07 ==
=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

= Thursday 4 July 18:00-19:00 =
== Room Destination Earth (Van46 ring) on 4.07 ==
=== European Cyber Resilience Act: status and impact ===

* Description: CRA regulations are being established right now and will have an impact on OSGeo projects and businesses selling products based on these software components. What should OSGeo do for its community and what help is available?
* Person to contact: [[User:Codrina | Codrina Maria Ilie]]

Who is coming:
* Jeroen Ticheler
* Luís de Sousa
* Codrina Ilie
* Marco Minghini
* Ivan Sancez

== Room GEOCAT (301) on 4.07 ==
=== 🌳 Forest Remote Sensing ===

* Description: Let's meet up and discuss forest related remote sensing topics! If tree height, deforestation detection, bark beetle or anything else forest sounds interesting to you, this is the place, no matter your level of experience! Informal, just show up, no need to register etc.!

* Organizer: [https://chrieke.com/ Christoph Rieke]

* resources: osgeo gallery -- Forest Science from California [https://nextcloud.gallery.osgeo.org/s/ogie3tn5M7kX3z3 LINK]

== Room LAStools (327) on 4.07 ==
=== QGIS Eesti ===

* Description: Estonian QGIS user community get-together, who is interested, meet other QGIS users from Estonia
* Person to contact: Christof Nichterlein
* https://qgis.ee/

Who is coming:
* Christof Nichterlein

== Room QFieldCloud (246) on 4.07 ==
=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

= Friday 5 July 9:00-10:00 =
== Room Destination Earth (Van46 ring) on 5.07 ==
=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

== Room GEOCAT (301) on 5.07 ==
=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

== Room LAStools (327) on 5.07 ==
=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

== Room QFieldCloud (246) on 5.07 ==
=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

Board Meeting 2024-01-30

2024-01-31T11:04:49Z

Codrina: rephrasing "as much as OSGeo has in the bank at this time"

This board meeting is '''scheduled Tuesday 30 January 2024''' at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingdetails.html?year=2024&month=01&day=30&hour=17&min=0&sec=0&p1=250&p2=26&p3=49&p4=155&p5=51&p6=312 '''17:00''' UTC] through [https://meet.jit.si/OsgeoBoard Jitsi], a record of motions is preserved on [https://www.loomio.org/g/kdSmIwxu/osgeo-board Loomio] and actions on the [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues OSGeo todo] issue tracker.

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''roll call''
# ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# ''Review and approve past minutes''
#* [[Board_Meeting_2023-12-26]]
# Welcome new board members
# Move Geomajas to OSGeo Heritage Project status
# OSGeo Budget 2024
# ''Add your topic here''

== Minutes ==

* Presiding: Angelos
* Scribing: Rajat, Vicky, Codrina
* Attending: Jeroen, Michael, Tom, Codrina, Marco, Ariel, Angelos, Vicky, Rajat
* Guests: Jody, Regina

=== Review and approve past minutes ===

* [[Board_Meeting_2023-12-26]]
* Motion to approve past minutes for 2023-12-26 passed on Loomio:
* https://www.loomio.com/p/E6Pgjs2N/motion-to-approve-meeting-minutes-from-board-meeting-2023-12-26

=== Welcome new board members ===

* Jeroen is the new board member.
* On boarding session was done January 23, 2024

=== Move Geomajas to OSGeo Heritage Project status ===

* Motion open on Loomio: https://www.loomio.com/d/4lkxncvF/motion-to-move-the-geomajas-project-to-osgeo-heritage-project
* Jeroen discussed with Dirk Frigne about the status of the Geomajas project. He has indicated that the project is inactive and contributors have left for quite some time already.
* Decision to move the project as a Heritage OSGeo project
* ACTION: Marco to search ways to best archive the project and get in touch with SAC.

=== OSGeo Budget 2024 ===

* https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/OSGeo_Budget_2024
* The requested budget is not in line with previous years and also not realistic from a financial perspective. We need to revise the requests.
* OSGeo is still to receive money from Florence FOSS4G. The sum is not exactly known at this time.
* Given the increase in the SAC budget, which is necessary for the entire OSGeo to run, we could consider having a sponsorship dedicated campaign
* Decision on the SAC budget: we consider the same amount as last year, and then revise as we find out how much money should receive from the FOSS4Gs and when
* Regarding the Marketing Committee budget, the sum request is quite substantial, given the available budget. The decision is to approve as last year and revisit as we know more about the resources from the FOSS4Gs conferences
* The FOSS4G 2024 seed remains in the budget, even though we will get it back.
* Regarding projects, they have been asked to consider sponsorship within their annual financial needs. The board has decided on a maximum 2.5k USD for each project, due to the tight budget of OSGeo. For projects that have not yet requested a budget, they get 1k USD allocated by default.
* Discussion and budget approval moved to next meeting

=== Actions ===

* See https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues

== IRC Log ==
* no log, Jitsi meeting

== Next meeting ==
*[[Board Meeting 2024-02-06]]

[[Category:Board]]
[[Category:Board Meetings 2024]]

Election 2023 Candidate Manifestos

2024-01-03T11:04:20Z

Codrina:

A space for the candidates for election to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

You are welcome to follow the template, and add further relevant info as you need:

== Jeroen Ticheler - The Netherlands ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/jeroen-ticheler/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

Wageningen (The Netherlands), Ivory Coast and Mali were the places I grew up as a child. It brought me to study Tropical Forestry with a focus on GIS and Remote Sensing. Following graduation in 1997, I started working to support the Early Warning System for Food Security and the Desert Locust Early Warning System at the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in Rome for nine years.

With the support of the FAO, I managed to start the development of GeoNetwork opensource around the year 2001, a catalog that allowed us to organise and release large quantities of geospatial data to the public.

In 2007, GeoCat was established and I moved back to The Netherlands. Besides everything geospatial, I love traveling, carpentry, slowly build an overland truck, study Analytical Psychology, and walk, work and live outside.

=== My vision ===

My vision is that geospatial knowledge can improve the way we live on our planet. That science requires the open software we jointly develop and that sustainable Free and Open Source Software projects require healthy businesses that commit themselves to contribute back responsibly.

We, as a community, can accomplish so much through local and global collaborations. Our projects and communities provide (the best) tools and knowledge accessible for all to benefit.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

Besides my involvement as PSC chair in the GeoNetwork opensource project, I have been involved as Charter member from 2006 onwards, served on the OSGeo Marketing and Conference Committees, as well as on the OSGeo Board. In the last 10+ years my involvement has mainly been in the form of a sponsor to OSGeo and FOSS4G (both global, regional and local) and by organising a yearly Code Sprint in Bolsena since 2007.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

My mission is to connect people by connecting communities and information. I strongly promote the use of international standards and Free and Open Source Software for geographic data and information. I'll commit myself to help OSGeo to bring people together that collaborate, innovate and give back.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

Responsible entrepreneurship will definitely be one of the things that has my attention. OSGeo needs to be a well balanced community of people from all parts of society, including volunteers, students and scientists, public servants and businesses.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

No preference at this stage, I'm willing to take up any role needed.

== Marco Bernasocchi, Switzerland ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/bernasocchi/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===
I am an open-source advocate, consultant, teacher, and developer. My background is in geography with a specialization in geographic information science. I live in Switzerland in a small Romansh speaking mountain village where I love scrambling around the mountains to enjoy the feeling of freedom it gives me. I’m a very communicative person, I fluently speak Italian, German, French English, and Spanish and love travelling. I'm the QGIS.org Chair and work as CEO of OPENGIS.ch which I founded in 2011. Since 2014 I share the company ownership with Matthias Kuhn. At OPENGIS.ch LLC we develop, train and consult our client on any aspect related to QGIS, QField, PostGIS and WebGIS technologies.

I first came in contact with the OSGEO world during my BSc when the University of Zurich was teaching us proprietary products and I started looking around for Open Source alternatives and started using QuantumGIS “Simon (0.6)”. In 2008, when starting my MSc, I made the definitive switch to Ubuntu and I started working more and more with QuantumGIS Metis (0.11) and ended developing some plugins and part of Globe as my Masters' thesis.

Since then my whole work has pivoted around QGIS and enabling people and companies to embrace opensource for their GIS needs.

=== My vision ===
Serving as a pragmatic community conciliator - collecting thoughts from people with differing opinions and trying to find the high road through difficult issues I want to focus my and the community's energies on being inclusive and forward-thinking.

I see FOSS as a very socially responsible way to develop software, but even more, I see the immense technological advantage that writing open-source code brings. This is why I always strive to allow both pragmatic and ideological views to respectfully coexist and enrich each other.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* QGIS contributor since 2011
* QGIS.org Chair since 2020
* QGIS.org Vice-Chair 2018-2020
* QField (originally QGIS for android) creator
* FOSS4G Session Leader, various FOSS4G Talks and workshops
* Charter Member since 2018
* Google Summer of Code 2012: Mentor
* Google Summer of Code 2011: Student Developer

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

One of my main motivations to be part of the board is to help OSGeo keep its incredible growth rate by being even more attractive to new community members, sponsors and large/corporate users. To achieve this, to me the key is maintaining the right balance between sustainable processes and helping interesting and motivating grassroots projects.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
As still fairly technical driven person, I like to understand the inner workings of things and projects before commenting on changes :)

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I am open to any role based on how I could best serve the board.

== Vicky Vergara - Mexico ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/vicky-vergara/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

When I am in front of the computer, there can be an earthquake and I won't notice. I forget to eat, sometimes when I get hungry it's already time to go to bed.

That is something I do not recommend, but things change when I go to any FOSS4G:
* I take my autographs notebook and get many nice thoughts from members of the community.
* I like to talk to people,
* I like to see presentations
and these interactions let me know that there is a person behind that computer/software that I am using.

Also never forget to do some other non OSGeo related stuff like
* Learn how to grow nepenthes
* Continue with building my HMS Victory model ship
* Learn how to do egg tempera, idea that came from going to FOSS4G Florence and see its art.

=== My vision ===

Promote the development and use of Open Source Software.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
This 2023 was very intense.
* OSGeo board with all the work that comes with it, that is very interesting.
* pgRouting PSC with all the work that comes with it.
* Translating OSGeoLive, pgRouting.
* Doing improvements on pgRouting.
* Taking care of OSGeoLive documentation as part of my duties of PSC on OSGeoLive
* For the nth year, been a mentor on the Google Summer of Code program
* Been more active part on the SAC committee during the second semester.
* Participating in the UN-OPENGIS meetings
* Doing some contributions on Valhalla

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
For this term I will use the word scalability.

I am an Economist and Computer Scientist who lacks skills for example: cooking or doing accounting.
I am a volunteer at home so I cook when I remember that we need to eat, and try to do my best, of course my sons can do things like poached eggs or omelettes, but my limit is scrambled and sunny side broken.
I hire professionals, someone cooks for me, someone does my accounting.

In OSGeo, we are a growing community of volunteers. But are we scalable?

A volunteer do contributions when they have time to do contributions.
Some might be jobless, some might be be freelancers, some might be hired by companies that support their contributions to open source, and some might have jobs that do not, and many more situations that I can not even imagine.

The worst case scenario I can think of, (in chat form):
* Person X: (My job situation is unknown to you) and I do volunteering in A, B ,C, D, and E on OSGeo
* Person Z: Great!, please also do G
* Person X: OK
Time passes
* Person Z: Hmm, have you finished?
* Person X: No, I haven't got time
Time passes
* Person X: (Found a job on another industry / got sick / had an accident / life happens), can't do any more volunteering work

Who will do A~G after X leaves?

Since I arrived I see the same names in many different committees, working groups, etc.

We do things when we can, not necessarily when they need to be done. We do them the best we can.
We have are our limits on areas that we understand and try ti help when we have a small idea on what to do, but can't do no more than that. (like my cooking I can do up to a limit, but after that we go to a restaurant)

That way of working, where the few do most of the work on their volunteer time, is not scalable in my opinion.

I do not have a solution to this problem in a volunteer environment.
But at least I would like to start a discussion about it.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

Scalability

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

I am fine with the role that is assigned to me. But by preference, this time I would like someone else to be the vice-president of the Latin America area.

== Besfort Guri, Kosovo ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/guri/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

Besfort has been a hacktivist since 2009 in Kosovo, as a member of FLOSSK (Free Libre Open Source Software Kosova – flossk.org). He has been serving as a board member since 2015, and since 2020 he has been acting as President of the Executive Board of FLOSSK.

Since 2010 a mapper at OpenStreetMap, and a member at OSM Foundation since 2018. In 2019 FLOSSK became a Local Chapter at OSM, and Besfort is leading this Local Chapter, in 2019, FLOSSK with a lead of Besfort, organized State of the Map Southeast Europe – sotmsee.org. He is serving as a member of the Advisory Board of the Board of OpenStreetMap Foundation.

Besfort has been active in OSGeo for some years now as well, he has been serving as Charter Member since 2022. FLOSSK has been the local chapter of OSGeo since 2020, and he is leading as well this local chapter. He was part of the organizing team for the canceled FOSS4G 2021 Europe, now he is Co-Chair of the Program Committee at FOSS4G 2024 Europe. He was chair of FOSS4G 2023 in Prizren.

He runs a small company called OpS-IN (Open Spatial Information Network) where he develops different GIS systems. His two biggest projects that he implemented through the company are "SPAK – Spatial Planning Application for Kosovo", and "ACLIS – Albanian Cadastral Land Information System" Both projects have the entire architecture of the system, based on OSGeo projects, like PostgreSQL / PostGIS, QGIS, GeoServer, Open Layers etc.

=== My vision ===

Promote the development and use of FLOSS Software, more specifically FLOSS GIS.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

* Promote FLOSS (FLOSS GIS) in Balkan Area, in different aspects
* Part of the Organizing Committee of canceled FOSS4G 2021 Europe
* Chair of FOSS4G 2023 Prizren, Kosovo
* Co-Chair of Program Committee of FOSS4G Europe 2024

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

Focusing on responsible entrepreneurship in OSGeo, I aim to unite diverse communities—volunteers, students, scientists, public servants, and businesses. I bring expertise in Balkan community engagement and a commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship in developing nations. This multifaceted approach cultivates an inclusive ecosystem, driving both tech advancements and societal progress within OSGeo.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

OSGeo wants a mix of people from everywhere—volunteers, students, scientists, public servants, and businesses—to build a balanced community. It's important to include countries at different stages of development, like those with growing economies and opportunities.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===
I don't have any specific preference at this stage, I'm willing to take up any role needed.

== Rajat Shinde, Ph.D. - India/ (Currently residing in the United States of America) ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/shinde/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

Hey there! My name is Rajat (meaning ''shining like Silver'' in Hindi). I hail from India and currently, I am working as a Computer Scientist with NASA IMPACT / the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). I have a Ph.D. degree in Geo-informatics with a specialization in LiDAR data processing using deep learning algorithms. During my Ph.D., I was a recipient of the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship conferred by the Government of India to selected doctoral candidates. Before diving into the spatial dimension, I used to be an Electronics and Communication Engineer.

In 2023, it is my continued nomination to be a member of the OSGeo Board of Directors. In 2021, I was nominated for the first time and got elected as the youngest-ever board member and subsequently as a Vice President of the OSGeo Board.

My journey with open-source (and OSGeo) started in 2017 when I got to attend and present at the FOSS4G Asia 2017. In the same year, I had an amazing experience in contributing to the MapMint project as a Google Summer of Code Student. From 2018 onwards, I am contributing as a GSoC Admin and mentor for the ZOO-Project and MapMint. Also, I serve as a Project Steering Committee (PSC) Member for the ZOO-Project and pgRouting projects (read: star_eyes). I was one of the mentors for the United Nations OSGeo Education Challenge 2021 for the pgRouting project and represented OSGeo during the Google Summer of Code Mentor Summit 2023 held in California, US.

When I look back in 2017, from where I started, I feel elated and equally responsible to be able to contribute back to the biggest and dynamic community for Free and Open Source Software. Moreover, I feel proud of being a part of this OSGeo community; of knowing great personalities, working with them, and encouraging new members to be a part of it.

When I am away from my laptop, I love to practice flute and read books.

[https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajat-shinde/ More details]

=== My vision ===
* Introduce new and young contributors to the OSGeo community via various initiatives
* Contribute to the OSGeo India and GeoBharat activities

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I have a short experience participating in diverse positions while being a part of the OSGeo community. A brief description is as follows:

* Vice President, OSGeo Board of Directors 2021-23
* Representative of the OSGeo Standards Committee for the OGC Geo-Huntsville 2023
* FOSS4G 2021 Session Leader, FOSS4G Asia Workshop Contributor and Speaker
* OSGeo-OGC-ASF Joint Code Sprint Participant
* Project Steering Committee (PSC) Member for the ZOO-Project, pgRouting
* Mentor for the United Nations OSGeo Education Challenge 2021 - pgRouting Track (Attending the UN OpenGIS and UN GeoAI WG Meetings)
* Charter Member since 2017
* Google Summer of Code 2020-onwards: Organization Administrator
* Google Summer of Code 2018-onwards: Mentor
* Google Summer of Code 2017: Student Developer
* Google Code-in 2019: Mentor

I am also an academic manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS) and I review manuscripts in the domain of geospatial and geoscience research and software.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

For this tenure, my primary interest is in propagating the experiences to the best of my capability to the new members. Additionally, my focus would be on promoting the Geo-Bharat and OSGeo India activities with the LoC.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
One thing that I would want to work on is promptly working on accountability with roles and responsibilities. One of the nominees - Vicky touched upon Scalability and I echo these thoughts. As someone who works closely with new and young contributors in the community as a part of the GSoC initiative, I would try to encourage more individuals to be part of the different OSGeo committees so that we can enable more hands and minds to finish tasks.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===
I am open to any role based on the requirements of the board based on my past learnings and experiences. I have a lot to learn! :)

== Matthew Hanson - United States ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/hanson/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

Born and raised in New England, I went to school in Rochester NY in the early 1990s to study Photographic and Imaging Science. A time of change for sure, since film was still widely in use but we were also seeing the first consumer grade digital cameras, along with Photoshop 1.0. From there I focused in on remote sensing and digital image processing and have now worked in geospatial earth observation on government and commercial projects for nearly 30 years.

In 2011 I found myself at my first FOSS4G conference in Denver and the experience was a turning point, igniting a passion within me and propelling me into a more active role within the community.
Subsequently, I transitioned from a curious attendee to an engaged participant. I began contributing to GeoNode and then started releasing my own libraries for geospatial image processing and management. Since then I have attended and spoken at nearly all FOSS4G and FOSS4G-NA conferences.

Another significant time has been my involvement in shaping the STAC (SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog) specification right from its nascent stages. As an early contributor, I played a role in developing the foundational ecosystem of STAC, creating catalogs and APIs specifically tailored for the accessibility of crucial public data sources such as Landsat and Sentinel-2. These initiatives were instrumental in making the STAC specification more accessible and widely adopted within geospatial data science communities.

=== My vision ===
Open-source software is an unstoppable force. As we've now seen over decades open-source software has proven to provide key foundational libraries across sectors, been responsive and cutting edge. What started as an experimental alternative to commercial software now makes up most of the critical computing infrastructure in the world. This is very apparent in the geospatial software domain, which I think got an early start compared to some other domains, especially when it comes to exploiting scalable computation in the cloud.

Still, open-source continues to be under-utilized, not just in favor of commercial, but is also not fully taken advantage of. Education, outreach, tutorials, workshops - these are all important components in expanding the reach of FOSS4G among different user groups that don't have the expertise or background to fully exploit geospatial data. My interest is in finding, expanding and promoting those communities.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
# Charter Member since 2017
# Frequent Speaker at FOSS4G (given over 15 talks at 8 international FOSS4Gs) and FOSS4G-NA
# Promotion of FOSS4G at conferences in the geosciences (ESIP, SatSummit, Pecora, IGARRS, AGU)
# Given workshops for teaching FOSS4G to people across NASA and USGS for using public geospatial data
# Organized and participated in hackathons and code sprints to advance FOSS4G projects

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

FOSS4G and OSGeo have been a major part of my career for over a decade now and continue to promote it's use across commercial and government sectors. I would like to do what I can do give back and become more involved in OSGeo, whether that's being on the board or not.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I would like to see greater continuity and aid provided to LOCs of FOSS4Gs. Organizing an international FOSS4G is a tremendous amount of work for the LOCs and I think more help could be provided to ensure better knowledge transfer year to year. I would love to talk more about what has been tried and what could be done to ensure a sustainable and healthy international FOSS4G conference for years to come.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

I am open to any role.

== Codrina Maria Ilie - Romania([https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===
By day, I am a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at (Terrasigna)[http://www.terrasigna.com], a Romanian based SME, searching to improve by integrating data from non-traditional sources, such as the open data initiative, as a remote sensing project officer. In the 14 years I’ve spent working, I focused on using open source solutions for geodata processing and visualisation, with a more recent spotlight on standardisation and interoperability.
By night, I am a loud advocate for open source solutions for geospatial and for the open (geo)data initiative worldwide.

=== My vision ===
geo-spatial.org - the Romanian OSGeo Local Chapter - and further along the way, the international OSGeo community, has been a crucial pillar of my life and personality. Joining geo-spatial.org as a young student, I have learned from them not only what GRASS and OpenLayers is, but also what it means to offer your time generously to your community, to share your knowledge and data (!) while you benefit from the knowledge and data from others, just as well as what it means to argue with elegance and kindness and to critique in a constructive way.
During the 2 board member mandates, my vision regarding our community has only intensified. I still strive to foster and further expand, thought my activities and contributions, the OSGeo community as the environment where one, anyone, can grow, professionally and personally - just as I did and still do - where one can comfortable continue discussing the technical complexities of a new solution started online, over a beer, in a remote corner of the world at a FOSS4G event.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
I have been part of the geospatial Romanian community since 2008. I have been serving as a vice-president of the OSGeo Romanian Local Chapter - geo-spatial.org. since 2015.
I have started my international work in OSGeo, as part of the LOC for the FOSS4G Central Eastern Europe 2013, then continued to contribuite to other regional and international events, such as FOSS4G Europe 2015 and FOSS4G 2016 in Bonn. In 2019, I have been the Program Chair for FOSS4G 2019 Bucharest, as well as contributing to other side-events, such as the [https://twitter.com/geospatialwomen/ Women in Geospatial Bof] and [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/geochicas-take-bucharest-tickets-68740991155/ Geochicas take over Bucharest!]. Afterwards, I have supported LOC teams of various European and international FOSS4Gs.

I have been a Charter Member since 2013 and I have served the OSGeo community as a board member starting with 2019. During my time as a board member, I have systematically worked in consolidating OSGeo's presence within Europe, through systematically representing the Foundation with various occasions, initiated by European organisations, such as the European Commission and the European Space Agency or international ones such as [https://earthobservations.org/events/session/session-7-private-sector-vhr-cloud-providers/ Group on Earth Observations]. During my second mandate, I have initiated and contributed to the formalisation of the partnership between OSGeo and the European Space Agency though a [https://eo4society.esa.int/2023/10/10/esa-and-osgeo-sign-memorandum-of-intent-to-advance-open-source-geospatial-collaboration/ Memorandum of Intent].

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
In its almost two decades of existence, OSGeo has significantly contributed to the progress of the geospatial domain, from the development of core open source geospatial software to coagulating and further expanding a worldwide community of geospatial specialists of all trades, from users, to developers to stakeholders, to its work in the open source project management and coordination.
The practical knowledge gathered over the years by the Foundation is of great value, especially as the open source paradigm is becoming more and more proeminente in today's world. I believe OSGeo can and should play a leading role in coordinating these efforts, systematically and institutional -wise. Thus, I am running for a third mandate as a board member for OSGeo as I want to continue the work started in 2019, that is to further promote and support the OSGeo community within the European Space.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
More focus on encouraging young people to engage within the OSGeo community.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I am happy with any role assigned.

== ''Name'' - ''Country'' ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/''name''/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

=== My vision ===

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Election 2022]]

MoU ESA

2023-07-26T15:44:00Z

Codrina:

''This is the draft for the Memorandum of Intent between the [https://www.esa.int/ European Space Agency] (ESA) and the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) to coordinate in promoting and supporting joint activities they plan to engage in to achieve the common goals of encouraging interoperability with open and community standards, fostering the use of open source geospatial software, championing community building, and celebrating excellence, openness and inclusivity.''

''The Memorandum of Intent will be available for download after both parties will have signed it.''

== Memorandum of Intent ==
Memorandum of Intent (“MoI”) dated ''xx/xx/2023'' by and between the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) with its principal place of business at 9450 SW Gemini Dr, #42523, Beaverton, Oregon 97008 USA, and the European Space Agency, (ESA) with its headquarters located at 8-10 rue Mario-Nikis, 75015 Paris, France.

=== Recitals ===
'''Whereas''', ESA is an intergovernmental organisation with a mission to provide for and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems.

'''Whereas''', the OSGeo is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2006 whose mission is to support and promote the collaborative development of open source geospatial technologies and data.

'''Whereas''', ESA and OSGeo wish to outline a framework to materialise their understanding of the joint activities they plan to engage in to achieve the common goals of encouraging interoperability with open and community standards, fostering the use of open source geospatial software, championing community building, and celebrating excellence, openness and inclusivity.

In consideration of the benefits anticipated from entering into this MoI, the OSGeo and ESA (“Signatories”) envisage the following:

== Work Program ==
Exhibit A describes the activities in which the Signatories could engage in (the “Activities”). The Signatories will work in good faith to try and achieve the Activities until such time as it is completed or this MoI earlier terminated, as provided in Section 5.

== Liaison ==
Each Signatory will appoint and maintain a representative to act as liaison with the other Signatory, and each Signatory may deal exclusively with the liaison appointed by the other Signatory if it so chooses, except as otherwise provided in Exhibit A. The initial liaisons are listed in Exhibit B.

== Intellectual property rights (IPR) and Confidentiality Policies ==
# While it is not the intention of the Signatories to jointly develop any IPR, in case this still occurs, any jointly developed IPR shall give rise to a separate agreement between the Signatories as to (i) the responsibilities, costs and actions to be taken to establish and maintain Intellectual Property Rights; and (ii) any other matter related to the exploitation of such a joint IPR.
# No licence rights are granted by either Signatory to the other solely by reason of entering into this MoI.
# Each Signatory will keep confidential all materials supplied to it by the other Signatory that have been designated in writing as being confidential, proprietary, or otherwise non-public, and will only use such materials for the sole purpose of implementing this MoI.

== Communications ==
All communications sent by a Signatory under this MoI will be sent by email to the address of the other Signatory’s liaison, and will be deemed to be effective when sent. Each Signatory will inform the other Signatory of a current email address for its liaison at all times.

== Costs ==
Each Signatory will pay its own costs and expenses with respect to its activities under this MoI, and no exchange of funds is envisaged under this MoI. Each Signatory is free to decide on and is responsible for all aspects of its own activities under this MoI.

== Public Statements ==
Neither Signatory will make any public statements regarding the purpose of this MoI or the activities to be performed under it without the approval and consent of the other Signatory.

== Use of Name and Emblem ==
None of the Signatories will use the other Signatory’s name or logo without the other Signatory’s prior written approval and subject to the terms of the owning Signatory’s trademark licence terms and usage guidelines.

== Limits to Understanding ==
# This MoI does not constitute an agreement or commitment by either Signatory to enter into or provide support for any specific activity unless specifically agreed in writing by the Signatories.
# Nothing in this MoI shall be construed as creating a joint venture, an agency relationship, or a legal partnership between the Signatories. The Signatories will enjoy no exclusivity and, consequently, will both be in a position to enter into similar arrangements with other providers/organisations/entities.
# Nothing in this MoI is intended to be, or should be construed as, a waiver of the privileges and immunities of ESA or its staff members and where appropriate, experts and the representatives of their Member States, whose privileges and immunities are hereby specifically reserved.

== Resolution of Disagreement ==
In case of a disagreement between the Signatories arising out of, or relating to, any collaborative activity undertaken pursuant to this MoI, the Signatories shall attempt to reach an amicable resolution in good faith. Any such disagreement may be referred to the ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes and the OSGeo President for final determination.

== Miscellaneous ==
This MoI:
# may only be amended in writing by mutual agreement of the authorised representatives of each Signatory;
# except as otherwise specified in Exhibit A, supersedes any and all other understanding between the Signatories, whether written or oral; and
# may not be assigned by either Signatory without the written permission of the other Signatory, except to a successor to its business or mission, as appropriate.

== Term and Termination ==
# This MoI will become effective on the date of the last signature of the Signatories and will remain effective for a period of 5 years.
# The Signatories may extend the term of this Memorandum by mutual agreement expressed in writing.
# This Memorandum may be terminated at any time for any reason by either Signatory by giving the other Signatory three (3) months’ advance notice in writing.
# In case of expiration or termination, the Signatories will immediately cease implementation of the activities conducted pursuant to this Memorandum, save in the case where assets and resources of a Signatory have been made available to selected entity/entities and as specified in writing in the related separate instruments.

In witness of the above, the Signatories have caused this MoI to be executed by their duly authorised representatives.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Open Source Geospatial Foundation !! European Space Agency
|-
| By <''signature of representative''> || By <''signature of representative''>
|-
| Angelos TZOTSOS || Simonetta CHELI
|-
| President at Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) || ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes
|}

=== EXHIBIT A : Description of Program ===

ESA and the OSGeo will address the following work objectives in accordance with provisions detailed in this MoI and based on the availability of resources.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and specifically the Earth Observation (EO) Science for Society within the FutureEO programme is investing in a number of activities to support and establish Open Science practices. The rationale is to promote the sharing and dissemination of scientific knowledge and data, which can lead to a more collaborative and productive scientific community, public engagement, maximisation of return for investment, international collaboration, and innovation, ultimately leading to societal benefit.
In this context, the current MoI represents a key strategic element to enforce open source practices and maximise outreach and community building for the open source components developed under the ESA EO Science for Society activities.

Under this goal the current MoI anticipates the following joint activities:

# Promote OSGeo Code of Conduct to the Open Source projects sponsored under the ESA EO Science for Society within the FutureEO programme.
# Support the OSGeo Incubation Programme by promoting it to ESA Open Source projects and by providing feedback on the existing workflow with the aim of defining an efficient programme that could provide projects with limited/short-term funding better chances to become self-sustained and community-supported.
# Liaison on the OSGeo Standards Committee and OGC for recommendations on interoperability and standardisation activities. Foster discussions on standardisation as applied to Open Source implementations that are of relevance and interest to ESA activities.
# Plan joint code sprints to promote ESA and non-ESA Open Source projects and community building. Promote cross-pollination for ESA involvement in OSGeo code sprints as well as OSGeo participation in ESA code sprints/activities.
# Promote joint Open Source development across different organisations to increase the sustainability and maturity of the components development.
# Provide recommendations on existing non-ESA Open Source projects that can be used and extended to be part of ESA Open Source components development.

=== EXHIBIT B: Liaisons/ Representatives ===

The initial liaisons and their contact data is as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Open Source Geospatial Foundation !! European Space Agency
|-
| Codrina Maria ILIE || Claudio IACOPINO
|-
| Member in the Board of Directors of Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) || Digital Platform Engineer in the ESA Directorate of EO Programmes
|-
| Contact credentials:codrina@geo-spatial.org || Contact credentials: claudio.iacopino@esa.int
|}

[[Category: MoU]]

MoU ESA

2023-07-26T15:41:37Z

Codrina: Created page with "''This is the draft for the Memorandum of Intent between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) to coordinate in promoting and s..."

''This is the draft for the Memorandum of Intent between the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA) and the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) to coordinate in promoting and supporting joint activities they plan to engage in to achieve the common goals of encouraging interoperability with open and community standards, fostering the use of open source geospatial software, championing community building, and celebrating excellence, openness and inclusivity.''

''The Memorandum of Intent will be available for download after both parties will have signed it.''

== Memorandum of Intent ==
Memorandum of Intent (“MoI”) dated ''xx/xx/2023'' by and between the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) with its principal place of business at 9450 SW Gemini Dr, #42523, Beaverton, Oregon 97008 USA, and the European Space Agency, (ESA) with its headquarters located at 8-10 rue Mario-Nikis, 75015 Paris, France.

=== Recitals ===
'''Whereas''', ESA is an intergovernmental organisation with a mission to provide for and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems.

'''Whereas''', the OSGeo is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2006 whose mission is to support and promote the collaborative development of open source geospatial technologies and data.

'''Whereas''', ESA and OSGeo wish to outline a framework to materialise their understanding of the joint activities they plan to engage in to achieve the common goals of encouraging interoperability with open and community standards, fostering the use of open source geospatial software, championing community building, and celebrating excellence, openness and inclusivity.

In consideration of the benefits anticipated from entering into this MoI, the OSGeo and ESA (“Signatories”) envisage the following:

== Work Program ==
Exhibit A describes the activities in which the Signatories could engage in (the “Activities”). The Signatories will work in good faith to try and achieve the Activities until such time as it is completed or this MoI earlier terminated, as provided in Section 5.

== Liaison ==
Each Signatory will appoint and maintain a representative to act as liaison with the other Signatory, and each Signatory may deal exclusively with the liaison appointed by the other Signatory if it so chooses, except as otherwise provided in Exhibit A. The initial liaisons are listed in Exhibit B.

== Intellectual property rights (IPR) and Confidentiality Policies ==
# While it is not the intention of the Signatories to jointly develop any IPR, in case this still occurs, any jointly developed IPR shall give rise to a separate agreement between the Signatories as to (i) the responsibilities, costs and actions to be taken to establish and maintain Intellectual Property Rights; and (ii) any other matter related to the exploitation of such a joint IPR.
# No licence rights are granted by either Signatory to the other solely by reason of entering into this MoI.
# Each Signatory will keep confidential all materials supplied to it by the other Signatory that have been designated in writing as being confidential, proprietary, or otherwise non-public, and will only use such materials for the sole purpose of implementing this MoI.

== Communications ==
All communications sent by a Signatory under this MoI will be sent by email to the address of the other Signatory’s liaison, and will be deemed to be effective when sent. Each Signatory will inform the other Signatory of a current email address for its liaison at all times.

== Costs ==
Each Signatory will pay its own costs and expenses with respect to its activities under this MoI, and no exchange of funds is envisaged under this MoI. Each Signatory is free to decide on and is responsible for all aspects of its own activities under this MoI.

== Public Statements ==
Neither Signatory will make any public statements regarding the purpose of this MoI or the activities to be performed under it without the approval and consent of the other Signatory.

== Use of Name and Emblem ==
None of the Signatories will use the other Signatory’s name or logo without the other Signatory’s prior written approval and subject to the terms of the owning Signatory’s trademark licence terms and usage guidelines.

== Limits to Understanding ==
# This MoI does not constitute an agreement or commitment by either Signatory to enter into or provide support for any specific activity unless specifically agreed in writing by the Signatories.
# Nothing in this MoI shall be construed as creating a joint venture, an agency relationship, or a legal partnership between the Signatories. The Signatories will enjoy no exclusivity and, consequently, will both be in a position to enter into similar arrangements with other providers/organisations/entities.
# Nothing in this MoI is intended to be, or should be construed as, a waiver of the privileges and immunities of ESA or its staff members and where appropriate, experts and the representatives of their Member States, whose privileges and immunities are hereby specifically reserved.

== Resolution of Disagreement ==
In case of a disagreement between the Signatories arising out of, or relating to, any collaborative activity undertaken pursuant to this MoI, the Signatories shall attempt to reach an amicable resolution in good faith. Any such disagreement may be referred to the ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes and the OSGeo President for final determination.

== Miscellaneous ==
This MoI:
# may only be amended in writing by mutual agreement of the authorised representatives of each Signatory;
# except as otherwise specified in Exhibit A, supersedes any and all other understanding between the Signatories, whether written or oral; and
# may not be assigned by either Signatory without the written permission of the other Signatory, except to a successor to its business or mission, as appropriate.

== Term and Termination ==
# This MoI will become effective on the date of the last signature of the Signatories and will remain effective for a period of 5 years.
# The Signatories may extend the term of this Memorandum by mutual agreement expressed in writing.
# This Memorandum may be terminated at any time for any reason by either Signatory by giving the other Signatory three (3) months’ advance notice in writing.
# In case of expiration or termination, the Signatories will immediately cease implementation of the activities conducted pursuant to this Memorandum, save in the case where assets and resources of a Signatory have been made available to selected entity/entities and as specified in writing in the related separate instruments.

In witness of the above, the Signatories have caused this MoI to be executed by their duly authorised representatives.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Open Source Geospatial Foundation !! European Space Agency
|-
| By <''signature of representative''> || By <''signature of representative''>
|-
| Angelos TZOTSOS || Simonetta CHELI
|-
| President at Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) || ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes
|}

=== EXHIBIT A : Description of Program ===

ESA and the OSGeo will address the following work objectives in accordance with provisions detailed in this MoI and based on the availability of resources.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and specifically the Earth Observation (EO) Science for Society within the FutureEO programme is investing in a number of activities to support and establish Open Science practices. The rationale is to promote the sharing and dissemination of scientific knowledge and data, which can lead to a more collaborative and productive scientific community, public engagement, maximisation of return for investment, international collaboration, and innovation, ultimately leading to societal benefit.
In this context, the current MoI represents a key strategic element to enforce open source practices and maximise outreach and community building for the open source components developed under the ESA EO Science for Society activities.

Under this goal the current MoI anticipates the following joint activities:

# Promote OSGeo Code of Conduct to the Open Source projects sponsored under the ESA EO Science for Society within the FutureEO programme.
# Support the OSGeo Incubation Programme by promoting it to ESA Open Source projects and by providing feedback on the existing workflow with the aim of defining an efficient programme that could provide projects with limited/short-term funding better chances to become self-sustained and community-supported.
# Liaison on the OSGeo Standards Committee and OGC for recommendations on interoperability and standardisation activities. Foster discussions on standardisation as applied to Open Source implementations that are of relevance and interest to ESA activities.
# Plan joint code sprints to promote ESA and non-ESA Open Source projects and community building. Promote cross-pollination for ESA involvement in OSGeo code sprints as well as OSGeo participation in ESA code sprints/activities.
# Promote joint Open Source development across different organisations to increase the sustainability and maturity of the components development.
# Provide recommendations on existing non-ESA Open Source projects that can be used and extended to be part of ESA Open Source components development.

=== EXHIBIT B: Liaisons/ Representatives ===

The initial liaisons and their contact data is as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Open Source Geospatial Foundation !! European Space Agency
|-
| Codrina Maria ILIE || Claudio IACOPINO
|-
| Member in the Board of Directors of Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) || Digital Platform Engineer in the ESA Directorate of EO Programmes
|-
| Contact credentials:codrina@geo-spatial.org || Contact credentials: claudio.iacopino@esa.int
|}

[[Category: MoU]]

MOU Template

2023-03-31T16:03:01Z

Codrina:

[[File:Osgeo-logo.png|thumb|right|OSGeo logo]]

Baseline:

* We have a very broad vision (Empower everyone with open source geospatial) that allows OSGeo to collaborate with a wide range of organisations;
* MoU should be in aide of one or more [https://www.osgeo.org/about/ Foundation Goals];
* MoU should not conflict with the Foundation Goals;
* In general, the partner has proposed a document structure they are comfortable with, however the template below offers a clearer understanding of what is expected from an MoU partner. 

== Memorandum of Understanding between your organisation and the Open Source Geospatial Foundation ==

Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) dated DD MM YYYY by and between the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) with its principal place of business at 9450 SW Gemini Dr, #42523, Beaverton, Oregon 97008 USA, and the your organisation, (“acronym”) with its principal place of business at your organisation address:

=== Recitals ===

Whereas your organisation is what, founded when, dedicated to what.

Whereas the OSGeo is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2006 whose mission is to support and promote the collaborative development of open source geospatial technologies and data.

Whereas your organisation and OSGeo, wish to outline a framework to materialise their understanding of the joint activities they plan to engage in to achieve the common goal(s) of [...].

In consideration of the benefits anticipated from entering into this MoU, the OSGeo and your organisation (“Parties”) agree as follows:

# Work Programme. Exhibit A describes the work or activities in which the Parties agree to engage (the “Programme”). The Parties agree to work in good faith to carry out the Programme until such time as it is completed or this MoU earlier terminated, as provided in Section 5.

# Representations and Warranties. Each Party represents and warrants to the other that (i) it has due authority to enter into and perform this MoU, (ii) its performance of this MoU will not conflict with any other agreement to which it is a party, and (iii) its performance of this MoU will not conflict with its intellectual property rights (“IPR”) policy, or with any other policy or obligation binding upon it that relates to IPR matters.

# Liaison. Each Party will appoint and maintain a representative to act as liaison with the other Party, and each Party may deal exclusively with the liaison appointed by the other Party if it so chooses, except as otherwise provided in Exhibit A. The initial liaisons are listed in Exhibit B.

# IPR and Confidentiality Policies. Unless otherwise specified in Exhibit A, (a) each Party agrees that when it is engaging in any activity hosted by the other Party, the policies of the other Party regarding IPR and confidentiality of that Party will be binding upon it, (b) in the event that the Parties engage in any activities jointly to create any work product, that work product shall be jointly owned, without obligation or accounting one to the other, and no licence rights are granted by either Party to the other solely by reason of entering into this MoU, and (c) each Party will treat all materials supplied to it by the other Party that have been designated in writing as being confidential, FOUO (For Official Use Only), or otherwise non-public, in a manner consistent with such designation.

#Term and Termination.
## This MoU shall remain in force until terminated by either Party.
## This MoU may be terminated (i) at any time without cause by either Party giving not less than thirty days notice to the other Party of its desire to terminate, and (ii) on ten days notice without remedy, in the case of the breach of a material term by the Party receiving notice, providing that the Party giving notice provides sufficient detail in such notice of the nature of the breach to permit remedy (except that where the breach, by its nature, is not susceptible to remedy, termination shall be effective upon the giving of notice).
##All rights and obligations under this MoU will cease on termination, except for those referred to in Sections 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9, each of which shall survive indefinitely.

# Notices. All notices sent by a Party under this MoU shall be sent by email to the address of the other Party’s liaison, and shall be deemed to be effective when sent. Each Party shall inform the other Party of a current email address for its liaison at all times.
# Costs. Each Party shall pay its own costs and expenses with respect to its activities under this MoU, and neither Party shall have the authority to act on behalf of or to obligate the other Party (financially or otherwise) without such Party’s prior written consent.
# Public Statements. Neither Party will make any public statements regarding the purpose of this MoU or the activities to be performed under it without the approval and consent of the other Party.
# Miscellaneous. This MoU (a) may only be amended in writing by authorised representatives of each Party; (b) except as otherwise specified in Exhibit A, supersedes any and all other understanding between the Parties, whether written or oral; and (c) may not be assigned by either Party without the written permission of the other Party, except to a successor to its business or mission, as appropriate.

In witness of the above, the Parties have caused this MoU to be executed by their duly authorised representatives.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Open Source Geospatial Foundation
!! !! Your Organisation
|-
| By <signature of representative> || || By <signature of representative>
|-
| Name || || Name
|-
| Title || || Title
|}

=== Exhibit A Description of Work Programme ===

Your organisation and the OSGeo agree to address the following work objectives in accordance with provisions detailed in this MoU and based on the availability of resources.


The MoU should cover commitment to any joint activities:

# Ensure that MoU covers open source software (not only educational objectives for example);
# Ensure that at least one activity is helping the partner contribute to open source (not only use of our projects but also contributing to);
# Ensure that the workload to accomplish the results of the Work Programme in Exhibit A is reasonable, considering that OSGeo is a volunteer driven organisation. In cases where the MoU partner is a fully staffed operation, their share of the work should reflect that.

The relationship materialised in the MoU should support both use and participation.
While promoting use of open source is valuable, a key goal of OSGeo is to also promote participation in open source activities:

# Acknowledge and abide by the code of conduct of OSGeo as well as specific Codes of Conduct of related projects
# Contribute to geospatial open source projects
# Direct participation in the development and documentation of OSGeo projects
# Positive and productive participation in the OSGeo community or project email lists and communication channels, in accordance to the OSGeo and projects’ Code of Conduct
# Use of project community resources (issue tracker, discussion forums, chats, etc.) and public support channels
# Establish explicit and active open source contribution policies for shared intellectual property (for example, several OSGeo projects require organisations to sign a contributor licence agreement on behalf of their researchers)


=== Exhibit B Liaisons/Representatives ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Open Source Geospatial Foundation
!! !! Your Organisation
|-
| Name || || Name
|-
| Title || || Title
|-
| Contact credentials || || Contact credentials
|}

Board Meeting 2023-03-28

2023-03-27T12:08:15Z

Codrina:

This board meeting is '''scheduled Tuesday 28 March 2023''' at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingdetails.html?year=2023&month=3&day=28&hour=18&min=0&sec=0&p1=250&p2=26&p3=49&p4=155&p5=51&p6=312 '''18:00''' UTC] through [https://meet.jit.si/OsgeoBoard Jitsi], a record of motions is preserved on [https://www.loomio.org/g/kdSmIwxu/osgeo-board Loomio] and actions on the [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues OSGeo todo] issue tracker.

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''roll call''
# ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# ''Review and approve past minutes''
#* [[Board_Meeting_2023-02-27]]
# Executive positions
# OSGeo security initiative
# OSGeo sponsorship prospectus
# org.opengis name usage by GeoTools
# GeoStyler code sprint [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/board/2023-February/013229.html]
# GRASS GIS code sprint [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/board/2023-March/013251.html]
# BIDS 2023 Code sprint [https://www.bigdatafromspace2023.org/satellite-events]
# GISTAM 2023
# Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) Secretariat at UN-Habitat request
# GISRUK 2023 request for support [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/board/2023-February/013230.html]
# AGM preparations
# FOSS4G 2023 related topic: proposal for an MoU between OSGEO Foundation, FLOSSK (FOSS4G 2023 LOC) and Municipality of Prizren
# ''Add your topic here''

== Minutes ==

* Presiding:
* Scribing:
* Attending:
* Guests:

=== Actions ===

* See https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues

== IRC Log ==
* no log, Jitsi meeting

== Next meeting ==
*[[Board Meeting 2023-04-24]]

[[Category:Board]]
[[Category:Board Meetings 2023]]

Standards Committee

2023-02-18T09:04:14Z

Codrina: /* Committee Membership */

== OSGeo OGC Committee ==

=== Terms of Reference ===

This Terms of Reference are effective as of 2023-02-01 and will be ongoing until terminated by agreement of the Board.

==== Mission ====

The OSGeo Standards Committee aims to harmonize OSGeo representation and efforts with standards organizations to ensure coordination and consistency between OSGeo projects.

Responsibilities of this committee include (but are not limited to):

* Coordinating OSGeo membership to standards organizations (OGC, ISO TC211, etc.)
* Supporting MoUs, liaisons and agreements between OSGeo and standards development organizations
* Planning joint code sprints and meetings with standards organizations
* Contributing OSGeo representation within standards development efforts
* Encouraging projects to participate in the OSGeo Community and Incubation Programs

==== Membership ====

* To join the Committee, interested individuals are to send a nomination (self nomination is fine) with an introduction of the candidate/self. The committee will then make a motion at the next meeting
* Members shall add themselves to this page and request membership to a given standards organization via the Issue Tracker (see [[#Communications]])
* Members shall subscribe to the OSGeo Standards Mailing List (see [[#Communications]])
* Members are expected to attend Committee meetings, contributing to discussions, planning and issues

====Voting====

* Voting occurs as required
* Voting takes place once a Committee member opens a motion on the OSGeo Standards Mailing list
** Voting period is as follows:
*** Updates to Terms of Reference: 5 business days
*** Other: 3 business days
** Committee members vote using the following rubric:
*** +1: support the proposal
*** +0: mild support, but has no effect
*** 0: no opinion
*** -0: mild disagreement, but has no effect
*** -1: veto the proposal, but must provide clear reasoning and alternate approaches to resolving the issue
** Anyone can comment on proposals, but only Committee member votes will be counted
* A proposal will be accepted as follows:
** Updates to Terms of Reference: 50% quorum (including the author) and no vetoes (-1), based on current membership
** other: 25% quorum (including the author) and no vetoes (-1), based on current membership
* If a motion does not gather quorum within the voting period, the Committee reserves the right to revisit its active member list and removing members that have not voted within the last year
* If a proposal is vetoed, and it cannot be revised to satisfy all parties, then it can be resubmitted for an override vote in which a majority of all eligible votes indicating +1 is sufficient to pass it
* Note that this is a majority of all committee members, not just those who actively vote
* Upon completion of discussion and voting the author should announce whether they are proceeding (proposal accepted) or are withdrawing (vetoed)
* The Chair gets a vote

====Communications====

* Communications take place on the [https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/standards OSGeo Standards public mailing list]
* Issues and managed at the [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/standards-committee/issues OSGeo Standards Committee issue tracker]
* Meetings are held in public on [https://meet.jit.si/OSGeo Jitsi]. Participation and attendance is open to anyone

====Bootstrapping====

* Prior to forming the Committee, this Terms of Reference must be distributed to the OSGeo Standards mailing list / community for review and comment.
* Tom Kralidis is declared initial Chair of the Committee
* Initial Committee members are listed in [[#Committee_Membership]]

=== Meetings ===
[[Standards_Committee/Meetings|Meetings]]

=== Committee Membership ===

* [[User:Tomkralidis|Tom Kralidis]]
* [[Angelos_Tzotsos|Angelos Tzosos]]
* [[User:Kotzino|Dimitri Kotzinos]]
* Jonah Sullivan
* [[User:Ivansanchez|Iván Sánchez Ortega]]
* [[User:Tfr42|Torsten Fiebre]]
* Pirmin Kalberer
* [[User:RajatShinde|Rajat Shinde]]
* Howard Butler
* Krishna Lodha
* [[User:Rouault|Even Rouault]]
* [[User:Francbartoli|Francesco Bartoli]]
* [[User:Doublebyte|Joana Simoes]]
* [[User:codrina|Codrina Maria Ilie]]
* add yourself

=== Issue tracker ===

https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/standards-committee (login with OSGeo id)

MOU Template

2022-12-18T18:52:58Z

Codrina: This page has been changed significantly to include an per se MoU template to be considered by organisations, together with what it is expected of each MoU partner to bring into the collaboration.

[[File:Osgeo-logo.png|thumb|right|OSGeo logo]]

 This is a draft. OSGeo board approval is expected. 

Baseline:

* We have a very broad vision (Empower everyone with open source geospatial) that allows OSGeo to collaborate with a wide range of organisations;
* MoU should be in aide of one or more [https://www.osgeo.org/about/ Foundation Goals];
* MoU should not conflict with the Foundation Goals;
* In general, the partner has proposed a document structure they are comfortable with, however the template below offers a clearer understanding of what is expected from an MoU partner. 

== Memorandum of Understanding between your organisation and the Open Source Geospatial Foundation ==

Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) dated DD MM YYYY by and between the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) with its principal place of business at 9450 SW Gemini Dr, #42523, Beaverton, Oregon 97008 USA, and the your organisation, (“acronym”) with its principal place of business at your organisation address:

=== Recitals ===

Whereas your organisation is what, founded when, dedicated to what.

Whereas the OSGeo is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2006 whose mission is to support and promote the collaborative development of open source geospatial technologies and data.

Whereas your organisation and OSGeo, wish to outline a framework to materialise their understanding of the joint activities they plan to engage in to achieve the common goal(s) of [...].

In consideration of the benefits anticipated from entering into this MoU, the OSGeo and your organisation (“Parties”) agree as follows:

# Work Programme. Exhibit A describes the work or activities in which the Parties agree to engage (the “Programme”). The Parties agree to work in good faith to carry out the Programme until such time as it is completed or this MoU earlier terminated, as provided in Section 5.

# Representations and Warranties. Each Party represents and warrants to the other that (i) it has due authority to enter into and perform this MoU, (ii) its performance of this MoU will not conflict with any other agreement to which it is a party, and (iii) its performance of this MoU will not conflict with its intellectual property rights (“IPR”) policy, or with any other policy or obligation binding upon it that relates to IPR matters.

# Liaison. Each Party will appoint and maintain a representative to act as liaison with the other Party, and each Party may deal exclusively with the liaison appointed by the other Party if it so chooses, except as otherwise provided in Exhibit A. The initial liaisons are listed in Exhibit B.

# IPR and Confidentiality Policies. Unless otherwise specified in Exhibit A, (a) each Party agrees that when it is engaging in any activity hosted by the other Party, the policies of the other Party regarding IPR and confidentiality of that Party will be binding upon it, (b) in the event that the Parties engage in any activities jointly to create any work product, that work product shall be jointly owned, without obligation or accounting one to the other, and no licence rights are granted by either Party to the other solely by reason of entering into this MoU, and (c) each Party will treat all materials supplied to it by the other Party that have been designated in writing as being confidential, FOUO (For Official Use Only), or otherwise non-public, in a manner consistent with such designation.

#Term and Termination.
## This MoU shall remain in force until terminated by either Party.
## This MoU may be terminated (i) at any time without cause by either Party giving not less than thirty days notice to the other Party of its desire to terminate, and (ii) on ten days notice without remedy, in the case of the breach of a material term by the Party receiving notice, providing that the Party giving notice provides sufficient detail in such notice of the nature of the breach to permit remedy (except that where the breach, by its nature, is not susceptible to remedy, termination shall be effective upon the giving of notice).
##All rights and obligations under this MoU will cease on termination, except for those referred to in Sections 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9, each of which shall survive indefinitely.

# Notices. All notices sent by a Party under this MoU shall be sent by email to the address of the other Party’s liaison, and shall be deemed to be effective when sent. Each Party shall inform the other Party of a current email address for its liaison at all times.
# Costs. Each Party shall pay its own costs and expenses with respect to its activities under this MoU, and neither Party shall have the authority to act on behalf of or to obligate the other Party (financially or otherwise) without such Party’s prior written consent.
# Public Statements. Neither Party will make any public statements regarding the purpose of this MoU or the activities to be performed under it without the approval and consent of the other Party.
# Miscellaneous. This MoU (a) may only be amended in writing by authorised representatives of each Party; (b) except as otherwise specified in Exhibit A, supersedes any and all other understanding between the Parties, whether written or oral; and (c) may not be assigned by either Party without the written permission of the other Party, except to a successor to its business or mission, as appropriate.

In witness of the above, the Parties have caused this MoU to be executed by their duly authorised representatives.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Open Source Geospatial Foundation
!! !! Your Organisation
|-
| By <signature of representative> || || By <signature of representative>
|-
| Name || || Name
|-
| Title || || Title
|}

=== Exhibit A Description of Work Programme ===

Your organisation and the OSGeo agree to address the following work objectives in accordance with provisions detailed in this MoU and based on the availability of resources.


The MoU should cover commitment to any joint activities:

# Ensure that MoU covers open source software (not only educational objectives for example);
# Ensure that at least one activity is helping the partner contribute to open source (not only use of our projects but also contributing to);
# Ensure that the workload to accomplish the results of the Work Programme in Exhibit A is reasonable, considering that OSGeo is a volunteer driven organisation. In cases where the MoU partner is a fully staffed operation, their share of the work should reflect that.

The relationship materialised in the MoU should support both use and participation.
While promoting use of open source is valuable, a key goal of OSGeo is to also promote participation in open source activities:

# Acknowledge and abide by the code of conduct of OSGeo as well as specific Codes of Conduct of related projects
# Contribute to geospatial open source projects
# Direct participation in the development and documentation of OSGeo projects
# Positive and productive participation in the OSGeo community or project email lists and communication channels, in accordance to the OSGeo and projects’ Code of Conduct
# Use of project community resources (issue tracker, discussion forums, chats, etc.) and public support channels
# Establish explicit and active open source contribution policies for shared intellectual property (for example, several OSGeo projects require organisations to sign a contributor licence agreement on behalf of their researchers)


=== Exhibit B Liaisons/Representatives ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Open Source Geospatial Foundation
!! !! Your Organisation
|-
| Name || || Name
|-
| Title || || Title
|-
| Contact credentials || || Contact credentials
|}

Board Meeting 2022-12-12

2022-12-12T14:38:42Z

Codrina:

This board meeting is '''scheduled Monday 12 December 2022''' at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingdetails.html?year=2022&month=12&day=12&hour=16&min=0&sec=0&p1=250&p2=26&p3=49&p4=155&p5=217&p6=312 '''16:00''' UTC] through [https://meet.jit.si/OsgeoBoard Jitsi], a record of motions is preserved on [https://www.loomio.org/g/kdSmIwxu/osgeo-board loomio] and actions on [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues osgeo todo] issue tracker.

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''roll call''
# ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# ''Review and approve past minutes''
#* [[Board_Meeting_2022-11-28]]
# Project trademarks update
# Renew MoU with UCGIS [[MOU_UCGIS]]
# Review Action items [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues]
# Communicate Sponsorship opportunities for 2022-2023 [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues/106]
# Approve OSGeo Oceania TGP request
# MoU Template [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M42cIt0Eq3Oqggrugjfc2pWZcFMnQv26y0Pm1SJ_QTE/edit#heading=h.97xy40f3x1td]
# OSGeo European Local Chapter
# ''Add your topic here''

== Minutes ==

* Presiding:
* Scribing:
* Attending:
* Guests:

=== Actions ===

* See https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues

== IRC Log ==
* no log, a jitsi meeting

== Next meeting ==
*[[Board Meeting 2022-12-26]]

[[Category:Board]]
[[Category:Board Meetings 2022]]

Pretalx

2022-11-06T11:01:11Z

Codrina: /* Contact persons */

== Pretalx ==
* Software to organize conference submissions
* https://pretalx.com/
* Pretalx is easy to use, offers talk/submission, Community Voting, Speaker portrait, Program generation, Export & more

=== OSGeo pretalx Instance ===
* OSGeo runs a pretalx instance that can be used for FOSS4G conferences.
* it is used for FOSS4G 2022 at first
* https://talks.osgeo.org/

=== Contact persons ===
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/regina-obe/ Regina Obe] (Installation)
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/luca-delucchi/ Luca Delucchi]
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/astrid-emde/ Astrid Emde]
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/maria-arias-de-reyna/ Maria Arias de Reyna]
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/vicky-vergara/ Vicky Vergara]
* [https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ Codrina Ilie]

=== You would like to use Pretalx for your event?===
We are happy if you would like to use the OSGeo Pretalx instance for your event.

This is the workflow to get your own team and event:
# please contact: a person from the list above
# as s conference organizers you can ask to have access providing one person
as admin for the call
# you will be added to a new team and then we can create a new event (or more then one if your event takes place for example every year)
# when the team was created you can manage the rest on your own
# if you have further question we support you

=== Archive ===
List of events where pretalx was used
* https://callforpapers.2021.foss4g.org/foss4g2021/
* FOSSGIS uses pretalx since many years https://pretalx.com/orga/event/fossgis2021/

[[Category:FOSS4G]]
[[Category:Events]]

MoU Smart Geo Expo

2022-10-31T20:40:16Z

Codrina: Created page with "=== MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) === between === SMART GEO EXPO SECRETARIAT === and === THE OPEN SOURCE GEOSPATIAL FOUNDATION === This Memorandum of Understanding..."

=== MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) ===

between

=== SMART GEO EXPO SECRETARIAT ===

and

=== THE OPEN SOURCE GEOSPATIAL FOUNDATION ===

This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is entered into by and between The Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) with its principal place of business at 9450 SW Gemini Dr, #42523, Beaverton, Oregon 97008 USA and The Smart GEO Expo Secretariat with its principal place of business at address: 703, Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (also hereinafter referred to individually as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties”).

=== Recitals: ===

WHEREAS, OSGeo is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2006 whose mission is to support and promote the collaborative development of open source geospatial technologies and data;

WHEREAS, Smart Geo Expo by the Korean Government, LX, LH, etc. is one of the largest events in Asia regarding the geospatial industry, aimed at expanding and developing the industry;

WHEREAS, Smart Geo Expo and OSGeo agreed to provide a framework defining joint activities in which both Parties plan to engage.

In consideration of the benefits anticipated from entering into this MoU, the Smart Geo Expo and OSGeo (“Parties”) agree the following:

==== Article 1. Purpose ====
The purpose of this MoU is to ensure OSGeo and Smart GEO Expo Secretariat closely cooperate with each other, sharing and disseminating their experience and knowledge in geospatial technology.

==== Article 2. Representations and Warranties. ====

Each Party represents and warrants to the other that (i) it has due authority to enter into and achieve the activities defined in this MoU, and (ii) the accomplishment of this MoU will not conflict with any other agreement of either Parties.

==== Article 3. Liaison. ====

Each Party will appoint and maintain a representative to act as liaison with the other Party, and each Party may communicate with the liaison appointed by the other Party if it so chooses. Appointed liaison names are found in Annex A.

==== Article 4. Cooperation ====

Both parties shall engage in activities of mutual cooperation:
(1) Cooperation in mutual promotion, for example: disseminating in their respective communities using their communication channels the banner, logo barter, and newsletter;
(2) Cooperation in inviting attendees to, and holding a variety of events, for example: academic lectures, seminars, and workshops;
(3) Cooperation on the promotion of open source geospatial advanced technologies;
(4) Cooperation on the promotion of community development in geospatial fields;
(5) Other matters in cooperative development not covered on the previous points will be handled by the Parties.

==== Article 5. Terms and Termination ====

* A. This MoU shall remain in force until terminated by either Party.
* B. This MoU may be terminated;
(i) at any time without cause by either Party giving not less than thirty days notice to the other Party of its desire to terminate, and (ii) on ten days notice without remedy, in the case of the breach of a material term by the Party receiving notice, providing that the Party giving notice provides sufficient detail in such notice of the nature of the breach to permit remedy (except that where the breach, by its nature, is not susceptible to remedy, termination shall be effective upon the giving of notice).
* C. All rights and obligations under this MoU will cease on termination.

==== Article 6. Notices. ====

All notices sent by a Party under this MoU shall be sent by email to the address of the other Party’s liaison, and shall be deemed to be effective when sent. Each Party shall inform the other Party of a current email address for its liaison at all times.

==== Article 7. Costs. ====

Each Party shall pay its own costs and expenses with respect to its activities under this MoU, and neither Party shall have the authority to act on behalf of or to obligate the other Party (financially or otherwise) without such Party’s prior written consent.

==== Article 8. Public Statements.====

Neither Party will make any public statements regarding the purpose of this MoU or the activities to be performed under it without the approval and consent of the other Party.

==== Article 9. Amendability ====

This MoU (a) may only be amended in writing by authorized representatives of each Party; (b) supersedes any and all other understanding between the Parties, whether written or oral; (c) may not be assigned by either Party without the written permission of the other Party, except to a successor to its business or mission, as appropriate; and (d) Annex A, may be amended by agreement of at least one of the liaisons of both Parties, notifying the amendment to the Parties.

==== Article 10. Miscellaneous ====

This MoU has been signed in two copies, each kept by each Party.

OSGeo
________________________________________________________

Celia Virginia Vergara Castillo, Vice President, Date, Signature

Smart GEO Expo Secretariat
________________________________________________________

Mee-Jeong Kim, Secretary-General, Date, Signature

== Documents ==

* [[File:mou_smartgeoexpo_osgeo_nov_2022.pdf]] Signed document (pdf)

== Annex A . Liaisons ==

Representation under this MoU will be through the following mechanisms:

*A. Charter member of OSGeo and the Staff of Smart Geo Expo Secretariat
*B. Organizations and / or individuals holding membership in both the Smart Geo Expo Secretariat and OSGeo.
*C. Up to two liaisons designated by each Party.

=== Initial Liaisons ===

OSGeo Member Liaisons:

Name: Celia Virginia Vergara Castillo

Title: Vice President of OSGeo Foundation

Email: vicky.vergara@osgeo.org

Smart Geo Expo Secretariat Liaisons:

Name: Mee-Jeong Kim

Title: Head of Smart Geo Expo Secretariat

Email : sgeinfo1@gmail.com, sungwon77@lx.or.kr

[[Category:MoU]]

File:Mou smartgeoexpo osgeo nov 2022.pdf

2022-10-31T20:38:28Z

Codrina: MoU between Smart GEO Expo and OSGeo signed in November 2022.

== Summary ==
MoU between Smart GEO Expo and OSGeo signed in November 2022.

Board Meeting 2022-09-26

2022-09-26T13:37:09Z

Codrina: /* Current items */ adding an item

This board meeting is '''scheduled Monday 26 September 2022''' at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingdetails.html?year=2022&month=09&day=26&hour=15&min=0&sec=0&p1=250&p2=26&p3=49&p4=155&p5=217&p6=312 '''15:00''' UTC] through [https://meet.jit.si/OsgeoBoard Jitsi], a record of motions is preserved on [https://www.loomio.org/g/kdSmIwxu/osgeo-board loomio] and actions on [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues osgeo todo] issue tracker.

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''roll call''
# ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# ''Review and approve past minutes''
#* [[Board_Meeting_2022-08-27]]
# Meet with SmartGEO Expo group
# Project trademarks
# GISTAM 2023 : Partnership proposal with The Open Source Geospatial Foundation (2nd reminder)
# OSGeo EU - ESA
# GeoForAll website updates
# Website
# FOSS4G 2022 budget questions
# Research Organisation Registry entry [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/board/2022-September/013122.html]
# Application for OSGeo Community Project - ETF testing framework
# ''Add your topic here''

== Minutes ==

* Presiding:
* Scribing:
* Attending:
* Guests:

===Review and approve past minutes===

====[[Board_Meeting_2022-08-27]]====

* Motion on Loomio.

===Website===

* Discuss: Member pages (hide members without filled profile)
* Action: Project's update officer's/representative
** Post Action: Generate automatically the list of project officers
* Discuss: Statement on report slide mentions that: "From the committees' pages you will find the missions, names of the people involved, and links to the working documents." That is not true.
** Post Action?: Work the committees similarly as projects. Where officers can be assigned, and active members of the committee can be listed.
* Discuss: Charter member pages: User name + last name.
* Discuss: Use tags on news items (to help out with the Annual report).
* Discuss: Auto move the old un-format-able "Biography" (Now Mission) to the format-able Biography.
* News Vs Community news

=== Actions ===

* See https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues

== IRC Log ==
* no log, a jitsi meeting

== Next meeting ==
*[[Board Meeting 2022-10-31]]

[[Category:Board]]
[[Category:Board Meetings 2022]]

Conference Resources

2022-08-31T10:41:06Z

Codrina: /* Members */ - adding a new member

= Goals =
The goals of Conference Resources is support LOC with the conference organisation, providing some solutions to problems that other already solved.
Some of the topic we will be able to address:
* support using Pretalx if the LOC choose to use it
* support for the online platform (Venueless) and streaming options
* support to find sponsors; maintaining and sharing the list of contact of previous sponsor
* support for travel grant
* support for website and app for schedule

= Members =
* [[User:Lucdelu|Luca Delucchi]] (proposer and chair)
* [[User:astrid_emde | Astrid Emde]]
* [[User:Silli | Silvia Franceschi]] (sponsor)
* [[User:Delawen | María Arias de Reyna]] (website support, can help with venueless, pretix, pretalx)
* [[User:Laura_Mugeha | Laura Mugeha]] (General & tech support)
* [[User:Codrina | Codrina Ilie]] (Program support, can help with pretalx)

= Topics =

== Pretalx ==
pretalx is a FOSS conference management software that give you the opportunity to set up a call for papers, review the abstracts, contact the speakers and finally create your schedule.
OSGeo is running a pretalx instance at https://talks.osgeo.org/. This can be used by the LOC of international or regional FOSS4Gs. Admins of this service are Regina Obe, Luca Delucchi, Astrid Emde, María Arias de Reyna Domínguez, Vicky Vergara.
Conference Resources can:
* invest some of OSGeo money to improve pretalx
* help you creating an event for you and guide you for a better experience
* have a list of potential reviewers to be included in the call for papers process
* help navigate the academic track (ISPRS publishing, for example)

== Venueless ==
Venueless is a FOSS software to manage online and hybrid conferences. It has the capabilities to provide live streaming with integrated chat, Q&A sections, standalone chat rooms, video group chat, sponsor exhibition, integrate web pages using iframes.
Conference Resources can help you explaining how to set up your Venueless instance

== Sponsor ==
Sponsors are really important component of a conference, OSGeo has contacts with several entities, a lot of big/medium/small companies use OSGeo products in their daily work and they like to advertise it during conferences. Conference Resources should be able to provide to LOC an updated list of possible sponsors with main contacts.

== Travel Grant ==
Travel Grant is one of the most demanding work, LOC has to set up a call, assessing candidates and finally support them with invitation letter to get them VISA if needed. Synergies with other realities like [https://hotosm.org HOT] and [https://www.youthmappers.org/ YouthMappers] should be created and maintained.

== Website ==
Could be really useful to have a website simple to create and reusable every year without the force to recreate it from scratch. State of the Map conference is doing something like that.

== Mobile app for schedule ==
Using pretalx as conference management software the two better apps for mobile are [https://github.com/Wilm0r/giggity giggity] (to see your schedule just add a pull request with the link to your pretalx instance) and [https://github.com/EventFahrplan/EventFahrplan EventFahrplan] (who require some customization usually done by the main developer with a small amount of money).
Right now the bigger problem seems to be iOS without any app available.

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-25T07:32:59Z

Codrina: /* STAC BoF */

= Introduction =

Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions are unstructured timeslots where people can self-organise themselves to discuss topics of interest.

== General Information ==

At the [[FOSS4G 2022]] conference in Firenze, a number of spaces have been reserved for people to flock together in Birds of a Feather sessions.

For reference, an overview of the FOSS4G [https://2022.foss4g.org/program-outline.php schedule is available at here].

=== How to organize a BOF ===

BoF sessions are informal gatherings of people around a specific topic. BoF's can be held in: BoF rooms or taken off-site for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

The FOSS4G conference provides the spaces, but the setup of the bird-of-feather meetup is done informally using this wiki.

=== Capacities ===

The BoF sessions rooms used are the ones in which the conference takes place, right after the last presentation:

* Room Verde
* Room Limonaia
* Room Onice
* Room 4
* Room 6
* Room 9
* Room 12 (available all the times, no video projector)
* Room Modulo 3A
* Room Hall 3A
* Room Hall 3B (available all the times, no video projector)

We will also put a BoF organizing board on site for better organization.

= Thursday 25 August (8:00 - 9:00) =

== TODO: Room name ==

=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

== Onice Room ==

=== Italian Remote sensing workshops program ===
* Description:
* Person to contact: Alessandro Frigeri, Paolo Dabove

Who is coming
* Alessandro Frigeri
* Paolo Dabove
* Luca Delucchi (maybe)
* Stefano Campus (TBC)

== Room 4 ==

=== Earth Observation Open Science principles vs practice ===

* Description:
Developing code is an integral part of doing (geo)science. With open access to data, code and publications, science has a better chance to become more reproducible and trustworthy. In the realm of Earth Observation, more and more open source projects are being developed for the benefit of a large community of interested users but there are still issues and misconceptions.

What are the motivations taking you and your organisation towards adopting (or hoping to adopt) an Open Science approach? How far did you go to open up data, algorithms and results? What obstacles did you encounter? How can funding bodies (ESA, NASA, European Commission etc.) help advance EO Science supporting open principles? We would like to discuss these questions and much more in this Birds of a Feather. You do not need to have direct experience with open science to attend this meeting, everybody is welcome!

* Person to contact: [[User:Codrina|Codrina Ilie]]

Who is coming:
* Stefanie Lumnitz
* Anca Anghelea
* Claudia Vitolo
* Codrina Ilie
* Markus Neteler
* Jonas Eberle
* (your name here)

= Thursday 25 August ( Mid Day ) =

== Room 12 ==
== 15:15 (3:15pm) ==

=== What is the Daylight OpenStreetMap Distribution? ===

- Description: [https://daylightmap.org Daylight OSM] is a distribution of OSM that is released monthly after being validated to ensure high quality by removing vandalism, correcting geometries, and fixing broken relations. These changes are all made in OSM, so everyone benefits. Daylight is released as both a planet file and on AWS in an analysis-ready format. Interested in OSM data with a guarantee of high quality and no vandalism? Come to this BoF.

- Person to contact: Jennings Anderson

== 15:45 (3:45pm) ==

=== Meta Maps: RapiD, Mapillary ===

- Join the maps team from Meta to meet the engineers behind the [https://mapwith.ai/rapid RapiD editor] for OpenStreetMap and the community team that supports [https://mapillary.com/ Mapillary] and RapiD.

- Person to contact: Edoardo Neerhut, Chris Beddow, Bryan Housel, Ben Clark

= Thursday 25 August (18:15 - 19:15) =

== Room 9 ==

=== Charter members F2F ===

* Description: Get to know each other and talk about our duties.
* Person to contact: Vicky Vergara

Who is coming:
* Vicky Vergara
* Zoltan Siki
* Luca Delucchi (maybe)

== Room Verde ==

=== GRASS GIS ===

* Description: Talk about priorities and use cases
* Person to contact: [[User:Wenzeslaus|Vaclav (Vashek) Petras (User:Wenzeslaus)]]
* The same room as the ''State of GRASS GIS talk'' in the morning.

Who is coming:
* Vaclav (Vashek) Petras
* Anna Petrasova
* Markus Neteler

== Room Limonaia ==

=== GeoServer BoF ===

* Description: GeoServer is flocking awesome
* Person to contact: Jody Garnett

Who is coming:
* Jody Garnett
* Andrea Aime
* Ian Turton

== Room 4 ==

=== STAC BoF ===

* Description: Let's talk about STAC - nothing planned, just a venue to meet other persons working with STAC.
* Person to contact: Matthias Mohr

Who is coming:
* Darren Wiens
* James Banting
* Alex Leith
* Pete Gadomski
* Asger Petersen
* Jonas Eberle
* Marian Neagul
* ...

== Room 6 ==

=== Meet Planet / NICFI Satellite Data Program ===

* Description: Learn about the NICFI Satellite Data Program (https://www.planet.com/nicfi/), its users, and discuss how Planet’s high-resolution, analysis-ready mosaics can help reduce and reverse the loss of tropical forests, combat climate change, conserve biodiversity, and facilitate sustainable development.

* Person to contact: Luisa Teixeira

Who is coming:
* TODO

== Room Onice ==

=== OSGeo and OGC collaboration ===

* Description: Let's talk about all the cool opportunities that the newly refreshed OSGeo - OGC MoU brings to our communities!
* Person to contact: Tom Kralidis, Joana Simoes

Who is coming:
* Tom Kralidis
* Joana Simoes
* Codrina Ilie
* Marian Neagul

== Room 12 (no projector) ==

=== Data catalogues and metadata ===

* Description: Gather around to exchange ideas and visions about how to make better data catalogues, improve interoperability and better handle metadata (viewing, authoring, harvesting...). This is '''not''' an experts discussion: all profiles welcome, even if just for listening/out of curiosity!
:Please note that this is oriented towards the INSPIRE/ISO metadata world; please attend the STAC BoF if you're more interested in earth observation :)
* Person to contact: Olivier Guyot (olivier.guyot[at]camptocamp.com)

Who is coming:
* Jeroen Ticheler
* Paul van Genuchten

== TODO: Room name ==

=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

= Friday 26 August (8:00 - 9:00) =

== TODO: Room name ==

=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

[[Category:FOSS4G2022]]

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-25T07:32:17Z

Codrina: /* OSGeo and OGC collaboration */

= Introduction =

Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions are unstructured timeslots where people can self-organise themselves to discuss topics of interest.

== General Information ==

At the [[FOSS4G 2022]] conference in Firenze, a number of spaces have been reserved for people to flock together in Birds of a Feather sessions.

For reference, an overview of the FOSS4G [https://2022.foss4g.org/program-outline.php schedule is available at here].

=== How to organize a BOF ===

BoF sessions are informal gatherings of people around a specific topic. BoF's can be held in: BoF rooms or taken off-site for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

The FOSS4G conference provides the spaces, but the setup of the bird-of-feather meetup is done informally using this wiki.

=== Capacities ===

The BoF sessions rooms used are the ones in which the conference takes place, right after the last presentation:

* Room Verde
* Room Limonaia
* Room Onice
* Room 4
* Room 6
* Room 9
* Room 12 (available all the times, no video projector)
* Room Modulo 3A
* Room Hall 3A
* Room Hall 3B (available all the times, no video projector)

We will also put a BoF organizing board on site for better organization.

= Thursday 25 August (8:00 - 9:00) =

== TODO: Room name ==

=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

== Onice Room ==

=== Italian Remote sensing workshops program ===
* Description:
* Person to contact: Alessandro Frigeri, Paolo Dabove

Who is coming
* Alessandro Frigeri
* Paolo Dabove
* Luca Delucchi (maybe)
* Stefano Campus (TBC)

== Room 4 ==

=== Earth Observation Open Science principles vs practice ===

* Description:
Developing code is an integral part of doing (geo)science. With open access to data, code and publications, science has a better chance to become more reproducible and trustworthy. In the realm of Earth Observation, more and more open source projects are being developed for the benefit of a large community of interested users but there are still issues and misconceptions.

What are the motivations taking you and your organisation towards adopting (or hoping to adopt) an Open Science approach? How far did you go to open up data, algorithms and results? What obstacles did you encounter? How can funding bodies (ESA, NASA, European Commission etc.) help advance EO Science supporting open principles? We would like to discuss these questions and much more in this Birds of a Feather. You do not need to have direct experience with open science to attend this meeting, everybody is welcome!

* Person to contact: [[User:Codrina|Codrina Ilie]]

Who is coming:
* Stefanie Lumnitz
* Anca Anghelea
* Claudia Vitolo
* Codrina Ilie
* Markus Neteler
* Jonas Eberle
* (your name here)

= Thursday 25 August ( Mid Day ) =

== Room 12 ==
== 15:15 (3:15pm) ==

=== What is the Daylight OpenStreetMap Distribution? ===

- Description: [https://daylightmap.org Daylight OSM] is a distribution of OSM that is released monthly after being validated to ensure high quality by removing vandalism, correcting geometries, and fixing broken relations. These changes are all made in OSM, so everyone benefits. Daylight is released as both a planet file and on AWS in an analysis-ready format. Interested in OSM data with a guarantee of high quality and no vandalism? Come to this BoF.

- Person to contact: Jennings Anderson

== 15:45 (3:45pm) ==

=== Meta Maps: RapiD, Mapillary ===

- Join the maps team from Meta to meet the engineers behind the [https://mapwith.ai/rapid RapiD editor] for OpenStreetMap and the community team that supports [https://mapillary.com/ Mapillary] and RapiD.

- Person to contact: Edoardo Neerhut, Chris Beddow, Bryan Housel, Ben Clark

= Thursday 25 August (18:15 - 19:15) =

== Room 9 ==

=== Charter members F2F ===

* Description: Get to know each other and talk about our duties.
* Person to contact: Vicky Vergara

Who is coming:
* Vicky Vergara
* Zoltan Siki
* Luca Delucchi (maybe)

== Room Verde ==

=== GRASS GIS ===

* Description: Talk about priorities and use cases
* Person to contact: [[User:Wenzeslaus|Vaclav (Vashek) Petras (User:Wenzeslaus)]]
* The same room as the ''State of GRASS GIS talk'' in the morning.

Who is coming:
* Vaclav (Vashek) Petras
* Anna Petrasova
* Markus Neteler

== Room Limonaia ==

=== GeoServer BoF ===

* Description: GeoServer is flocking awesome
* Person to contact: Jody Garnett

Who is coming:
* Jody Garnett
* Andrea Aime
* Ian Turton

== Room 4 ==

=== STAC BoF ===

* Description: Let's talk about STAC - nothing planned, just a venue to meet other persons working with STAC.
* Person to contact: Matthias Mohr

Who is coming:
* Darren Wiens
* James Banting
* Alex Leith
* Pete Gadomski
* Asger Petersen
* Jonas Eberle
* ...

== Room 6 ==

=== Meet Planet / NICFI Satellite Data Program ===

* Description: Learn about the NICFI Satellite Data Program (https://www.planet.com/nicfi/), its users, and discuss how Planet’s high-resolution, analysis-ready mosaics can help reduce and reverse the loss of tropical forests, combat climate change, conserve biodiversity, and facilitate sustainable development.

* Person to contact: Luisa Teixeira

Who is coming:
* TODO

== Room Onice ==

=== OSGeo and OGC collaboration ===

* Description: Let's talk about all the cool opportunities that the newly refreshed OSGeo - OGC MoU brings to our communities!
* Person to contact: Tom Kralidis, Joana Simoes

Who is coming:
* Tom Kralidis
* Joana Simoes
* Codrina Ilie
* Marian Neagul

== Room 12 (no projector) ==

=== Data catalogues and metadata ===

* Description: Gather around to exchange ideas and visions about how to make better data catalogues, improve interoperability and better handle metadata (viewing, authoring, harvesting...). This is '''not''' an experts discussion: all profiles welcome, even if just for listening/out of curiosity!
:Please note that this is oriented towards the INSPIRE/ISO metadata world; please attend the STAC BoF if you're more interested in earth observation :)
* Person to contact: Olivier Guyot (olivier.guyot[at]camptocamp.com)

Who is coming:
* Jeroen Ticheler
* Paul van Genuchten

== TODO: Room name ==

=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

= Friday 26 August (8:00 - 9:00) =

== TODO: Room name ==

=== TODO: BoF title ===

* Description: TODO
* Person to contact: TODO

Who is coming:
* TODO

[[Category:FOSS4G2022]]

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-24T13:16:47Z

Codrina: /* Limonia Room */

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-22T09:45:25Z

Codrina: /* Earth Observation Open Science principles vs practice */

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-22T09:41:52Z

Codrina: /* Earth Observation Open Science principles vs practice */

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-22T07:46:16Z

Codrina: /* Limonia */

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-22T07:43:49Z

Codrina: /* Earth Observation Open Science principles vs practice */

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-22T07:43:17Z

Codrina: /* Earth Observation Open Science principles vs practice */

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-22T07:40:17Z

Codrina: /* Thursday 25 August (8:00 - 9:00) */

FOSS4G 2022/BirdsOfAFeather

2022-08-18T06:27:31Z

Codrina:

Election 2021 Candidate Manifestos

2021-12-16T21:24:00Z

Codrina: /* Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania (OSGeo profile) */

A space for the candidates for [[Election 2021|election]] to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

You are welcome to follow the template, and add further relevant info as you need:

== Adam Steer - Australian in Norway ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/steer/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

At work I am a polar researcher based in Tromsø, northern Norway - the latest iteration of a 'mosaic career' spanning research, research support, independent consulting, guiding, fixing bicycles and more! My geospatial training was in surveying and geomatics, applied to the frozen ocean at both ends of our planet using airborne and on-ground measurements. I also have a BSc in psychology and a multidisciplinary bachelor of Antarctic Studies. I've used open geospatial tools across research, business, and just making maps for fun. As part of my open geospatial software life I have worked hard to generate a culture of giving back, for example if we build a business tool based on open software, improvments are shared with the community (rather than branched into 'business specific' tools).

At home I am an adventurer at heart and parent to two boys. In general I would like to spend a lot more time getting lost in the mountains!

=== My vision ===

I want to help maintain a community which goes out of its way to let people in, and try to help members of the community become and stay engaged. More or less ask 'how can we help?' - and more importantly, 'how can we help without becoming just another overhead in your life?'. We live in interesting times and face a lot of challenges which we can't really predict well or prepare for. So my vision is to help this community in uncertain times, maybe think more about sustainability than growth.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

* FOSS4G international attendee / speaker / workshop presenter in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
* part of the team which restarted FOSS4G conferences in 2018 with FOSS4G SotM Oceania
* part of the team founding OSGeo Oceania, founding director and member
* elected director of OSGeo Oceania
* small contributions to PDAL, OpenDroneMap
* advocate for open source tools and open mindsets in research, business and government
* charter member of OSGeo since 2018

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

In line with my vision - work to maintain a community which goes out of their way to let people in, and work on ways to help the community stay sustainable in terms of volunteer effort, financial support, and its environmental and ethical viewpoints.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I want to get a better sense of OSGeo overall before suggesting changes. I would like to keep guiding OSGeo along paths toward inclusivity and environmental responsibility, but that isn't really new - there is plenty of precedent there.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

I feel at this point being an ordinary board member is the best fit. I have a lot to learn!

== Vicky Vergara, Mexico ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/osgeo-profile/vicky-vergara/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

I haven't changed much from the last times I wrote a manifesto ([https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2019_Candidate_Manifestos#About_me_5 2019]) ([https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2017_Candidate_Manifestos#About_me 2017])

I remember the time in 5th grade that I was in Cleveland, Ohio.
But around a month after me arriving we were asked to make an essay of were we lived, And here is what is what I remember of it.

I live at a house. 
A house is on a road. I live in that road. 
A house is on a road on a city, I live on that city. 
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality, I live on that municipality. 
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state, I live on that state. 
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country, I live on that country. 
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent, I live on that continent. 
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent on a world, I live on that world. 
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent on a world on a solar system, I live on that solar system. 
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent on a world on a solar system on a galaxy, I live on that galaxy. 
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent on a world on a solar system on a galaxy on the universe, I live on that universe. 

The only change from the 9 year old me and the now me is, I would only add at the end of each sentence "and I like to take care of it"

=== My vision ===

So this time I decided to transcribe a poem from Fernando Pessoa, "A Little Larger Than the Entire Universe: Selected Poems". I think it shows my vision.

"'''VII''' 
From my village I see as much of the universe as can be seen 
from the earth, 
And so my village is as large as any town, 
For I am the size of what I see 
And not the size of my height . . . 

In the cities life is smaller 
Than here in my house on top of this hill. 
The big buildings of cities lock up the view, 
They hide the horizon, pulling our gaze far away from the 
open sky. 
They make us small, for they take away all the vastness our 
eyes can see, 
And they make us poor, for our only wealth is seeing."

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I am still on pgRouting and OSGeoLive, but now I am also on MobilityDB.
I am still at the System administration committee (SAC) mainly taking care of mails and the website.
I haven't stopped been a mentor on OSGeo-GSoc program but recently I also participated on the UN-challenge as a mentor.
I started to attend the monthly UN-GIS meetings.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

# In general: promote the use and development of Free and Open Source Software
# In particular: promote the use and development of the OSGeo projects, OSGeo incubation and OSGeo community Free Open Source Software.
# In detail: Give people (GIS) tools for making a living.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

As a member of the board, the first thing is not what I want to change or introduce, is what the community wants.
I feel that our task is to listen to ideas, objectives, reasons and make things happen.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

I would like to remain as the vice-president in the Latin America Area.

== Tina Cormier, United States ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/cormier/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

I am a remote sensing data scientist with over 15 years in the industry. I have dedicated my career to using EO and AI to advance our collective understanding of and facilitate decision-making on impactful environmental and societal issues. Open source software is central to the work that I do, and as a small token of my gratitude, I take every opportunity I can to evangelize open source software, data, standards, and science. Sharing my open source experience has always been a part of my work; I have taught workshops in countries all over the world, from Peru to Nepal, as well as in my home country, the USA. Workshop topics have ranged from programming in R and using QGIS, to processing lidar with open source tools.

I was first introduced to open source while working at the Woods Hole Research Center (now the Woodwell Climate Research Center) and shortly after that, I attended my first FOSS4GNA conference - the rest is history! My favorite FOSS4G was Boston, where I gave 4 talks and taught a workshop - tiring, but so worth it!

If elected, I look forward to giving back to the community upon whose shoulders I have built my career. I would continue to promote open source, but through more official channels, and I would support the foundation however else I could. I am also excited to reach out to my networks in both the private and non-profit sectors to garner support (financial and code contributions) for OSGeo and the important work it does.

Open Source favorites (OSGeo projects and beyond): QGIS, Postgres/PostGIS, R (my first language!), Python

On the personal side: I am originally from Massachusetts and now live in Midcoast Maine where my husband and I are building a small farm. We have bees, horses, dogs, and cats, and each spring we tap our maple trees for syrup - these critters and activities provide a nice contrast to our busy work lives in tech.

=== My vision ===

My vision is that OSGeo remains a strong, important, inclusive, and reliable player in the tech space, providing FOSS4G users and developers with information, support, opportunity, and community.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

* FOSS4G 2021 Argentina Local Organizing Committee Volunteer - general call for papers team
* OSGeo Charter Member since 2017
* Speaker and Workshop Instructor at multiple FOSS4G conferences
* Active in OSGeo US - most recently, was a member of the US Chapter leadership conference steering committee
* Active FOSS evangelist and communicator even outside of FOSS4G conferences - frequent talks at other conferences and to various groups (e.g., Harvard Center for Geographic Analysis, University of Maryland Geographical Sciences Seminar, Maptime Cape Cod, Maptime Maine, RStudio etc.)

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

My interest in joining the OSGeo board is mainly to serve as a voice for the free and open source community. As a user of open source software and tools, I don’t typically contribute code, but what I can do is foster awareness, adoption, and participation within the geospatial community. I would also serve as a voice of the user within the board, bringing the perspective of the typical user successes and challenges.

I can be most impactful within the private and non-profit sectors, where I have years of experience and professional networks. There are a few other areas where I’d be excited to contribute as well: educational initiatives, partnerships with other open source software projects, and bringing FOSS to under-served communities.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

If elected, I’d like to spend my first few months getting acquainted with the board and understanding the Foundation on a deeper level before proposing any changes. One area where I’d like to help, though, is in continuing to expand upon the good work happening between OSGeo and other open source projects - we are all on the same team and are stronger together.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

I would be open to discussing how my skills might be best put to use to help the board.

== Rajat Shinde, India ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/shinde/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

My name is Rajat (meaning ''shining like Silver'' in Hindi). I hail from India and Currently, I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Geo-informatics and a recipient of the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship conferred by the Government of India to selected doctoral students in India. Before diving into the spatial dimension, I used to be an Electronics and Communication Engineer.

My journey with open-source (and OSGeo) started in 2017 when I got to attend and present at the FOSS4G Asia 2017. In the same year, I got an amazing experience in contributing to the MapMint project as a Google Summer of Code Student. From 2018 and onwards, I am trying my best to be a GSoC co-mentor and work alongside new developers for the MapMint project. Additionally, I am fortunate to be a part of the OSGeo GSoC Administration team and recently, I got elected as a Project Steering Committee (PSC) Member for the ZOO-Project (read: star_eyes). Also, I was one of the mentors for the United Nations OSGeo Education Challenge 2021 for the pgRouting project. I am also actively involved in the development of the pgRouting workshop with the pgRouting community and it is always a great learning experience.

From where I started in 2017 when I look back, I feel proud of myself to be able to contribute something back. But more than that, I feel proud of being a part of this OSGeo community; of knowing great personalities, and working with them.

When I am not in front of my laptop, I love to play the flute and read books. (I am also exploring my cooking skills these days. :P)

[http://home.iitb.ac.in/~rajatshinde More details]

=== My vision ===

My vision is to spread the knowledge of open geospatial research and software to the next level. We all are aware of the significance of location intelligence in the current world. Personally, I feel that immense opportunities lie in using spatial data in the real world. With the power to use existing open geospatial software and tools, a lot of problems can be addressed at a granular level. Additionally, it would be my great pleasure to see new members contributing back to the society (open-source community), learning and rising step-by-step to achieve their dreams.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I have a short experience participating in diverse positions while being a part of the OSGeo community. A brief description is as follows:

* FOSS4G 2021 Session Leader, FOSS4G Asia Workshop Contributor and Speaker
* OSGeo-OGC-ASF Joint Code Sprint Participant
* Project Steering Committee (PSC) Member for the ZOO-Project
* Mentor for the United Nations OSGeo Education Challenge 2021 - pgRouting Track (Attending the UN OpenGIS and UN GeoAI WG Meetings)
* Charter Member since 2017
* Google Summer of Code 2020-onwards: Organization Administrator
* Google Summer of Code 2018-onwards: Mentor
* Google Summer of Code 2017: Student Developer
* Google Code-in 2019: Mentor

I am also an academic manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS) and I review manuscripts in the domain of geospatial and geoscience research and software.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

My primary interest is in learning and propagating the experiences to the best of my capability to the new members. Also, to encourage new members to join the community and make their contributions to the OSGeo community projects with OSGeo’s initiatives like Google Summer of Code with OSGeo.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I would always strive to support new members of the community just as the way I was supported, and I feel being capable of doing that is more important for me than proposing any change.

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===

I am open to any role based on the requirements of the board. I have a lot to learn! :)

== Marco Bernasocchi, Switzerland ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/bernasocchi/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===
I am an open-source advocate, consultant, teacher, and developer. My background is in geography with a specialization in geographic information science. I live in Switzerland in a small Romansh speaking mountain village where I love scrambling around the mountains to enjoy the feeling of freedom it gives me. I’m a very communicative person, I fluently speak Italian, German, French English, and Spanish and love travelling. I'm the QGIS.org Chair and work as CEO of OPENGIS.ch which I founded in 2011. Since 2014 I share the company ownership with Matthias Kuhn. At OPENGIS.ch LLC we develop, train and consult our client on any aspect related to QGIS, QField, PostGIS and WebGIS technologies.

I first came in contact with the OSGEO world during my BSc when the University of Zurich was teaching us proprietary products and I started looking around for Open Source alternatives and started using QuantumGIS “Simon (0.6)”. In 2008, when starting my MSc, I made the definitive switch to Ubuntu and I started working more and more with QuantumGIS Metis (0.11) and ended developing some plugins and part of Globe as my Masters' thesis.

Since then my whole work has pivoted around QGIS and enabling people and companies to embrace opensource for their GIS needs.

=== My vision ===
Serving as a pragmatic community conciliator - collecting thoughts from people with differing opinions and trying to find the high road through difficult issues I want to focus my and the community's energies on being inclusive and forward-thinking.

I see FOSS as a very socially responsible way to develop software, but even more, I see the immense technological advantage that writing open-source code brings. This is why I always strive to allow both pragmatic and ideological views to respectfully coexist and enrich each other.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* QGIS contributor since 2011
* QGIS.org Chair since 2020
* QGIS.org Vice-Chair 2018-2020
* QField (originally QGIS for android) creator
* FOSS4G Session Leader, various FOSS4G Talks and workshops
* Charter Member since 2018
* Google Summer of Code 2012: Mentor
* Google Summer of Code 2011: Student Developer

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

One of my main motivations to be part of the board is to help OSGeo keep its incredible growth rate by being even more attractive to new community members, sponsors and large/corporate users. To achieve this, to me the key is maintaining the right balance between sustainable processes and helping interesting and motivating grassroots projects.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
As still fairly technical driven person, I like to understand the inner workings of things and projects before commenting on changes :)

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I am open to any role based on how I could best serve the board.

== Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ OSGeo profile]) ==

=== About me ===

By day, I am a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at [http://www.terrasigna.com/ Terrasigna], a Romanian based SME, searching to improve by integrating data from non-traditional sources, such as the open data initiative. In the 12 years I’ve spent working, I focused on using open source solutions for geodata processing and visualisation, with a more recent spotlight on standardization and interoperability. By night, I am a loud advocate for open source solutions for geospatial and for the open (geo)data initiative worldwide.

=== My vision ===

[http://geo-spatial.org/ geo-spatial.org] - the Romanian OSGeo Local Chapter - and further along the way, the international OSGeo community, has been a crucial pillar of my life and personality. Joining geo-spatial.org as a young student, I have learned from them not only what GRASS and OpenLayers is, but also what it means to offer your time generously to your community, to share your knowledge and data (!) while you benefit from the knowledge and data from others, just as well as what it means to argue with elegance and kindness and to critique in a constructive way. As I am running for my second mandate on the board, my vision and what I want to do has not changed dramatically. I still strive to foster and further expand, thought my activities and contributions, the OSGeo community as the environment where one, anyone, can grow, professionally and personally - just as I did and still do - where one can comfortable continue discussing the technical complexities of a new solution started online, over a beer, in a remote corner of the world at a FOSS4G event.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

12 years ago, when I was in my second year at the University of Bucharest, I stumbled upon a webpage, in Romanian (!) - geo-spatial.org - filled with geospatial articles, tutorials, book reviews etc. in a time when any information on related technical literature was scarce and expensive, that was if you were lucky enough to find any. Immediately, I joined the mailing list (one of the first I ever did) and then, boldly joined a hands-on workshop on web mapping some months later. And I never left the group. It was my very first encounter with open source, but equally important, it was the first time I had ever met people that would openly and happily, within no official framework, spend their free time and resources to share their knowledge with strangers, lead by the belief that together we can do more, we can do better. The impact was incisive. Years passed and from the student in the auditorium, I slowly transitioned to presenting my work and giving my own hands-on workshops. Today, I humbly serve geo-spatial.org as vice-president.

My active contribution to OSGeo came, of course, via geo-spatial.org. After I participated at my first FOSS4G conference - Central Eastern Europe 2012 in Prague, in 2013, geo-spatial.org organised FOSS4G Central Eastern Europe in Bucharest and I was part of the active core of organisers. And what a wonderful, full of work and new experiences that time was! 2013 was also the year when I become a OSGeo Charter Member.

In 2015, I was the chair of the Open Data track at FOSS4G 2015 in Como, in 2016 I was part of the LOC for the global FOSS4G in Bonn. However, I believe that my biggest yet contribution to the community I’ve made in 2019, when I served as Chair of the Program Committee of FOSS4G 2019 Bucharest. It was by far the most substantial responsibility I have carried on behalf of OSGeo for the geospatial community and I am deeply honoured for the trust I have been invested with by my peers. Additionally, as I understand - including from a personal perspective - the intricacies in communication that can arise from cultural differences or diversity in all forms, I have supported organising side events at FOSS4G 2019 aimed at creating a welcoming environment - such as the [https://twitter.com/geospatialwomen Women in Geospatial] Bof and ‘[https://www.eventbrite.com/e/geochicas-take-bucharest-tickets-68740991155 Geochicas take over Bucharest!]’. Above all though, at the end of the day, what remains is the strong feeling of belonging to a community which values I share, which products - software - I use everyday and, most important, the feeling that I have too brought a contribution to its further development.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

As now I run for my second term on the OSGeo board, I want to keep working on building bridges. Even though the OSGeo community has reached a stable and mature point - the numbers of participants to the global FOSS4Gs (approximately 1000 people) together with the many regional events stand proof of that reality - open source for geospatial has not fully breached into important sectors for our everyday lives, such as the public sector, no matter the level. These conclusions are still valid to me, like they were 2 years ago. The interactions I have with organisations such as [http://earsc.org/ The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies] - where I’ve coordinated their Open Source Initiative - and the [http://www.bdva.eu/ European Big Data Value Association] - where I’ve been coordinating the Earth Observation working group - as well as working in various projects with institutions such as the European Space Agency, stand proof of that reality. I want to continue working in that direction, to advocate OSGeo's values and principles. As an organisation, OSGeo can and should be the leading figure that can take upon itself the role of opening these front lines with a more coordinated effort.

There are several reasons why I believe this efforts should be made, but there are 2 that I consider worth mentioning here (1) because, in sectors such as the public one, openness is crucial, including the technical aspects of their activities and (2) because I believe that introducing open source for geospatial in these types of mainstream would prove beneficial for the entire community, maybe even in terms of financial aspects on the long run.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I want to continue what I've started in my fist term as an OSGeo board member and that is bringing OSGeo's values and principles, its activities and solutions closer to my part of the world, as well as to Europe. I want to keep developing synergies with other communities that use geospatial knowledge in their activities.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

I still consider that I can best contribute as a regular board member.

[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Election_2021]]

Board Meeting 2021-08-30

2021-08-30T10:39:09Z

Codrina:

This board meeting is '''scheduled Monday 30 August 2021''' at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingdetails.html?year=2021&month=08&day=30&hour=15&min=0&sec=0&p1=250&p2=26&p3=49&p4=155&p5=217&p6=312 '''15:00''' UTC] through [https://meet.jit.si/OsgeoBoard Jitsi], a record of motions is preserved on [https://www.loomio.org/g/kdSmIwxu/osgeo-board loomio] and actions on [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues osgeo todo] issue tracker.

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''roll call''
# ''Review and approve past minutes''
#* [[Board_Meeting_2021-07-26]]
# Pretalx / Pretix services for FOSS4G and Local Chapters
# AGM planning
## Recording of the Board part of the video
## discussion about publishing and watching the video together
## how is the feedback from the community - are videos coming in?
## enhance text at FOSS4G program https://callforpapers.2021.foss4g.org/foss4g2021/talk/WDEW3P/
# Update on OGC OSGeo MOU
# Update HOT MoU
# DOI for Projects see MOSS DOI https://zenodo.org/record/5140319#.YRuRkIgzaUk
# GEO Participating Organization contact points registration
# Request of OSGeo contribution for JRC Report
# Update on the Open Source Solutions overview (graph) initiative
# Add your topic here

== Minutes ==

* Presiding:
* Scribing:
* Attending:
* Guests:

== IRC Log ==
* no log, Will be a meeting on jitsi

== Next meeting ==
*[[Board Meeting 2021-09-27]]

[[Category:Board]]
[[Category:Board Meetings 2021]]

Board Meeting 2021-04-26

2021-04-26T19:43:25Z

Codrina:

This board meeting is '''scheduled Monday 26 April 2021''' at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingdetails.html?year=2021&month=04&day=26&hour=15&min=0&sec=0&p1=250&p2=26&p3=49&p4=155&p5=217&p6=312 '''15:00''' UTC] through [https://meet.jit.si/OsgeoBoard Jitsi], a record of motions is preserved on [https://www.loomio.org/g/kdSmIwxu/osgeo-board loomio] and actions on [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues osgeo todo] issue tracker.

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''roll call''
#* ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# ''Review and approve past minutes''
#* [[Board_Meeting_2021-03-29]]
# Update on FOSS4G 2021
# Response from SAGANA about letter for sponsorship
# Sponsors (ending soon: Mundialis, not renewed for this year: aon)
# Free Software Foundation - should OSGeo make a response?
# Rajat Shinde <rajatshinde2303 at gmail.com> Google Summer of Code discussion
# add your topic here

== Minutes ==

* Presiding: Till
* Scribing: Till, Codrina
* Attending: Angelos, Astrid, Mike, Michele, Codrina, Helena, Vicky, Till.
* Guests: Rajat Shinde (Google Summer of Code), Maria Arias (FOSS4G2021) and Regina Obe (SAC)

=== Google Summer of Code organization payment discussion ===

* participation on behalf of GSoC: Rajat Shinde - chair of GSoC
* There is a need of incentives for the mentors to join GSoC, as there is a lack of interest now.
* There must be 2 mentors (main and secondary) for each project. This year, there were 22 proposals received, out of which they must select 10, as there are only 20 mentors.
* Question: What can OSGeo do for the mentors? Until now, Google payment goes to OSGeo. What should OSGeo do? Proposals: pass money from OSGeo directly to mentor, free pass to FOSS4G
(Maria offers "We can offer discounts at least for them"), pass the money to the projects and they decide.
* ACTION: Rajat prepares email with opportunities and requests board for decision/recommendation.

=== Update on FOSS4G 2021 (Maria from BALOC) ===

* Giving up venue (to make online FOSS4G2021) negotiating was closed with payment of 1/4 of the
payment (~15k $).
* Interest is good, normal no. of proposals for talks/workshops;
* Few tickets sold (normal each year);
* Passport info is needed when buying a ticket now in order to justify money movement to authorities. Maria tries to
check and change this.
* The BALOC needs more help, as some of the team members are either infected with SARs-COV-2 or are taking care of an ill person.
* The sponsorships are at a safe level, it may even allow to give more discounts to tickets.
* There are discussions going with streaming providers to make sure that anyone from everywhere can participate;
* There were some sponsors requesting participants' data - it has been completely denied.
* ACTION: Till to push in the ConfComm to deny sharing participants data to sponsors for future conferences.
* No action from the board needed.

=== Review and approve past minutes ===

====[[Board_Meeting_2021-03-29]]====

* Motion on Loomio: https://www.loomio.org/d/CTMu0vRQ/approve-meeting-minutes-from-board-meeting-2021-03-29
* Motion status:

=== Response from SAGANA about letter for sponsorship ===
* Vicky talks about her ideas for getting more sponsors, i.e. having paid people to do that.
* AE is interested to work on the topic.

=== Sponsors ===

* ending soon: mundialis
* ACTION: Till to contact mundialis so that they write a mail to OSGeo about what they are doing - sponsoring FOSS4G 2021 - so extending as OSGeo sponsor.
* not renewed for this year - aon (Mike): aon has renewed for this year;

=== Free Software Foundation - vote passed to appoint Richard Stallman to a board seat ===
* https://www.fsf.org/news/statement-of-fsf-board-on-election-of-richard-stallman
* Should OSGeo make a statement regarding this matter?
* Michele proposes to give a response from the OSGeo side (https://thenewstack.io/why-almost-everyone-wants-richard-stallman-cancelled/)
* ACTION: Michelle drafts statement on Google Drive and shares it with the board for comments.

=== LDAP/WIKI accounts movement ===

* Regina from SAC participated.
* problems with merging old WIKI accounts to new LDAP for people with "_" in their username;
* maybe more people have problems with merging their accounts due to other unidentified issues;
* email to OSGeo general that explains the possible problems (Regina);
* Astrid asks all board members to write write a mission for themselves, as it is possible now - and sets a good example.

== IRC Log ==

* meeting was held on Jitsi

[[Category:Board]]
[[Category:Board Meetings 2021]]

Board Meeting 2021-01-25

2021-01-25T08:17:13Z

Codrina: /* Current items */

This board meeting is '''scheduled Monday 25 January 2021''' at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingdetails.html?year=2021&month=01&day=25&hour=16&min=0&sec=0&p1=250&p2=26&p3=49&p4=155&p5=217&p6=312 16:00 UTC] through [https://meet.jit.si/OsgeoBoard Jitsi], a record of motions is preserved on [https://www.loomio.org/g/kdSmIwxu/osgeo-board loomio] and actions on [https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues osgeo todo] issue tracker.

== Agenda ==

=== Current items ===

# ''roll call''
#* ''appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary''
# ''Review and approve past minutes''
#* [[Board_Meeting_2020-12-28]]
#* [[Board_Meeting_2021-01-18]]
# 2021 Budget approval [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oCPkFj8yHzZ_-CXFMa5UlfKruG9qA8ZdlfbJMeF1LoI/edit#gid=0] [https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/OSGeo_Budget_2021]
# ''OSGeo/FOSS4G Sponsoring issues''
# FOSS research Foundations
# OSGeo-HOT boards meeting update and follow up

== Minutes ==

* Presiding:
* Scribing:
* Attending:

== Actions ==
* https://git.osgeo.org/gitea/osgeo/todo/issues/

== IRC Log ==

* http://irclogs.geoapt.com/osgeo/%23osgeo.2021-01-18.log

[[Category:Board]]
[[Category:Board Meetings 2021]]

COVID-19 FOSS initiatives

2020-05-06T09:05:22Z

Codrina:

== Introduction==
Our generation is facing one of the most difficult challenges of its time with consequences that will unravel for a long time, in all aspects of our existence. With much of our world in lockdown, our attention turns towards the spread and evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus around the globe. Given the geospatial dimension of the threat, some of the OSGeo community members might be using their knowledge and experience to design and implement various applications to track, visualise or predict the COVID-19 pandemic evolution. 
This wiki page is dedicated to collect COVID-19 related initiatives developed using FOSS solutions. We invite anyone involved in such an initiative or has knowledge of one, to acknowledge their efforts by including it in this list.

== COVID-19 FOSS initiatives ==
===[https://covid19.geo-spatial.org Coronavirus COVID-19 Romania]===
==== Romania, geo-spatial.org (Romanian OSGeo Local Chapter) ====
As soon as Romania registered its first official COVID-19 patient on February 26, the geo-spatial.org volunteers have collaboratively begun to work on an application based on the Romanian official data to disseminate to the public the evolution of the pandemic. The application presents visualizations related to the dimensions of the outbreak in Romania - confirmed cases, recovered and deaths - together with a series of statistics, as well as other relevant aspects covering quarantine and applied restrictions, hospital infrastructure, marginalised communities, border traffic. Due to the un-structured and often modified manner in which the Romanian authorities are sharing COVID-19 information, a significant part of the team's efforts are invested into collecting more detailed information from the local and national media, match it to the official reporting, structure and deliver it in a more relevant manner. The collected, cleaned data can be accessed as JSON format using a dedicate API (the API is momentarily static, nevertheless, we will analyse the possibility of filter set-ups for future releases):
* https://covid19.geo-spatial.org/api/dashboard/getCasesByCounty
* https://covid19.geo-spatial.org/api/dashboard/getDeadCasesByCounty
* https://covid19.geo-spatial.org/api/dashboard/getHealthCasesByCounty
* https://covid19.geo-spatial.org/api/dashboard/getDailyCaseReport
* https://covid19.geo-spatial.org/api/statistics/getCaseRelation
* https://covid19.geo-spatial.org/api/dashboard/getPercentageByGender
* https://covid19.geo-spatial.org/api/dashboard/getCasesByAgeGroup
* https://covid19.geo-spatial.org/api/dashboard/getDailyCases

====FOSS employed ====
The application is build using Node.js, PostgreSQL+PostGIS, R on the backend side, OpenLayers, Angular, charts.js, Plotly and D3.js for the frontend side and it is available under un MIT license on [https://github.com/geospatialorg/covid19 Github]. 

The infrastructure is supported by [http://www.sage.ieat.ro/ SAGE group] from University of West Timișoara and CARTO, through their [https://carto.com/grants/#form grant program].

COVID-19 FOSS initiatives

2020-05-05T21:24:24Z

Codrina: Created page with "== Introduction== Our generation is facing one of the most difficult challenges of its time with consequences that will unravel for a long time, in all aspects of our existenc..."

== Introduction==
Our generation is facing one of the most difficult challenges of its time with consequences that will unravel for a long time, in all aspects of our existence. With much of our world in lockdown, our attentions turns towards the spread and evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus around the globe. Given the geospatial dimension of this threat, some of the OSGeo community members might be using their knowledge and experience to design and implement various applications to track, visualise or predict the COVID-19 pandemic evolution. 
This wiki page is dedicated to collect initiatives developed using FOSS solutions that are related to the COVID-19. We invite anyone involved in such an initiative or has knowledge of one, to acknowledge their efforts by including it in this list.

== COVID-19 FOSS initiatives ==
===[https://covid19.geo-spatial.org Coronavirus COVID-19 Romania]===
==== Romania, geo-spatial.org (Romanian OSGeo Local Chapter) ====
As soon as Romania registered its first official COVID-19 patient on February 26, the geo-spatial.org volunteers have collaboratively begun to work on an application based on the Romanian official data to disseminate to the public the evolution of the pandemic. The application presents visualizations related to the dimensions of the outbreak in Romania - confirmed cases, recovered and deaths - together with a series of statistics, as well as other relevant aspects covering the quarantine and applied restrictions, hospital infrastructure, marginalised communities, border traffic. Due to the un-structured and often modified manner in which the Romanian authorities are sharing the COVID-19 information, a significant part of the team's efforts are invested into collecting more detailed information from the local and national media, match it to the official reporting, structure and deliver it in a more relevant manner.

====FOSS employed ====
The application is build using Node.js, PostgreSQL+PostGIS, R on the backend side, OpenLayers, Angular, charts.js, Plotly and D3.js for the frontend side. 
The infrastructure is supported by [http://www.sage.ieat.ro/ SAGE group] from University of West Timișoara and CARTO.

Lexicon Committee

2019-12-02T16:20:01Z

Codrina: /* Committee members */

The Lexicon committee is an [https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Interest_Groups OSGeo Special Interest Group], responsible for coordinating official definitions for terminology used within the Open Source Geospatial (OSGeo) context. The committee is drawn from the OSGeo, OGC and ISO communities and is based on merit and interest.

= Purpose =

The Lexicon committee plays the following roles:

# Act as the gatekeeper of terms to ensure quality checks of contributions.
# Provide a central terminology knowledge for alignment of terms and concepts.
# Facilitate the flow of terminology knowledge to terminology authors and users.
# Support the use of best practices in writing terms.
# Facilitate developing consistent terminology between OSGeo projects.
# Act as a conduit of terms between OSGeo projects, OSGeo, OGC and ISO.

The committee involves individual representation from external groups including ISO/TC 211 and OGC in order to leverage their experience in terminology, which is useful in situations such as alerting on cross-organization alignment of concepts or term duplication.

= Online presence =

Terminology isn’t useful until people use them, which means people need to first know they exist and what they mean. The Geolexica initiative has setup https://osgeo.geolexica.org/ to serve OSGeo in managing the lexicon database.

Geolexica serves human-readable concepts and terms, as well as machine-readable JSON, allowing APIs to directly consume the content. It currently serves ISO/TC 211’s terminology management group in making its multi-lingual geographic information terminology available on the internet (https://www.geolexica.org).

To minimize friction in the feedback process, for every term offered in the OSGeo terminology pages it provides a “propose new term” and “propose changes to this term" buttons. This allows users to directly go to the issue platform (e.g. GitHub) to make the suggested changes.

The structure of Geolexica is designed for efficiency with streamlined management and operations. Terms are stored in structured data (YAML) files, and are directly deployable to the website. The website operates according to best practices, and is served as a static website with dynamic search functionality. Security and performance have always been key considerations.

TBD: We should mention that the Geolexia management software is based on Open Source (which mitigates project risk). We should link to the source code project in github.

OSGeo terms will additionally be published at:
* OSGeoLive
* TBD OSGeo Journal?

= Coordination =

== Initial load and data cleanup ==

The initial load of the terms will involve a bulk load from cleaned terms and definitions sourced from prior OSGeo glossaries. Geolexica could easily handle the initial conversion from table format into the desired structured data format.

As of 2019-10, the cleanup process has already [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19tulyAEDN5Q5n-u_jlmXIKQjPI2Lwv6fh5Orad1mz1I/edit#gid=0 started].

== Updates ==
* New terms, or improvements to existing terms may be proposed at any time, by anyone in the community.
* It is recommended that proposed term updates are initially discussed and refined on the Lexicon email list. TBD: Link to list once setup.
* Terms can then be submitted to the GeoLexia website. TBD explain how.
* The lexicon committee will periodically review and approve new terms.
* The lexicon committee will review and update terms at least annually, in line with the OSGeoLive documentation build cycle.

== Communication ==
We communicate on the [https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/lexicon OSGeo Lexicon email list].

== Committee members ==
* [[User:camerons| Cameron Shorter]] (OSGeoLive, WriteTheDocs)
* Rob Atkinson (OGC)
* Ronald Tse (ISO/TC 211, ISO Geodetic Registry Registration Authority, Ribose Inc.)
* Reese Plews (ISO/TC 211, Terminology Management Group)
* [[User:Jgrocha|Jorge Gustavo Rocha]] (OSGeo/QGIS)
* [[User:Codrina|Ilie Codrina Maria]] (OSGeo)
* ... others welcomed

Past members. We thank these prior members for their contributions:
* None yet

Selection of new members is determined by committee member vote. Committee members may retire at any time. If a committee member becomes inactive for many months they may be invited to retire, and if unresponsive they may be retired by the existing committee.

==Decisions==
Decisions are based on voting using the following:
* +1: For
* +0: Mildly for, but mostly indifferent
* 0: Indifferent
* -0: Mildly against, but mostly indifferent
* -1: Strongly against. This is expected to be accompanied by a reason.

For most decisions, a motion is raised within one of the committee open forums (IRC, email list, etc) and those present vote and decide. Should a decision:
* Be strategic or impact many within the committee,
* Or if there be contention in deciding, and after discussion at least one member is still strongly against the motion, by continuing to vote -1,
* Then the motion should be referred to the committee.

For motions presented to the committee, a motion is considered passed when there are more committee +1 votes than -1 votes, and either all committee members have voted, or 1 week has passed. In the case of a tie, the committee chair shall have 1.5 votes.

==Expectations of committee members==
* Contribute to or related activities when the committee is active.
* Help with whatever dirty work is required to keep the project moving forward.
* Monitor committee conversations on our email list.

[[Category: Lexicon]]

Election 2019 Candidate Manifestos

2019-11-20T10:29:42Z

Codrina: /* What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) */

A space for the candidates for [[Election 2019|election]] to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

== 1. Msilikale Msilanga, Tanzania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/msilanga/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Spatial Planner by professional, but i have been working as a consultant since 2011 focusing on Geospatial in Urban Resilience, GEO-ICT and community mapping. Since 2011, I have been working on projects in Tanzania and Mozambique as the way to help my community. As part of this, I have co-led the Ramani Huria community mapping project among others for Africa’s fastest growing city, Dar es Salaam. So far this has impacted over 3.5 million residents of the city providing basemaps and flood evacuation plans, while coordinating a consortium consisting Red Cross, local universities and Tanzanian government ministries and agencies.

=== My vision ===
To establish African and other cities in a globe that embrace a local and open approach to risk information that is openly and widely accessible through open data, open tools, open knowledge exchange.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* 2017: OSGeo Africa Member
* 2018: Co-Chair FOSS4G
* 2018: Co-Chair Geo4All Africa

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
To be one among the contributors in order to provide ideas and effective supports that has an impact on the global community.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encourage public goods, technologies platform, digital skills, risk information Services and Research.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Being only a board Member is good for me as will give me a chance to give all my Contributions.

== 2. Marie Anna Baovola, Madagascar ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/baovola/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am database manager at the Geographic and Hydrographic Institute of Madagascar. I lead the Madagascar OSGeo local chapter which still to be confirmed as official.

=== My vision ===
To contribute to the promotion of the use of free and open source software in geospatial especially in developing country.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Since 2014, I have encouraged my institution and universities to change progressively to open source tools. 
October 2017: attending FOSS4G Belgium 
August 2018: my first participation in FOSS4G 
September 2018: Became a charter member 
2019 : Still continue to spread the idea of the OSGeo promotion everywhere I go.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I am willing and understand open source and want to help people to involve into it more such as developers, users, academic and other communities. I would like to explore my potential through this new experience to become a board member.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
How could OSGeo help local community which contributes to OSGeo mission?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I would like to join the Public Geospatial Data Project; but any role can be interesting.

== 3. Astrid Emde, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/astrid-emde/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am part of the OSGeo board at the moment and would like to volunteer for another period.

I am from Cologne (Germany) and work in Bonn at WhereGroup as Seniour GIS Consultant.

I work with the OSGeo stack since many years now. Always curious to learn more and open for new technologies. My focus is on web mapping and PostgreSQL/PostGIS.

I love to use OSGeo software and build up projects with this stack and I also love to teach others how to use it.
I am involved in Mapbender and have collaborated with some of the OSGeo projects like MapServer, GeoServer, QGIS and PostGIS.

I am part of the OSGeoLive PSC and promote OSGeoLive wherever I can.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I am involved in OSGeo since many years and visited my first FOSS4G in 2006 in Lausanne with my collegues of CCGIS and gave a presentation about Fiona and Mapbender. It was a great event where I felt the spirit of the community and wanted to get more involved.

I am a Charter Member since 2010.

I am a regular contributor at global and regional FOSS4G conferences or other events like FOSSGIS [1], AGIT [2], INTERGEO [3], SotM [4]. I gave presentations and workshops on Mapbender, MapServer, QGIS, GeoServer, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, OSGeoLive and OSGeo.
It is a pleasure for me to introduce people to our great projects, get them involved and build up connections.

In 2017 I was elected to the OSGeo Board. I am the OSgeo Secretary. I was two years in the board now with a great team and would like to go on for another period.

; FOSSGIS e.V
I am also active in the FOSSGIS e.V. [5] which is the German language OSGeo Local Chapter. FOSSGIS represents the OSGeo and OpenStreetMap community which is great.

At FOSSGIS I organize community events and code sprints [6] and try to bring people together. I am also responsible for the twitter account and the webside news items.

FOSSGIS e.V organizes the annual FOSSGIS conference [1] with more than 500 participant. I was involved in the organizantion since more than ten years.

In 2016 we had FOSS4G in Bonn where I was also involved and was pleased to organize the FOSS4G code sprint [7].

; TIB Videos Archive
I am involved in the contact and workflow of publishing the videos from different conferences (FOSSGIS, FOSS4G) in the TIV AV portal [8]

; Marketing
I love booths, postcards, flyer and especially sticker as a great possibility of spreading our idea. That is why I try to organize material and an OSGeo booth at every event that I am involved in.

I am involved in OSGeo marketing since a long time.

; OSGeoLive
I am involved in OSGeoLive since many years. I added Mapbender to OSGeoLive in 2011. I am member of the OSGeoLive PSC. I am involved in the press releases, testing, documentation and translation. For many years I organized the printing of thousands of DVDs and later USB drives of OSGeoLive for conferences.

; Twitter
I take care of some twitter accounts like @osgeo, @osgeolive, @fossgis_ev, @fossgis_konf, @qgis_de, @mapbender and try to keep you informed.

; News items
I am backup on the OSGeo News editors team and support Jorge Sanz if needed.

; Mapbender
I am part of the Mapbender [9] team and a member of the PSC. I do trainings on Mapbender very often and set up solutions with Mapbender and the OSGeo stack during my work at WhereGroup Bonn. WhereGroup has a training academy called FOSS-Academy where I give several courses and spread the spirit of OSGeo & FOSSGIS.

[1] FOSSGIS Konferenz 2017 Passau https://www.fossgis.de/node/294
[2] AGIT OSGeo Park & Day https://www.fossgis.de/node/261
[3] INTERGEO OSGeo Park 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/node/303
[4] FrOSCon 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/wiki/FrOSCon_2017#Impressionen
[5] FOSSGIS e.V. http://fossgis.de
[6] FOSSGIS Hacking https://www.fossgis.de/node/299
[7] FOSS4G Code Sprint 2016 Bonn https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2016_Code_Sprint
[8] TIB AV Videoarchive https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/TIB
[9] Mapbender http://mapbender.org

=== My vision ===

Strengthen OSGeo and the visibility of our organization and promote open source software for geospatial and open data. Support the projects and community and collaborate with other organisations.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* go on with the work as OSGeo secretary and improve the work we did the last two years
* improve the visibility of the projects and local chapters and get people involved
* encourage new people & projects to join OSGeo
* discuss how OSGeo can get more visible f.e. at universities, events. Support students, travel grants, GSoC
* spend OSGeo money for OSGeo projects & events
* encourage more sponsors to support OSGeo
* marketing / spreading idea / make OSGeo visible at FOSS4G events
* get things done and documented and structured

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

I could go on representing OSGeo as OSGeo Secretary.

== 4. Helena Mitasova, USA ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/helena-mitasova/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Professor at the Center for Geospatial Analytics and Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, and lead the Geoforall Lab at NCSU (one of the founding labs).

=== My vision ===
Make the world a better place with open source geospatial: promote sustainable, long term use of open source through research and teaching.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
I have been on GRASS GIS development team since 1991 and I have been involved with OSGeo since its founding in 2006, first serving on committees (conference, education) and then on the board.
Since elected to the board I served as vice-president, working with geoforall initiative and managing partnerships through memoranda of understanding. I also work with my students contributing new methods, techniques and tools to GRASS GIS and developing and delivering workshops and courses - see our [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/publications.html publications]
and [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/courses.html courses]

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I would like to make sure that the OSGeo board provides effective support to the projects through resources for code and community sprints and many other activities.
I would also like to continue my previous work with geoforall and our MoU partners and provide a voice for academic community to help open source geospatial grow
new generation of passionate developers, users and community builders.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encouraging educational institutions not only to use FOSS4G but also increase the contributions at several levels - from educational material to the code. Also, I think that we may need to revisit the OSGeo website management issues to make sure it is always up to date and helps the community.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Coordination with geo4all initiative and working with partner organizations.

== 5. Vicky Vergara, Mexico ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/vicky-vergara/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am an experimenting person, perfectionist, a test freak, and lazy. (Maybe
you have not noticed the lazy part, but, I spend days, days and more days
to figure out if there is a fastest/better way to do a particular task, so
that when the task is done, its in seconds, instead of hours).

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Back in 2013, I was jobless then my only way to contribute, because of the use I was making of OSGeo projects, was to become a translator on pgRouting:

* July 25, 2013 [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21562472 I offered my self as translator] of pgrouting
** Note that I was new to everything: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21584629 comment about my ignorance]
* August 16, 2013: I was invited to contribute code to pgRouting: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/178#issuecomment-22802017 Invitation]
* August 23, 2013: My first code contribution [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/pull/185 the modifying 75 files Pull request].
* July 2015:
** Version 2.1.0 released
** OSGeo-GSoC mentor for pgRouting.
* September 2015: My first FOSS4G participation
* September 2015: Became a Charter member
* June 2017, I accepted to be part of PSC of OSGeoLive: [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/osgeolive/2017-June/012175.html Accepting statement]
* 2017 elections: I was nominated to be member of the Board of Directors, did not make it to the Board ;-)
* 2018: I still can do a lot, so I volunteered to be member of the System Administration Committee (SAC)
* 2018: I also volunteered for CRO, because as member of SAC and because I imagined
what the CRO where doing to handle the elections, and I thought I can do a lot to facilitate that Job.
* 2019: I still can do much more, I became member and co-chair of the Code of Conduct Committee.

=== My vision ===

'''The right to be the best one can be'''

* Who am I?
* What do I do?
* Am I the best of what I can be?
* Do I have a dream?
Those are questions that we can ask to ourselves.

Before I answer those questions, I think in society, everything starts with the family:
* My father gladly goes with me to events (gives me some family time).
* When on vacation on Paris with my mother, a brother and his wife. We met a colleague from OSGeoLive and
we had a great evening. (family time mixed with new family member time)
* One of my sons went to Argentina and volunteered on the reception desk on FOSS4G-Argentina 2017. (allows me family time)
* My other son is letting us use his AZURE code on transifex for OSGeoLive and on pgRouting.
* My husband, well what can I tell, he supported me a full year with my kid to study my masters, he
knows that I will do what I need to do to be the best of what I can be.
* My niece is doing the Spanish translations on OSGeoLive and on pgRouting and made a presentation on
FOSS4G Argentina 2019 about point clouds. (more family time)

I am a lucky person, my family is participating in what I do. I consider that my family
is doing all what they can do, so that my ''right to be the best I can be'' is fulfilled.
And my family is growing with OSGeo.

Now lets answer those questions:
* Who am I? I am Vicky. I was thought to be a fighter and not to give up.
* What do I do? I do whatever I need to do to make this world a better place.
* Am I the best of what I can be? No, as for tomorrow I want to be better than today.
* Do I have a dream? I want to make this world be a better place.

The best of all is that I have my family support.

OSGeo, is as small part of the society, but its an international part of it.
And we are part of OSGeo.

We don't have borders and the people are:
* members from everywhere,
* users who live in any country
* volunteers from any part of the world.

I have being one of the fortunate that has met many of them
* on FOSS4G events
* on code sprint events.
* some only thru video conference
* most of them by IRC/chat

I consider them as my heroes.

They give up:
* social time
* work opportunities
* and most important: family time
** I cheat, some family time I make up when taking a family member to an OSGeo event.

I feel blessed as I have, from some of those heroes of mine, their autograph, I am their FAN #1.

Here are the next questions as a charter member I ask:
* IS OSGeo helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Is OSGeo encouraging?
* IS OSGeo a safe place?

From my experience the answers to all questions is yes.

There might be limitations, for example of local cultural limitations:
A lady I met in India who is a student. Her father, who lives 300km away, forbids her
to go out of the campus, not even to the restaurant in 50 mts away, and she complies
to her father wishes. (I wonder if ever she will go to an international FOOS4G).

The reason that form my experience the answer is yes, is because when rephrasing the questions:
* Am I helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Am I encouraging?
* Am I a safe person?

I can answer, without a doubt, YES.

Am I doing enough?

That I don't think so, but I am trying to enforce the '''right to be the best on can be''' on our members, volunteers, users, etc.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* In general: promote the use and development of Free and Open Source Software
* In particular: promote the use and development of the OSGeo projects, OSGeo incubation and OSGeo community Free Open Source Software.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

Given my location and maternal language, the following points have a stronger implied emphasis to Latin America, but its not limited to this area.

''' Let the kitten be known'''

* Encourage developers to build open projects using OSGeo projects that can help communities from pot hole control to emergency plans, from planting trees to avoid forest deprivation, from Archaeology to Economics, etc.
* Promote the use of open source as tools, in particular OSGeo projects that give an ample variety of backend and frontend tools for systems development.
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to participate from simple tasks as translation up to code contributions on OSGeo Projects
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to create new OSGeo Community projects that can be used by local communities.
* I went to the OGP summit in Mexico 2015 https://www.opengovpartnership.org/ and I think there is a lot of possibilities for using OSGeo projects. Do more research, and maybe starting to see how my own country is advancing towards the openness and more details on how OSGeo can be/its being used.
* Support and encourage smaller open source projects to join OSGeo, and make OSGeo more valuable for them
* Reach out to Latin-American local chapters and encourage them to play an active role in OSGeo

'''Curiosity killed the cat'''

Normally people tend to see, what's going wrong, on things that are happening. What becomes difficult to observe is what is wrong that things/activities that should be going are not even started yet.

Lets not forget to think about why things are not happening.

* Why "[abc] is NOT [xyz] OSGeo".
* Why do some projects, do not start incubation?
* Why is there no local OSGeo chapter in, for example, Mexico?
* Why do we have mostly sponsors from North America and Europe?
* Why there are so few participation from Latin American countries in OSGeo even if they have conferences every year ... same for Japan actually.
* Why we only hear (and see) those, who raise their voice and shout out loud. But we miss to reach the silent majority?
* What causes the "inactivity"?
* Why ....

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===
* As an Economist, I don't want to handle money (It was by accident that I studied economics).
* Get things done! Solving issues and making decision.
* Ask: why? what? how?

== 6. Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
By day, I am a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at [http://www.terrasigna.com/ Terrasigna], a Romanian based SME, searching to improve by integrating data from non-traditional sources, such as the open data initiative. In the 10 years I’ve spent working, I focused on using open source solutions for geodata processing and visualisation, with a more recent spotlight on standardization and interoperability. By night, I am a loud advocate for open source solutions for geospatial and for the open (geo)data initiative worldwide.

=== My vision ===
[http://geo-spatial.org/ geo-spatial.org] - the Romanian OSGeo Local Chapter - and further along the way, the international OSGeo community, has been a crucial pillar of my life and personality. Joining geo-spatial.org as a young student, I have learned from them not only what GRASS and OpenLayers is, but also what it means to offer your time generously to your community, to share your knowledge and data (!) while you benefit from the knowledge and data from others, just as well as what it means to argue with elegance and kindness and to critique in a constructive way. In a more and more complex international climate, my vision is to foster and further expand, thought my activities and contributions, the OSGeo community as the environment where one, anyone, can grow, professionally and personally - just as I did and still do - where one can comfortable continue discussing the technical complexities of a new solution started online, over a beer, in a remote corner of the world at a FOSS4G event.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
10 years ago, when I was in my second year at the University of Bucharest, I stumbled upon a webpage, in Romanian (!) - geo-spatial.org - filled with geospatial articles, tutorials, book reviews etc. in a time when any information on related technical literature was scarce and expensive, that was if you were lucky enough to find any. Immediately, I joined the mailing list (one of the first I ever did) and then, boldly joined a hands-on workshop on web mapping some months later. And I never left the group. It was my very first encounter with open source, but equally important, it was the first time I had ever met people that would openly and happily, within no official framework, spend their free time and resources to share their knowledge with strangers, lead by the belief that together we can do more, we can do better. The impact was incisive. Years passed and from the student in the auditorium, I slowly transitioned to presenting my work and giving my own hands-on workshops. Today, I humbly serve geo-spatial.org as vice-president.
My active contribution to OSGeo came, of course, via geo-spatial.org. After I participated at my first FOSS4G conference - Central Eastern Europe 2012 in Prague, in 2013, geo-spatial.org organised FOSS4G Central Eastern Europe in Bucharest and I was part of the active core of organisers. And what a wonderful, full of work and new experiences that time was! 2013 was also the year when I become a OSGeo Charter Member.
In 2015, I was the chair of the Open Data track at FOSS4G 2015 in Como, in 2016 I was part of the LOC for the global FOSS4G in Bonn. However, I believe that my biggest yet contribution to the community I’ve made in 2019, when I served as Chair of the Program Committee of FOSS4G 2019 Bucharest. It was by far the most substantial responsibility I have carried on behalf of OSGeo for the geospatial community and I am deeply honoured for the trust I have been invested with by my peers. Additionally, as I understand - including from a personal perspective - the intricacies in communication that can arise from cultural differences or diversity in all forms, I have supported organising side events at FOSS4G 2019 aimed at creating a welcoming environment - such as the [https://twitter.com/geospatialwomen Women in Geospatial] Bof and ‘[https://www.eventbrite.com/e/geochicas-take-bucharest-tickets-68740991155 Geochicas take over Bucharest!]’. Above all though, at the end of the day, what remains is the strong feeling of belonging to a community which values I share, which products - software - I use everyday and, most important, the feeling that I have too brought a contribution to its further development. And I am not done, as I have humbly and happily taken the role of Program Chair for FOSS4G Europe 2020.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I find that the open source for geospatial ecosystem is mature from the technical point of view, with robust solutions for each part of a generic geospatial workflow - from data storage and management, to processing to visualisations. I also believe that the OSGeo community has reached a stable and mature point - the numbers of participants to the global FOSS4Gs (approximately 1000 people) together with the many regional events stand proof of that reality. Yet, even within this well shaped context, open source for geospatial has not fully breached into important sectors for our everyday lives, such as the public sector, no matter the level. These are conclusions I have formed over the last 3 years, while being involved, through my daytime job, into organisations such as [http://earsc.org/ The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies] - where I’ve coordinated their Open Source Initiative - and the [http://www.bdva.eu/ European Big Data Value Association] - where I’ve been coordinating the Earth Observation working group - as well as working in various projects with institutions such as the European Space Agency. I believe efforts should be made in that direction and I see OSGeo - as an organisation - as the leading figure that can take upon itself the role of opening these front lines with a more coordinated effort.
Why do I think this is important? There are several reasons, but there are 2 that I consider worth mentioning here (1) because, in sectors such as the public one, openness is crucial, including the technical aspects of their activities and (2) because I believe that introducing open source for geospatial in these types of mainstream would prove beneficial for the entire community, maybe even in terms of financial aspects on the long run.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
I am keen in investing my time spent working within OSGeo as to bring this community, its values and principles, its activities and solutions closer to my part of the world, as well as to Europe. I also believe that together we accomplish more, so I am interested in developing synergies with other communities that use geospatial knowledge in their activities - and who doesn’t love a map, right? Over the years, I had the pleasure of working with organisations such as the [https://okfn.org/ Open Knowledge Foundation] for various projects, like the [https://index.okfn.org/ Global Open Data Index] or the [https://blog.okfn.org/2019/03/05/how-open-is-government-data-in-africa/ Africa Open Data Index], and I always wondered how was it possible that collaborations weren’t already happing as we had so much in common, from values and principles to technical challenges and drives.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I consider that, at this time, I can best contribute as a regular board member.

== 7. Till Adams, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/till-adams/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
(Facts: See OSGeo-profile.) I am a long term member of the OSGeo community and started my first projects with a UMN version "3.something" in the early 2000's, but I am even longer convinced, that the Free&Open Source Software way is the right way to go. In my work life, I had the chance of participate on most of the global FOSS4G conferences up now, and it teached me one thing: There is a special spirit, that distinguishes us from all other GIS or non-GIS conferences in the world.

In 2016 I had the luck to chair the global FOSS4G conference in Bonn. We, the whole local team, put a lot of passion into the preparation and everything we did, was done by us, so no professional conference-agency told us, how to run our conference. I think, that most of the people that joined us here in Bonn felt this special spirit, that was evoked by our motto "building bridges".

Present, I chair of OSGeo's conference committee (in case you vote me on the board, I will step back as CC-chair, of course, although I thought about stepping back after 3 years anyhow and free the seat for new energy ;-)).

Personally I am interested in cooking, food in general, traveling, soccer and of course spending time with nice people. I am married and we have one son (15).

=== My vision ===
For me the OSGeo community is a special group of individuals and the way we meet other members or people and the way we interact with each other is certainly not unique, but it is special - I mean positively special :-).
There have been two mottos in past FOSS4G conferences, that I appreciated very much and that describe quite well my vision and my way of thinking: "Building Bridges" and "Leave no one behind".

On the one hand, I am convinced, that we as OSGeo have already reached a status, that can make us proud. On the other hand, I see a lot of challenges, which we should face to in the future: Beside some global challenges, I can imagine of equal opportunities, participation, sharing of knowledge, e.g..
One answer could be: Build bridges! "Building bridges" in this context means, strengthening the internal communication in our community, reaching out to (potential) new members, but also establish new or maintenance of existing relationships to other communities and people.

"Leave no one behind" is a wide topic, that not only affects us in OSGeo, but on which we certainly could focus on more, than just having a Travel Grant Programme (which was established by the Conference Committee in recent years and which is a great thing!). In order to strengthen our community towards this topic, I can imagine activities, that help us to share our knowledge, mentoring programms, partnerships among organisaitons or companies, ... (e.g.). This all could help to transfer knowledge among members inside and outside our community.

All together, we have a well established community, that is able to build these bridges and where every single member is willing to help to leave no one behind, so let's go!

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Beside having had a lot of fun on meetings, conferences, code sprints or whatever, when I list this up, there are quite a few things I did in the past:

* regular visits of FOSS4G events with a countless number of talks (including 2 keynotes, FOSSGIS 2015 & SOTM SEE 2019)
* OSGeo charter member
* co-initiator of local OSGeo chapter FOSSGIS and FOSSGIS conference since 2004
* board member of FOSSGIS from 2014 to 2019
* co-founder and board member of OSGeo's european local chapter
* chair of global FOSS4G conference 2016
* since 2016 chair of OSGeo's conference committee (which I will quit in case of becoming a member of the board)
* member of programm committee and/or organizing committee of numerous FOSSGIS conferences and/or code-sprints
* co-initiator of becoming the actinia project under the umbrella of OSGeo (as community project)
* established 2 companies (terrestris/mundialis) that contribute to and work with OSGeo-software, that today give ~ 30 people an umbrella

But the most important thing is: I met a lot of people all over the world.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
Of course I support completely the general ideas, ideals and goals of OSGeo and I could state to promote them here, and of course I will, but:

Looking back, I can say, that this community has given me a lot, not only for my job or for my companies, but also privately. When I only imagine all the people I met in the past 15 years. So it's time to give something back to the community. With my candidacy, I offer to support the board, the community or even simpler - "us" with my experience, my ideas, my network and my passion. Maybe also my work as agile coach may help us to see some things from different perspectives and helps us in general, to strengthen and even improve our methods, processes and behaviour.

There is always the possibility to improve!

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
In our local chapter (FOSSGIS) we managed to get two of the leading Geo-communities under one umbrella: The german speaking OSGeo and OpenStreetMap-community. I'd like to contriibute that OSGeo can establish even more vivid interactions (although, I know there are already quite a few) to neighboured communities such as OSM, OpenData, other Free Software communities or maybe also to the Agile Community - to name just a few as examples... For this I can imagine to use my network for new contacts.

To make this more concrete: In Bonn I participate in a programm called "Geo-Mentoring Prgoramm", which is initiated by the cities administraiton. The idea is to bring newbiews and experienced persons (I claim to be that ;-)) together and to form a tandem with the aim to give the mentee (in this case the student) an orientation about the geoinformation market and to assist with advice and action. Why not work on establishing such means of support across our community (and also beyond Google Summer of Code...) ? Sharing is what we do in order to broaden our movement - to the benefit of all.

Another challenging topic is our rapid changing environment. I could imagine that of course we can do some concrete things towards saving energy and protect our environment. But this could and should be done by any community or organisation. One of the questions to answer could be:
"How can we contribute to solutions, that help to guide the consequences of climate change into manageable paths?"

Could we promote data, software or solutions that contribute to transparency, control, education or more general - (de)fin/d/ing an OSGeo position on how we want to position ourselves as a community in the context of global tasks, who push themselves more and more into our daily consciousness?
Being a visible part in this whole meachanism has the potential to open even more doors for our community - in sights of projects, connections, awareness, new members ...

Regarding these two topics above - yes, I know, that we as OSGeo live in a do-ocracy and of course, in order to work on the topics mentioned above, one does not necessarily have to be member of the board. However, I can imagine that it is easier to push and move things forward from there, and of course, these motions then have the potential to develop their own dynamics.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
* Regular incidental works, where I can support
* As my background is more from a business-perspective and in my eyes, business or better companies in our environment are one important part, as they put a lot of (direct or indirect) support into our projects and OSGeo, I can imagine to especially support
** established companies in networking (i.e. AFAIK at FOSS4G in Bonn, we had the first B2B meeting)
** help startups with OSGeo-focus to find their way (partners, mentors, advice, ...)

== 8. Nicolas Bozon, France ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/nicolas-bozon/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

=== My vision ===

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 9. Adam Steer, Australia ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/steer/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

I have a diverse career/life history, so this could be really long - but I’ll make it short. I’ve been putting data on maps for a long time; and fell naturally to open source software to accomplish that task. Much later, I realised there’s this whole support system behind the stuff I downloaded and used - and now, since I’m not a software engineer and usually would probably make the software worse if I tried, I try to give back by helping that support system to thrive however I can.

My technical world is focussed on airborne remote sensing - lidar and imagery. Outside of technical stuff, I like to adventure and consider deeply how we interact with our planet and each other. And sometimes destroy good songs on a guitar.

I live in Australia, usually someplace around the southeast corner. I right now operate my own consultancy, and get to work from home or wherever - which is an amazing privilege.

=== My vision ===

OSGeo blends a pile of theoretical fields, rigorous engineering practice and community; bonded together by the desire to make sense of space around us and create tools which can be freely given for others to do the same in ways which make sense to them. It provides an entrypoint - an easy on-ramp - for anyone to learn about coding; or learn about geospatial stuff; or learn about developing a community. Or all of the above!

This was the special sauce has been so attractive to me, and why I’ve devoted a pile of time to helping grow an open geospatial community in Oceania.

My vision is pretty much ‘keep doing that’, coupled with ‘listen a lot’, and ‘go out of our way to invite people in’.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I’ve attended and spoken or facilitated workshops at FOSS4G conferences in 2016,17,18, and 2019. I consider this a huge privilege - so thanks also to this community for your support and trust!

In 2018 I led the sponsorship drive for the inaugural FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference; and also helped create some programmes to specifically fund inclusivity initiatives. In 2019 I had to step back from programme leadership, and invested energy in a community based greenhouse gas mitigation strategy instead.

I’ve contributed small pieces to a couple of projects (PyWPS, I think maybe one line ages ago!) and PDAL (mostly docs). I’m also a member of the marketing committee and have an OGC membership - both of which I feel a bit guilty about because really, I haven’t pushed much along on either front.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

I accepted a nomination for this election because there is no representation on the board of OSGeo from the Oceania region. I hope to act as a kind of conduit for the visions of my (broad and diverse) region in terms of guiding OSGeo into a sustainable and equitable future.

I’m also here to learn - from the experience of working with a diverse distributed, and successful group.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I think right now I’d need to spend a lot of time learning the ropes before knowing about what to change. We can see which ropes need re-weaving, or if any new ropes need weaving, or which ropes should be un-woven as we go.

One key thing would be to spend time working on greenhouse gas mitigation programmes for conference travel - we’ve seen great enthusiasm for community-led, tangible programmes here in Oceania, I wonder if that exists worldwide. This may really fall to local organising committees in the end, I wonder how OSGeo can offer support?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

As a first-time board candidate I think learning the ropes will be plenty. Let's see which gaps need filling.

[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Election_2019]]

Election 2019 Candidate Manifestos

2019-11-20T10:29:09Z

Codrina: /* Any things that you would like to change or introduce */

A space for the candidates for [[Election 2019|election]] to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

== 1. Msilikale Msilanga, Tanzania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/msilanga/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Spatial Planner by professional, but i have been working as a consultant since 2011 focusing on Geospatial in Urban Resilience, GEO-ICT and community mapping. Since 2011, I have been working on projects in Tanzania and Mozambique as the way to help my community. As part of this, I have co-led the Ramani Huria community mapping project among others for Africa’s fastest growing city, Dar es Salaam. So far this has impacted over 3.5 million residents of the city providing basemaps and flood evacuation plans, while coordinating a consortium consisting Red Cross, local universities and Tanzanian government ministries and agencies.

=== My vision ===
To establish African and other cities in a globe that embrace a local and open approach to risk information that is openly and widely accessible through open data, open tools, open knowledge exchange.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* 2017: OSGeo Africa Member
* 2018: Co-Chair FOSS4G
* 2018: Co-Chair Geo4All Africa

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
To be one among the contributors in order to provide ideas and effective supports that has an impact on the global community.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encourage public goods, technologies platform, digital skills, risk information Services and Research.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Being only a board Member is good for me as will give me a chance to give all my Contributions.

== 2. Marie Anna Baovola, Madagascar ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/baovola/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am database manager at the Geographic and Hydrographic Institute of Madagascar. I lead the Madagascar OSGeo local chapter which still to be confirmed as official.

=== My vision ===
To contribute to the promotion of the use of free and open source software in geospatial especially in developing country.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Since 2014, I have encouraged my institution and universities to change progressively to open source tools. 
October 2017: attending FOSS4G Belgium 
August 2018: my first participation in FOSS4G 
September 2018: Became a charter member 
2019 : Still continue to spread the idea of the OSGeo promotion everywhere I go.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I am willing and understand open source and want to help people to involve into it more such as developers, users, academic and other communities. I would like to explore my potential through this new experience to become a board member.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
How could OSGeo help local community which contributes to OSGeo mission?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I would like to join the Public Geospatial Data Project; but any role can be interesting.

== 3. Astrid Emde, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/astrid-emde/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am part of the OSGeo board at the moment and would like to volunteer for another period.

I am from Cologne (Germany) and work in Bonn at WhereGroup as Seniour GIS Consultant.

I work with the OSGeo stack since many years now. Always curious to learn more and open for new technologies. My focus is on web mapping and PostgreSQL/PostGIS.

I love to use OSGeo software and build up projects with this stack and I also love to teach others how to use it.
I am involved in Mapbender and have collaborated with some of the OSGeo projects like MapServer, GeoServer, QGIS and PostGIS.

I am part of the OSGeoLive PSC and promote OSGeoLive wherever I can.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I am involved in OSGeo since many years and visited my first FOSS4G in 2006 in Lausanne with my collegues of CCGIS and gave a presentation about Fiona and Mapbender. It was a great event where I felt the spirit of the community and wanted to get more involved.

I am a Charter Member since 2010.

I am a regular contributor at global and regional FOSS4G conferences or other events like FOSSGIS [1], AGIT [2], INTERGEO [3], SotM [4]. I gave presentations and workshops on Mapbender, MapServer, QGIS, GeoServer, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, OSGeoLive and OSGeo.
It is a pleasure for me to introduce people to our great projects, get them involved and build up connections.

In 2017 I was elected to the OSGeo Board. I am the OSgeo Secretary. I was two years in the board now with a great team and would like to go on for another period.

; FOSSGIS e.V
I am also active in the FOSSGIS e.V. [5] which is the German language OSGeo Local Chapter. FOSSGIS represents the OSGeo and OpenStreetMap community which is great.

At FOSSGIS I organize community events and code sprints [6] and try to bring people together. I am also responsible for the twitter account and the webside news items.

FOSSGIS e.V organizes the annual FOSSGIS conference [1] with more than 500 participant. I was involved in the organizantion since more than ten years.

In 2016 we had FOSS4G in Bonn where I was also involved and was pleased to organize the FOSS4G code sprint [7].

; TIB Videos Archive
I am involved in the contact and workflow of publishing the videos from different conferences (FOSSGIS, FOSS4G) in the TIV AV portal [8]

; Marketing
I love booths, postcards, flyer and especially sticker as a great possibility of spreading our idea. That is why I try to organize material and an OSGeo booth at every event that I am involved in.

I am involved in OSGeo marketing since a long time.

; OSGeoLive
I am involved in OSGeoLive since many years. I added Mapbender to OSGeoLive in 2011. I am member of the OSGeoLive PSC. I am involved in the press releases, testing, documentation and translation. For many years I organized the printing of thousands of DVDs and later USB drives of OSGeoLive for conferences.

; Twitter
I take care of some twitter accounts like @osgeo, @osgeolive, @fossgis_ev, @fossgis_konf, @qgis_de, @mapbender and try to keep you informed.

; News items
I am backup on the OSGeo News editors team and support Jorge Sanz if needed.

; Mapbender
I am part of the Mapbender [9] team and a member of the PSC. I do trainings on Mapbender very often and set up solutions with Mapbender and the OSGeo stack during my work at WhereGroup Bonn. WhereGroup has a training academy called FOSS-Academy where I give several courses and spread the spirit of OSGeo & FOSSGIS.

[1] FOSSGIS Konferenz 2017 Passau https://www.fossgis.de/node/294
[2] AGIT OSGeo Park & Day https://www.fossgis.de/node/261
[3] INTERGEO OSGeo Park 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/node/303
[4] FrOSCon 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/wiki/FrOSCon_2017#Impressionen
[5] FOSSGIS e.V. http://fossgis.de
[6] FOSSGIS Hacking https://www.fossgis.de/node/299
[7] FOSS4G Code Sprint 2016 Bonn https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2016_Code_Sprint
[8] TIB AV Videoarchive https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/TIB
[9] Mapbender http://mapbender.org

=== My vision ===

Strengthen OSGeo and the visibility of our organization and promote open source software for geospatial and open data. Support the projects and community and collaborate with other organisations.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* go on with the work as OSGeo secretary and improve the work we did the last two years
* improve the visibility of the projects and local chapters and get people involved
* encourage new people & projects to join OSGeo
* discuss how OSGeo can get more visible f.e. at universities, events. Support students, travel grants, GSoC
* spend OSGeo money for OSGeo projects & events
* encourage more sponsors to support OSGeo
* marketing / spreading idea / make OSGeo visible at FOSS4G events
* get things done and documented and structured

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

I could go on representing OSGeo as OSGeo Secretary.

== 4. Helena Mitasova, USA ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/helena-mitasova/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Professor at the Center for Geospatial Analytics and Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, and lead the Geoforall Lab at NCSU (one of the founding labs).

=== My vision ===
Make the world a better place with open source geospatial: promote sustainable, long term use of open source through research and teaching.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
I have been on GRASS GIS development team since 1991 and I have been involved with OSGeo since its founding in 2006, first serving on committees (conference, education) and then on the board.
Since elected to the board I served as vice-president, working with geoforall initiative and managing partnerships through memoranda of understanding. I also work with my students contributing new methods, techniques and tools to GRASS GIS and developing and delivering workshops and courses - see our [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/publications.html publications]
and [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/courses.html courses]

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I would like to make sure that the OSGeo board provides effective support to the projects through resources for code and community sprints and many other activities.
I would also like to continue my previous work with geoforall and our MoU partners and provide a voice for academic community to help open source geospatial grow
new generation of passionate developers, users and community builders.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encouraging educational institutions not only to use FOSS4G but also increase the contributions at several levels - from educational material to the code. Also, I think that we may need to revisit the OSGeo website management issues to make sure it is always up to date and helps the community.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Coordination with geo4all initiative and working with partner organizations.

== 5. Vicky Vergara, Mexico ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/vicky-vergara/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am an experimenting person, perfectionist, a test freak, and lazy. (Maybe
you have not noticed the lazy part, but, I spend days, days and more days
to figure out if there is a fastest/better way to do a particular task, so
that when the task is done, its in seconds, instead of hours).

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Back in 2013, I was jobless then my only way to contribute, because of the use I was making of OSGeo projects, was to become a translator on pgRouting:

* July 25, 2013 [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21562472 I offered my self as translator] of pgrouting
** Note that I was new to everything: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21584629 comment about my ignorance]
* August 16, 2013: I was invited to contribute code to pgRouting: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/178#issuecomment-22802017 Invitation]
* August 23, 2013: My first code contribution [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/pull/185 the modifying 75 files Pull request].
* July 2015:
** Version 2.1.0 released
** OSGeo-GSoC mentor for pgRouting.
* September 2015: My first FOSS4G participation
* September 2015: Became a Charter member
* June 2017, I accepted to be part of PSC of OSGeoLive: [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/osgeolive/2017-June/012175.html Accepting statement]
* 2017 elections: I was nominated to be member of the Board of Directors, did not make it to the Board ;-)
* 2018: I still can do a lot, so I volunteered to be member of the System Administration Committee (SAC)
* 2018: I also volunteered for CRO, because as member of SAC and because I imagined
what the CRO where doing to handle the elections, and I thought I can do a lot to facilitate that Job.
* 2019: I still can do much more, I became member and co-chair of the Code of Conduct Committee.

=== My vision ===

'''The right to be the best one can be'''

* Who am I?
* What do I do?
* Am I the best of what I can be?
* Do I have a dream?
Those are questions that we can ask to ourselves.

Before I answer those questions, I think in society, everything starts with the family:
* My father gladly goes with me to events (gives me some family time).
* When on vacation on Paris with my mother, a brother and his wife. We met a colleague from OSGeoLive and
we had a great evening. (family time mixed with new family member time)
* One of my sons went to Argentina and volunteered on the reception desk on FOSS4G-Argentina 2017. (allows me family time)
* My other son is letting us use his AZURE code on transifex for OSGeoLive and on pgRouting.
* My husband, well what can I tell, he supported me a full year with my kid to study my masters, he
knows that I will do what I need to do to be the best of what I can be.
* My niece is doing the Spanish translations on OSGeoLive and on pgRouting and made a presentation on
FOSS4G Argentina 2019 about point clouds. (more family time)

I am a lucky person, my family is participating in what I do. I consider that my family
is doing all what they can do, so that my ''right to be the best I can be'' is fulfilled.
And my family is growing with OSGeo.

Now lets answer those questions:
* Who am I? I am Vicky. I was thought to be a fighter and not to give up.
* What do I do? I do whatever I need to do to make this world a better place.
* Am I the best of what I can be? No, as for tomorrow I want to be better than today.
* Do I have a dream? I want to make this world be a better place.

The best of all is that I have my family support.

OSGeo, is as small part of the society, but its an international part of it.
And we are part of OSGeo.

We don't have borders and the people are:
* members from everywhere,
* users who live in any country
* volunteers from any part of the world.

I have being one of the fortunate that has met many of them
* on FOSS4G events
* on code sprint events.
* some only thru video conference
* most of them by IRC/chat

I consider them as my heroes.

They give up:
* social time
* work opportunities
* and most important: family time
** I cheat, some family time I make up when taking a family member to an OSGeo event.

I feel blessed as I have, from some of those heroes of mine, their autograph, I am their FAN #1.

Here are the next questions as a charter member I ask:
* IS OSGeo helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Is OSGeo encouraging?
* IS OSGeo a safe place?

From my experience the answers to all questions is yes.

There might be limitations, for example of local cultural limitations:
A lady I met in India who is a student. Her father, who lives 300km away, forbids her
to go out of the campus, not even to the restaurant in 50 mts away, and she complies
to her father wishes. (I wonder if ever she will go to an international FOOS4G).

The reason that form my experience the answer is yes, is because when rephrasing the questions:
* Am I helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Am I encouraging?
* Am I a safe person?

I can answer, without a doubt, YES.

Am I doing enough?

That I don't think so, but I am trying to enforce the '''right to be the best on can be''' on our members, volunteers, users, etc.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* In general: promote the use and development of Free and Open Source Software
* In particular: promote the use and development of the OSGeo projects, OSGeo incubation and OSGeo community Free Open Source Software.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

Given my location and maternal language, the following points have a stronger implied emphasis to Latin America, but its not limited to this area.

''' Let the kitten be known'''

* Encourage developers to build open projects using OSGeo projects that can help communities from pot hole control to emergency plans, from planting trees to avoid forest deprivation, from Archaeology to Economics, etc.
* Promote the use of open source as tools, in particular OSGeo projects that give an ample variety of backend and frontend tools for systems development.
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to participate from simple tasks as translation up to code contributions on OSGeo Projects
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to create new OSGeo Community projects that can be used by local communities.
* I went to the OGP summit in Mexico 2015 https://www.opengovpartnership.org/ and I think there is a lot of possibilities for using OSGeo projects. Do more research, and maybe starting to see how my own country is advancing towards the openness and more details on how OSGeo can be/its being used.
* Support and encourage smaller open source projects to join OSGeo, and make OSGeo more valuable for them
* Reach out to Latin-American local chapters and encourage them to play an active role in OSGeo

'''Curiosity killed the cat'''

Normally people tend to see, what's going wrong, on things that are happening. What becomes difficult to observe is what is wrong that things/activities that should be going are not even started yet.

Lets not forget to think about why things are not happening.

* Why "[abc] is NOT [xyz] OSGeo".
* Why do some projects, do not start incubation?
* Why is there no local OSGeo chapter in, for example, Mexico?
* Why do we have mostly sponsors from North America and Europe?
* Why there are so few participation from Latin American countries in OSGeo even if they have conferences every year ... same for Japan actually.
* Why we only hear (and see) those, who raise their voice and shout out loud. But we miss to reach the silent majority?
* What causes the "inactivity"?
* Why ....

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===
* As an Economist, I don't want to handle money (It was by accident that I studied economics).
* Get things done! Solving issues and making decision.
* Ask: why? what? how?

== 6. Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
By day, I am a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at [http://www.terrasigna.com/ Terrasigna], a Romanian based SME, searching to improve by integrating data from non-traditional sources, such as the open data initiative. In the 10 years I’ve spent working, I focused on using open source solutions for geodata processing and visualisation, with a more recent spotlight on standardization and interoperability. By night, I am a loud advocate for open source solutions for geospatial and for the open (geo)data initiative worldwide.

=== My vision ===
[http://geo-spatial.org/ geo-spatial.org] - the Romanian OSGeo Local Chapter - and further along the way, the international OSGeo community, has been a crucial pillar of my life and personality. Joining geo-spatial.org as a young student, I have learned from them not only what GRASS and OpenLayers is, but also what it means to offer your time generously to your community, to share your knowledge and data (!) while you benefit from the knowledge and data from others, just as well as what it means to argue with elegance and kindness and to critique in a constructive way. In a more and more complex international climate, my vision is to foster and further expand, thought my activities and contributions, the OSGeo community as the environment where one, anyone, can grow, professionally and personally - just as I did and still do - where one can comfortable continue discussing the technical complexities of a new solution started online, over a beer, in a remote corner of the world at a FOSS4G event.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
10 years ago, when I was in my second year at the University of Bucharest, I stumbled upon a webpage, in Romanian (!) - geo-spatial.org - filled with geospatial articles, tutorials, book reviews etc. in a time when any information on related technical literature was scarce and expensive, that was if you were lucky enough to find any. Immediately, I joined the mailing list (one of the first I ever did) and then, boldly joined a hands-on workshop on web mapping some months later. And I never left the group. It was my very first encounter with open source, but equally important, it was the first time I had ever met people that would openly and happily, within no official framework, spend their free time and resources to share their knowledge with strangers, lead by the belief that together we can do more, we can do better. The impact was incisive. Years passed and from the student in the auditorium, I slowly transitioned to presenting my work and giving my own hands-on workshops. Today, I humbly serve geo-spatial.org as vice-president.
My active contribution to OSGeo came, of course, via geo-spatial.org. After I participated at my first FOSS4G conference - Central Eastern Europe 2012 in Prague, in 2013, geo-spatial.org organised FOSS4G Central Eastern Europe in Bucharest and I was part of the active core of organisers. And what a wonderful, full of work and new experiences that time was! 2013 was also the year when I become a OSGeo Charter Member.
In 2015, I was the chair of the Open Data track at FOSS4G 2015 in Como, in 2016 I was part of the LOC for the global FOSS4G in Bonn. However, I believe that my biggest yet contribution to the community I’ve made in 2019, when I served as Chair of the Program Committee of FOSS4G 2019 Bucharest. It was by far the most substantial responsibility I have carried on behalf of OSGeo for the geospatial community and I am deeply honoured for the trust I have been invested with by my peers. Additionally, as I understand - including from a personal perspective - the intricacies in communication that can arise from cultural differences or diversity in all forms, I have supported organising side events at FOSS4G 2019 aimed at creating a welcoming environment - such as the [https://twitter.com/geospatialwomen Women in Geospatial] Bof and ‘[https://www.eventbrite.com/e/geochicas-take-bucharest-tickets-68740991155 Geochicas take over Bucharest!]’. Above all though, at the end of the day, what remains is the strong feeling of belonging to a community which values I share, which products - software - I use everyday and, most important, the feeling that I have too brought a contribution to its further development. And I am not done, as I have humbly and happily taken the role of Program Chair for FOSS4G Europe 2020.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I find that the open source for geospatial ecosystem is mature from the technical point of view, with robust solutions for each part of a generic geospatial workflow - from data storage and management, to processing to visualisations. I also believe that the OSGeo community has reached a stable and mature point - the numbers of participants to the global FOSS4Gs (approximately 1000 people) together with the many regional events stand proof of that reality. Yet, even within this well shaped context, open source for geospatial has not fully breached into important sectors for our everyday lives, such as the public sector, no matter the level. These are conclusions I have formed over the last 3 years, while being involved, through my daytime job, into organisations such as [http://earsc.org/ The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies] - where I’ve coordinated their Open Source Initiative - and the [http://www.bdva.eu/ European Big Data Value Association] - where I’ve been coordinating the Earth Observation working group - as well as working in various projects with institutions such as the European Space Agency. I believe efforts should be made in that direction and I see OSGeo - as an organisation - as the leading figure that can take upon itself the role of opening these front lines with a more coordinated effort.
Why do I think this is important? There are several reasons, but there are 2 that I consider worth mentioning here (1) because, in sectors such as the public one, openness is crucial, including the technical aspects of their activities and (2) because I believe that introducing open source for geospatial in these types of mainstream would prove beneficial for the entire community, maybe even in terms of financial aspects on the long run.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
I am keen in investing my time spent working within OSGeo as to bring this community, its values and principles, its activities and solutions closer to my part of the world, as well as to Europe. I also believe that together we accomplish more, so I am interested in developing synergies with other communities that use geospatial knowledge in their activities - and who doesn’t love a map, right? Over the years, I had the pleasure of working with organisations such as the [https://okfn.org/ Open Knowledge Foundation] for various projects, like the [https://index.okfn.org/ Global Open Data Index] or the [https://blog.okfn.org/2019/03/05/how-open-is-government-data-in-africa/ Africa Open Data Index], and I always wondered how was it possible that collaborations weren’t already happing as we had so much in common, from values and principles to technical challenges and drives.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 7. Till Adams, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/till-adams/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
(Facts: See OSGeo-profile.) I am a long term member of the OSGeo community and started my first projects with a UMN version "3.something" in the early 2000's, but I am even longer convinced, that the Free&Open Source Software way is the right way to go. In my work life, I had the chance of participate on most of the global FOSS4G conferences up now, and it teached me one thing: There is a special spirit, that distinguishes us from all other GIS or non-GIS conferences in the world.

In 2016 I had the luck to chair the global FOSS4G conference in Bonn. We, the whole local team, put a lot of passion into the preparation and everything we did, was done by us, so no professional conference-agency told us, how to run our conference. I think, that most of the people that joined us here in Bonn felt this special spirit, that was evoked by our motto "building bridges".

Present, I chair of OSGeo's conference committee (in case you vote me on the board, I will step back as CC-chair, of course, although I thought about stepping back after 3 years anyhow and free the seat for new energy ;-)).

Personally I am interested in cooking, food in general, traveling, soccer and of course spending time with nice people. I am married and we have one son (15).

=== My vision ===
For me the OSGeo community is a special group of individuals and the way we meet other members or people and the way we interact with each other is certainly not unique, but it is special - I mean positively special :-).
There have been two mottos in past FOSS4G conferences, that I appreciated very much and that describe quite well my vision and my way of thinking: "Building Bridges" and "Leave no one behind".

On the one hand, I am convinced, that we as OSGeo have already reached a status, that can make us proud. On the other hand, I see a lot of challenges, which we should face to in the future: Beside some global challenges, I can imagine of equal opportunities, participation, sharing of knowledge, e.g..
One answer could be: Build bridges! "Building bridges" in this context means, strengthening the internal communication in our community, reaching out to (potential) new members, but also establish new or maintenance of existing relationships to other communities and people.

"Leave no one behind" is a wide topic, that not only affects us in OSGeo, but on which we certainly could focus on more, than just having a Travel Grant Programme (which was established by the Conference Committee in recent years and which is a great thing!). In order to strengthen our community towards this topic, I can imagine activities, that help us to share our knowledge, mentoring programms, partnerships among organisaitons or companies, ... (e.g.). This all could help to transfer knowledge among members inside and outside our community.

All together, we have a well established community, that is able to build these bridges and where every single member is willing to help to leave no one behind, so let's go!

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Beside having had a lot of fun on meetings, conferences, code sprints or whatever, when I list this up, there are quite a few things I did in the past:

* regular visits of FOSS4G events with a countless number of talks (including 2 keynotes, FOSSGIS 2015 & SOTM SEE 2019)
* OSGeo charter member
* co-initiator of local OSGeo chapter FOSSGIS and FOSSGIS conference since 2004
* board member of FOSSGIS from 2014 to 2019
* co-founder and board member of OSGeo's european local chapter
* chair of global FOSS4G conference 2016
* since 2016 chair of OSGeo's conference committee (which I will quit in case of becoming a member of the board)
* member of programm committee and/or organizing committee of numerous FOSSGIS conferences and/or code-sprints
* co-initiator of becoming the actinia project under the umbrella of OSGeo (as community project)
* established 2 companies (terrestris/mundialis) that contribute to and work with OSGeo-software, that today give ~ 30 people an umbrella

But the most important thing is: I met a lot of people all over the world.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
Of course I support completely the general ideas, ideals and goals of OSGeo and I could state to promote them here, and of course I will, but:

Looking back, I can say, that this community has given me a lot, not only for my job or for my companies, but also privately. When I only imagine all the people I met in the past 15 years. So it's time to give something back to the community. With my candidacy, I offer to support the board, the community or even simpler - "us" with my experience, my ideas, my network and my passion. Maybe also my work as agile coach may help us to see some things from different perspectives and helps us in general, to strengthen and even improve our methods, processes and behaviour.

There is always the possibility to improve!

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
In our local chapter (FOSSGIS) we managed to get two of the leading Geo-communities under one umbrella: The german speaking OSGeo and OpenStreetMap-community. I'd like to contriibute that OSGeo can establish even more vivid interactions (although, I know there are already quite a few) to neighboured communities such as OSM, OpenData, other Free Software communities or maybe also to the Agile Community - to name just a few as examples... For this I can imagine to use my network for new contacts.

To make this more concrete: In Bonn I participate in a programm called "Geo-Mentoring Prgoramm", which is initiated by the cities administraiton. The idea is to bring newbiews and experienced persons (I claim to be that ;-)) together and to form a tandem with the aim to give the mentee (in this case the student) an orientation about the geoinformation market and to assist with advice and action. Why not work on establishing such means of support across our community (and also beyond Google Summer of Code...) ? Sharing is what we do in order to broaden our movement - to the benefit of all.

Another challenging topic is our rapid changing environment. I could imagine that of course we can do some concrete things towards saving energy and protect our environment. But this could and should be done by any community or organisation. One of the questions to answer could be:
"How can we contribute to solutions, that help to guide the consequences of climate change into manageable paths?"

Could we promote data, software or solutions that contribute to transparency, control, education or more general - (de)fin/d/ing an OSGeo position on how we want to position ourselves as a community in the context of global tasks, who push themselves more and more into our daily consciousness?
Being a visible part in this whole meachanism has the potential to open even more doors for our community - in sights of projects, connections, awareness, new members ...

Regarding these two topics above - yes, I know, that we as OSGeo live in a do-ocracy and of course, in order to work on the topics mentioned above, one does not necessarily have to be member of the board. However, I can imagine that it is easier to push and move things forward from there, and of course, these motions then have the potential to develop their own dynamics.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
* Regular incidental works, where I can support
* As my background is more from a business-perspective and in my eyes, business or better companies in our environment are one important part, as they put a lot of (direct or indirect) support into our projects and OSGeo, I can imagine to especially support
** established companies in networking (i.e. AFAIK at FOSS4G in Bonn, we had the first B2B meeting)
** help startups with OSGeo-focus to find their way (partners, mentors, advice, ...)

== 8. Nicolas Bozon, France ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/nicolas-bozon/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

=== My vision ===

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 9. Adam Steer, Australia ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/steer/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

I have a diverse career/life history, so this could be really long - but I’ll make it short. I’ve been putting data on maps for a long time; and fell naturally to open source software to accomplish that task. Much later, I realised there’s this whole support system behind the stuff I downloaded and used - and now, since I’m not a software engineer and usually would probably make the software worse if I tried, I try to give back by helping that support system to thrive however I can.

My technical world is focussed on airborne remote sensing - lidar and imagery. Outside of technical stuff, I like to adventure and consider deeply how we interact with our planet and each other. And sometimes destroy good songs on a guitar.

I live in Australia, usually someplace around the southeast corner. I right now operate my own consultancy, and get to work from home or wherever - which is an amazing privilege.

=== My vision ===

OSGeo blends a pile of theoretical fields, rigorous engineering practice and community; bonded together by the desire to make sense of space around us and create tools which can be freely given for others to do the same in ways which make sense to them. It provides an entrypoint - an easy on-ramp - for anyone to learn about coding; or learn about geospatial stuff; or learn about developing a community. Or all of the above!

This was the special sauce has been so attractive to me, and why I’ve devoted a pile of time to helping grow an open geospatial community in Oceania.

My vision is pretty much ‘keep doing that’, coupled with ‘listen a lot’, and ‘go out of our way to invite people in’.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I’ve attended and spoken or facilitated workshops at FOSS4G conferences in 2016,17,18, and 2019. I consider this a huge privilege - so thanks also to this community for your support and trust!

In 2018 I led the sponsorship drive for the inaugural FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference; and also helped create some programmes to specifically fund inclusivity initiatives. In 2019 I had to step back from programme leadership, and invested energy in a community based greenhouse gas mitigation strategy instead.

I’ve contributed small pieces to a couple of projects (PyWPS, I think maybe one line ages ago!) and PDAL (mostly docs). I’m also a member of the marketing committee and have an OGC membership - both of which I feel a bit guilty about because really, I haven’t pushed much along on either front.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

I accepted a nomination for this election because there is no representation on the board of OSGeo from the Oceania region. I hope to act as a kind of conduit for the visions of my (broad and diverse) region in terms of guiding OSGeo into a sustainable and equitable future.

I’m also here to learn - from the experience of working with a diverse distributed, and successful group.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I think right now I’d need to spend a lot of time learning the ropes before knowing about what to change. We can see which ropes need re-weaving, or if any new ropes need weaving, or which ropes should be un-woven as we go.

One key thing would be to spend time working on greenhouse gas mitigation programmes for conference travel - we’ve seen great enthusiasm for community-led, tangible programmes here in Oceania, I wonder if that exists worldwide. This may really fall to local organising committees in the end, I wonder how OSGeo can offer support?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

As a first-time board candidate I think learning the ropes will be plenty. Let's see which gaps need filling.

[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Election_2019]]

Election 2019 Candidate Manifestos

2019-11-20T10:07:48Z

Codrina: /* What your interests are in terms of the board */

A space for the candidates for [[Election 2019|election]] to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

== 1. Msilikale Msilanga, Tanzania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/msilanga/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Spatial Planner by professional, but i have been working as a consultant since 2011 focusing on Geospatial in Urban Resilience, GEO-ICT and community mapping. Since 2011, I have been working on projects in Tanzania and Mozambique as the way to help my community. As part of this, I have co-led the Ramani Huria community mapping project among others for Africa’s fastest growing city, Dar es Salaam. So far this has impacted over 3.5 million residents of the city providing basemaps and flood evacuation plans, while coordinating a consortium consisting Red Cross, local universities and Tanzanian government ministries and agencies.

=== My vision ===
To establish African and other cities in a globe that embrace a local and open approach to risk information that is openly and widely accessible through open data, open tools, open knowledge exchange.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* 2017: OSGeo Africa Member
* 2018: Co-Chair FOSS4G
* 2018: Co-Chair Geo4All Africa

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
To be one among the contributors in order to provide ideas and effective supports that has an impact on the global community.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encourage public goods, technologies platform, digital skills, risk information Services and Research.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Being only a board Member is good for me as will give me a chance to give all my Contributions.

== 2. Marie Anna Baovola, Madagascar ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/baovola/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am database manager at the Geographic and Hydrographic Institute of Madagascar. I lead the Madagascar OSGeo local chapter which still to be confirmed as official.

=== My vision ===
To contribute to the promotion of the use of free and open source software in geospatial especially in developing country.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Since 2014, I have encouraged my institution and universities to change progressively to open source tools. 
October 2017: attending FOSS4G Belgium 
August 2018: my first participation in FOSS4G 
September 2018: Became a charter member 
2019 : Still continue to spread the idea of the OSGeo promotion everywhere I go.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I am willing and understand open source and want to help people to involve into it more such as developers, users, academic and other communities. I would like to explore my potential through this new experience to become a board member.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
How could OSGeo help local community which contributes to OSGeo mission?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I would like to join the Public Geospatial Data Project; but any role can be interesting.

== 3. Astrid Emde, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/astrid-emde/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am part of the OSGeo board at the moment and would like to volunteer for another period.

I am from Cologne (Germany) and work in Bonn at WhereGroup as Seniour GIS Consultant.

I work with the OSGeo stack since many years now. Always curious to learn more and open for new technologies. My focus is on web mapping and PostgreSQL/PostGIS.

I love to use OSGeo software and build up projects with this stack and I also love to teach others how to use it.
I am involved in Mapbender and have collaborated with some of the OSGeo projects like MapServer, GeoServer, QGIS and PostGIS.

I am part of the OSGeoLive PSC and promote OSGeoLive wherever I can.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I am involved in OSGeo since many years and visited my first FOSS4G in 2006 in Lausanne with my collegues of CCGIS and gave a presentation about Fiona and Mapbender. It was a great event where I felt the spirit of the community and wanted to get more involved.

I am a Charter Member since 2010.

I am a regular contributor at global and regional FOSS4G conferences or other events like FOSSGIS [1], AGIT [2], INTERGEO [3], SotM [4]. I gave presentations and workshops on Mapbender, MapServer, QGIS, GeoServer, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, OSGeoLive and OSGeo.
It is a pleasure for me to introduce people to our great projects, get them involved and build up connections.

In 2017 I was elected to the OSGeo Board. I am the OSgeo Secretary. I was two years in the board now with a great team and would like to go on for another period.

; FOSSGIS e.V
I am also active in the FOSSGIS e.V. [5] which is the German language OSGeo Local Chapter. FOSSGIS represents the OSGeo and OpenStreetMap community which is great.

At FOSSGIS I organize community events and code sprints [6] and try to bring people together. I am also responsible for the twitter account and the webside news items.

FOSSGIS e.V organizes the annual FOSSGIS conference [1] with more than 500 participant. I was involved in the organizantion since more than ten years.

In 2016 we had FOSS4G in Bonn where I was also involved and was pleased to organize the FOSS4G code sprint [7].

; TIB Videos Archive
I am involved in the contact and workflow of publishing the videos from different conferences (FOSSGIS, FOSS4G) in the TIV AV portal [8]

; Marketing
I love booths, postcards, flyer and especially sticker as a great possibility of spreading our idea. That is why I try to organize material and an OSGeo booth at every event that I am involved in.

I am involved in OSGeo marketing since a long time.

; OSGeoLive
I am involved in OSGeoLive since many years. I added Mapbender to OSGeoLive in 2011. I am member of the OSGeoLive PSC. I am involved in the press releases, testing, documentation and translation. For many years I organized the printing of thousands of DVDs and later USB drives of OSGeoLive for conferences.

; Twitter
I take care of some twitter accounts like @osgeo, @osgeolive, @fossgis_ev, @fossgis_konf, @qgis_de, @mapbender and try to keep you informed.

; News items
I am backup on the OSGeo News editors team and support Jorge Sanz if needed.

; Mapbender
I am part of the Mapbender [9] team and a member of the PSC. I do trainings on Mapbender very often and set up solutions with Mapbender and the OSGeo stack during my work at WhereGroup Bonn. WhereGroup has a training academy called FOSS-Academy where I give several courses and spread the spirit of OSGeo & FOSSGIS.

[1] FOSSGIS Konferenz 2017 Passau https://www.fossgis.de/node/294
[2] AGIT OSGeo Park & Day https://www.fossgis.de/node/261
[3] INTERGEO OSGeo Park 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/node/303
[4] FrOSCon 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/wiki/FrOSCon_2017#Impressionen
[5] FOSSGIS e.V. http://fossgis.de
[6] FOSSGIS Hacking https://www.fossgis.de/node/299
[7] FOSS4G Code Sprint 2016 Bonn https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2016_Code_Sprint
[8] TIB AV Videoarchive https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/TIB
[9] Mapbender http://mapbender.org

=== My vision ===

Strengthen OSGeo and the visibility of our organization and promote open source software for geospatial and open data. Support the projects and community and collaborate with other organisations.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* go on with the work as OSGeo secretary and improve the work we did the last two years
* improve the visibility of the projects and local chapters and get people involved
* encourage new people & projects to join OSGeo
* discuss how OSGeo can get more visible f.e. at universities, events. Support students, travel grants, GSoC
* spend OSGeo money for OSGeo projects & events
* encourage more sponsors to support OSGeo
* marketing / spreading idea / make OSGeo visible at FOSS4G events
* get things done and documented and structured

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

I could go on representing OSGeo as OSGeo Secretary.

== 4. Helena Mitasova, USA ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/helena-mitasova/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Professor at the Center for Geospatial Analytics and Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, and lead the Geoforall Lab at NCSU (one of the founding labs).

=== My vision ===
Make the world a better place with open source geospatial: promote sustainable, long term use of open source through research and teaching.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
I have been on GRASS GIS development team since 1991 and I have been involved with OSGeo since its founding in 2006, first serving on committees (conference, education) and then on the board.
Since elected to the board I served as vice-president, working with geoforall initiative and managing partnerships through memoranda of understanding. I also work with my students contributing new methods, techniques and tools to GRASS GIS and developing and delivering workshops and courses - see our [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/publications.html publications]
and [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/courses.html courses]

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I would like to make sure that the OSGeo board provides effective support to the projects through resources for code and community sprints and many other activities.
I would also like to continue my previous work with geoforall and our MoU partners and provide a voice for academic community to help open source geospatial grow
new generation of passionate developers, users and community builders.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encouraging educational institutions not only to use FOSS4G but also increase the contributions at several levels - from educational material to the code. Also, I think that we may need to revisit the OSGeo website management issues to make sure it is always up to date and helps the community.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Coordination with geo4all initiative and working with partner organizations.

== 5. Vicky Vergara, Mexico ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/vicky-vergara/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am an experimenting person, perfectionist, a test freak, and lazy. (Maybe
you have not noticed the lazy part, but, I spend days, days and more days
to figure out if there is a fastest/better way to do a particular task, so
that when the task is done, its in seconds, instead of hours).

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Back in 2013, I was jobless then my only way to contribute, because of the use I was making of OSGeo projects, was to become a translator on pgRouting:

* July 25, 2013 [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21562472 I offered my self as translator] of pgrouting
** Note that I was new to everything: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21584629 comment about my ignorance]
* August 16, 2013: I was invited to contribute code to pgRouting: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/178#issuecomment-22802017 Invitation]
* August 23, 2013: My first code contribution [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/pull/185 the modifying 75 files Pull request].
* July 2015:
** Version 2.1.0 released
** OSGeo-GSoC mentor for pgRouting.
* September 2015: My first FOSS4G participation
* September 2015: Became a Charter member
* June 2017, I accepted to be part of PSC of OSGeoLive: [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/osgeolive/2017-June/012175.html Accepting statement]
* 2017 elections: I was nominated to be member of the Board of Directors, did not make it to the Board ;-)
* 2018: I still can do a lot, so I volunteered to be member of the System Administration Committee (SAC)
* 2018: I also volunteered for CRO, because as member of SAC and because I imagined
what the CRO where doing to handle the elections, and I thought I can do a lot to facilitate that Job.
* 2019: I still can do much more, I became member and co-chair of the Code of Conduct Committee.

=== My vision ===

'''The right to be the best one can be'''

* Who am I?
* What do I do?
* Am I the best of what I can be?
* Do I have a dream?
Those are questions that we can ask to ourselves.

Before I answer those questions, I think in society, everything starts with the family:
* My father gladly goes with me to events (gives me some family time).
* When on vacation on Paris with my mother, a brother and his wife. We met a colleague from OSGeoLive and
we had a great evening. (family time mixed with new family member time)
* One of my sons went to Argentina and volunteered on the reception desk on FOSS4G-Argentina 2017. (allows me family time)
* My other son is letting us use his AZURE code on transifex for OSGeoLive and on pgRouting.
* My husband, well what can I tell, he supported me a full year with my kid to study my masters, he
knows that I will do what I need to do to be the best of what I can be.
* My niece is doing the Spanish translations on OSGeoLive and on pgRouting and made a presentation on
FOSS4G Argentina 2019 about point clouds. (more family time)

I am a lucky person, my family is participating in what I do. I consider that my family
is doing all what they can do, so that my ''right to be the best I can be'' is fulfilled.
And my family is growing with OSGeo.

Now lets answer those questions:
* Who am I? I am Vicky. I was thought to be a fighter and not to give up.
* What do I do? I do whatever I need to do to make this world a better place.
* Am I the best of what I can be? No, as for tomorrow I want to be better than today.
* Do I have a dream? I want to make this world be a better place.

The best of all is that I have my family support.

OSGeo, is as small part of the society, but its an international part of it.
And we are part of OSGeo.

We don't have borders and the people are:
* members from everywhere,
* users who live in any country
* volunteers from any part of the world.

I have being one of the fortunate that has met many of them
* on FOSS4G events
* on code sprint events.
* some only thru video conference
* most of them by IRC/chat

I consider them as my heroes.

They give up:
* social time
* work opportunities
* and most important: family time
** I cheat, some family time I make up when taking a family member to an OSGeo event.

I feel blessed as I have, from some of those heroes of mine, their autograph, I am their FAN #1.

Here are the next questions as a charter member I ask:
* IS OSGeo helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Is OSGeo encouraging?
* IS OSGeo a safe place?

From my experience the answers to all questions is yes.

There might be limitations, for example of local cultural limitations:
A lady I met in India who is a student. Her father, who lives 300km away, forbids her
to go out of the campus, not even to the restaurant in 50 mts away, and she complies
to her father wishes. (I wonder if ever she will go to an international FOOS4G).

The reason that form my experience the answer is yes, is because when rephrasing the questions:
* Am I helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Am I encouraging?
* Am I a safe person?

I can answer, without a doubt, YES.

Am I doing enough?

That I don't think so, but I am trying to enforce the '''right to be the best on can be''' on our members, volunteers, users, etc.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* In general: promote the use and development of Free and Open Source Software
* In particular: promote the use and development of the OSGeo projects, OSGeo incubation and OSGeo community Free Open Source Software.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

Given my location and maternal language, the following points have a stronger implied emphasis to Latin America, but its not limited to this area.

''' Let the kitten be known'''

* Encourage developers to build open projects using OSGeo projects that can help communities from pot hole control to emergency plans, from planting trees to avoid forest deprivation, from Archaeology to Economics, etc.
* Promote the use of open source as tools, in particular OSGeo projects that give an ample variety of backend and frontend tools for systems development.
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to participate from simple tasks as translation up to code contributions on OSGeo Projects
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to create new OSGeo Community projects that can be used by local communities.
* I went to the OGP summit in Mexico 2015 https://www.opengovpartnership.org/ and I think there is a lot of possibilities for using OSGeo projects. Do more research, and maybe starting to see how my own country is advancing towards the openness and more details on how OSGeo can be/its being used.
* Support and encourage smaller open source projects to join OSGeo, and make OSGeo more valuable for them
* Reach out to Latin-American local chapters and encourage them to play an active role in OSGeo

'''Curiosity killed the cat'''

Normally people tend to see, what's going wrong, on things that are happening. What becomes difficult to observe is what is wrong that things/activities that should be going are not even started yet.

Lets not forget to think about why things are not happening.

* Why "[abc] is NOT [xyz] OSGeo".
* Why do some projects, do not start incubation?
* Why is there no local OSGeo chapter in, for example, Mexico?
* Why do we have mostly sponsors from North America and Europe?
* Why there are so few participation from Latin American countries in OSGeo even if they have conferences every year ... same for Japan actually.
* Why we only hear (and see) those, who raise their voice and shout out loud. But we miss to reach the silent majority?
* What causes the "inactivity"?
* Why ....

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===
* As an Economist, I don't want to handle money (It was by accident that I studied economics).
* Get things done! Solving issues and making decision.
* Ask: why? what? how?

== 6. Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
By day, I am a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at [http://www.terrasigna.com/ Terrasigna], a Romanian based SME, searching to improve by integrating data from non-traditional sources, such as the open data initiative. In the 10 years I’ve spent working, I focused on using open source solutions for geodata processing and visualisation, with a more recent spotlight on standardization and interoperability. By night, I am a loud advocate for open source solutions for geospatial and for the open (geo)data initiative worldwide.

=== My vision ===
[http://geo-spatial.org/ geo-spatial.org] - the Romanian OSGeo Local Chapter - and further along the way, the international OSGeo community, has been a crucial pillar of my life and personality. Joining geo-spatial.org as a young student, I have learned from them not only what GRASS and OpenLayers is, but also what it means to offer your time generously to your community, to share your knowledge and data (!) while you benefit from the knowledge and data from others, just as well as what it means to argue with elegance and kindness and to critique in a constructive way. In a more and more complex international climate, my vision is to foster and further expand, thought my activities and contributions, the OSGeo community as the environment where one, anyone, can grow, professionally and personally - just as I did and still do - where one can comfortable continue discussing the technical complexities of a new solution started online, over a beer, in a remote corner of the world at a FOSS4G event.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
10 years ago, when I was in my second year at the University of Bucharest, I stumbled upon a webpage, in Romanian (!) - geo-spatial.org - filled with geospatial articles, tutorials, book reviews etc. in a time when any information on related technical literature was scarce and expensive, that was if you were lucky enough to find any. Immediately, I joined the mailing list (one of the first I ever did) and then, boldly joined a hands-on workshop on web mapping some months later. And I never left the group. It was my very first encounter with open source, but equally important, it was the first time I had ever met people that would openly and happily, within no official framework, spend their free time and resources to share their knowledge with strangers, lead by the belief that together we can do more, we can do better. The impact was incisive. Years passed and from the student in the auditorium, I slowly transitioned to presenting my work and giving my own hands-on workshops. Today, I humbly serve geo-spatial.org as vice-president.
My active contribution to OSGeo came, of course, via geo-spatial.org. After I participated at my first FOSS4G conference - Central Eastern Europe 2012 in Prague, in 2013, geo-spatial.org organised FOSS4G Central Eastern Europe in Bucharest and I was part of the active core of organisers. And what a wonderful, full of work and new experiences that time was! 2013 was also the year when I become a OSGeo Charter Member.
In 2015, I was the chair of the Open Data track at FOSS4G 2015 in Como, in 2016 I was part of the LOC for the global FOSS4G in Bonn. However, I believe that my biggest yet contribution to the community I’ve made in 2019, when I served as Chair of the Program Committee of FOSS4G 2019 Bucharest. It was by far the most substantial responsibility I have carried on behalf of OSGeo for the geospatial community and I am deeply honoured for the trust I have been invested with by my peers. Additionally, as I understand - including from a personal perspective - the intricacies in communication that can arise from cultural differences or diversity in all forms, I have supported organising side events at FOSS4G 2019 aimed at creating a welcoming environment - such as the [https://twitter.com/geospatialwomen Women in Geospatial] Bof and ‘[https://www.eventbrite.com/e/geochicas-take-bucharest-tickets-68740991155 Geochicas take over Bucharest!]’. Above all though, at the end of the day, what remains is the strong feeling of belonging to a community which values I share, which products - software - I use everyday and, most important, the feeling that I have too brought a contribution to its further development. And I am not done, as I have humbly and happily taken the role of Program Chair for FOSS4G Europe 2020.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I find that the open source for geospatial ecosystem is mature from the technical point of view, with robust solutions for each part of a generic geospatial workflow - from data storage and management, to processing to visualisations. I also believe that the OSGeo community has reached a stable and mature point - the numbers of participants to the global FOSS4Gs (approximately 1000 people) together with the many regional events stand proof of that reality. Yet, even within this well shaped context, open source for geospatial has not fully breached into important sectors for our everyday lives, such as the public sector, no matter the level. These are conclusions I have formed over the last 3 years, while being involved, through my daytime job, into organisations such as [http://earsc.org/ The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies] - where I’ve coordinated their Open Source Initiative - and the [http://www.bdva.eu/ European Big Data Value Association] - where I’ve been coordinating the Earth Observation working group - as well as working in various projects with institutions such as the European Space Agency. I believe efforts should be made in that direction and I see OSGeo - as an organisation - as the leading figure that can take upon itself the role of opening these front lines with a more coordinated effort.
Why do I think this is important? There are several reasons, but there are 2 that I consider worth mentioning here (1) because, in sectors such as the public one, openness is crucial, including the technical aspects of their activities and (2) because I believe that introducing open source for geospatial in these types of mainstream would prove beneficial for the entire community, maybe even in terms of financial aspects on the long run.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 7. Till Adams, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/till-adams/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
(Facts: See OSGeo-profile.) I am a long term member of the OSGeo community and started my first projects with a UMN version "3.something" in the early 2000's, but I am even longer convinced, that the Free&Open Source Software way is the right way to go. In my work life, I had the chance of participate on most of the global FOSS4G conferences up now, and it teached me one thing: There is a special spirit, that distinguishes us from all other GIS or non-GIS conferences in the world.

In 2016 I had the luck to chair the global FOSS4G conference in Bonn. We, the whole local team, put a lot of passion into the preparation and everything we did, was done by us, so no professional conference-agency told us, how to run our conference. I think, that most of the people that joined us here in Bonn felt this special spirit, that was evoked by our motto "building bridges".

Present, I chair of OSGeo's conference committee (in case you vote me on the board, I will step back as CC-chair, of course, although I thought about stepping back after 3 years anyhow and free the seat for new energy ;-)).

Personally I am interested in cooking, food in general, traveling, soccer and of course spending time with nice people. I am married and we have one son (15).

=== My vision ===
For me the OSGeo community is a special group of individuals and the way we meet other members or people and the way we interact with each other is certainly not unique, but it is special - I mean positively special :-).
There have been two mottos in past FOSS4G conferences, that I appreciated very much and that describe quite well my vision and my way of thinking: "Building Bridges" and "Leave no one behind".

On the one hand, I am convinced, that we as OSGeo have already reached a status, that can make us proud. On the other hand, I see a lot of challenges, which we should face to in the future: Beside some global challenges, I can imagine of equal opportunities, participation, sharing of knowledge, e.g..
One answer could be: Build bridges! "Building bridges" in this context means, strengthening the internal communication in our community, reaching out to (potential) new members, but also establish new or maintenance of existing relationships to other communities and people.

"Leave no one behind" is a wide topic, that not only affects us in OSGeo, but on which we certainly could focus on more, than just having a Travel Grant Programme (which was established by the Conference Committee in recent years and which is a great thing!). In order to strengthen our community towards this topic, I can imagine activities, that help us to share our knowledge, mentoring programms, partnerships among organisaitons or companies, ... (e.g.). This all could help to transfer knowledge among members inside and outside our community.

All together, we have a well established community, that is able to build these bridges and where every single member is willing to help to leave no one behind, so let's go!

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Beside having had a lot of fun on meetings, conferences, code sprints or whatever, when I list this up, there are quite a few things I did in the past:

* regular visits of FOSS4G events with a countless number of talks (including 2 keynotes, FOSSGIS 2015 & SOTM SEE 2019)
* OSGeo charter member
* co-initiator of local OSGeo chapter FOSSGIS and FOSSGIS conference since 2004
* board member of FOSSGIS from 2014 to 2019
* co-founder and board member of OSGeo's european local chapter
* chair of global FOSS4G conference 2016
* since 2016 chair of OSGeo's conference committee (which I will quit in case of becoming a member of the board)
* member of programm committee and/or organizing committee of numerous FOSSGIS conferences and/or code-sprints
* co-initiator of becoming the actinia project under the umbrella of OSGeo (as community project)
* established 2 companies (terrestris/mundialis) that contribute to and work with OSGeo-software, that today give ~ 30 people an umbrella

But the most important thing is: I met a lot of people all over the world.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
Of course I support completely the general ideas, ideals and goals of OSGeo and I could state to promote them here, and of course I will, but:

Looking back, I can say, that this community has given me a lot, not only for my job or for my companies, but also privately. When I only imagine all the people I met in the past 15 years. So it's time to give something back to the community. With my candidacy, I offer to support the board, the community or even simpler - "us" with my experience, my ideas, my network and my passion. Maybe also my work as agile coach may help us to see some things from different perspectives and helps us in general, to strengthen and even improve our methods, processes and behaviour.

There is always the possibility to improve!

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
In our local chapter (FOSSGIS) we managed to get two of the leading Geo-communities under one umbrella: The german speaking OSGeo and OpenStreetMap-community. I'd like to contriibute that OSGeo can establish even more vivid interactions (although, I know there are already quite a few) to neighboured communities such as OSM, OpenData, other Free Software communities or maybe also to the Agile Community - to name just a few as examples... For this I can imagine to use my network for new contacts.

To make this more concrete: In Bonn I participate in a programm called "Geo-Mentoring Prgoramm", which is initiated by the cities administraiton. The idea is to bring newbiews and experienced persons (I claim to be that ;-)) together and to form a tandem with the aim to give the mentee (in this case the student) an orientation about the geoinformation market and to assist with advice and action. Why not work on establishing such means of support across our community (and also beyond Google Summer of Code...) ? Sharing is what we do in order to broaden our movement - to the benefit of all.

Another challenging topic is our rapid changing environment. I could imagine that of course we can do some concrete things towards saving energy and protect our environment. But this could and should be done by any community or organisation. One of the questions to answer could be:
"How can we contribute to solutions, that help to guide the consequences of climate change into manageable paths?"

Could we promote data, software or solutions that contribute to transparency, control, education or more general - (de)fin/d/ing an OSGeo position on how we want to position ourselves as a community in the context of global tasks, who push themselves more and more into our daily consciousness?
Being a visible part in this whole meachanism has the potential to open even more doors for our community - in sights of projects, connections, awareness, new members ...

Regarding these two topics above - yes, I know, that we as OSGeo live in a do-ocracy and of course, in order to work on the topics mentioned above, one does not necessarily have to be member of the board. However, I can imagine that it is easier to push and move things forward from there, and of course, these motions then have the potential to develop their own dynamics.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
* Regular incidental works, where I can support
* As my background is more from a business-perspective and in my eyes, business or better companies in our environment are one important part, as they put a lot of (direct or indirect) support into our projects and OSGeo, I can imagine to especially support
** established companies in networking (i.e. AFAIK at FOSS4G in Bonn, we had the first B2B meeting)
** help startups with OSGeo-focus to find their way (partners, mentors, advice, ...)

== 8. Nicolas Bozon, France ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/nicolas-bozon/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

=== My vision ===

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 9. Adam Steer, Australia ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/steer/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

I have a diverse career/life history, so this could be really long - but I’ll make it short. I’ve been putting data on maps for a long time; and fell naturally to open source software to accomplish that task. Much later, I realised there’s this whole support system behind the stuff I downloaded and used - and now, since I’m not a software engineer and usually would probably make the software worse if I tried, I try to give back by helping that support system to thrive however I can.

My technical world is focussed on airborne remote sensing - lidar and imagery. Outside of technical stuff, I like to adventure and consider deeply how we interact with our planet and each other. And sometimes destroy good songs on a guitar.

I live in Australia, usually someplace around the southeast corner. I right now operate my own consultancy, and get to work from home or wherever - which is an amazing privilege.

=== My vision ===

OSGeo blends a pile of theoretical fields, rigorous engineering practice and community; bonded together by the desire to make sense of space around us and create tools which can be freely given for others to do the same in ways which make sense to them. It provides an entrypoint - an easy on-ramp - for anyone to learn about coding; or learn about geospatial stuff; or learn about developing a community. Or all of the above!

This was the special sauce has been so attractive to me, and why I’ve devoted a pile of time to helping grow an open geospatial community in Oceania.

My vision is pretty much ‘keep doing that’, coupled with ‘listen a lot’, and ‘go out of our way to invite people in’.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I’ve attended and spoken or facilitated workshops at FOSS4G conferences in 2016,17,18, and 2019. I consider this a huge privilege - so thanks also to this community for your support and trust!

In 2018 I led the sponsorship drive for the inaugural FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference; and also helped create some programmes to specifically fund inclusivity initiatives. In 2019 I had to step back from programme leadership, and invested energy in a community based greenhouse gas mitigation strategy instead.

I’ve contributed small pieces to a couple of projects (PyWPS, I think maybe one line ages ago!) and PDAL (mostly docs). I’m also a member of the marketing committee and have an OGC membership - both of which I feel a bit guilty about because really, I haven’t pushed much along on either front.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

I accepted a nomination for this election because there is no representation on the board of OSGeo from the Oceania region. I hope to act as a kind of conduit for the visions of my (broad and diverse) region in terms of guiding OSGeo into a sustainable and equitable future.

I’m also here to learn - from the experience of working with a diverse distributed, and successful group.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I think right now I’d need to spend a lot of time learning the ropes before knowing about what to change. We can see which ropes need re-weaving, or if any new ropes need weaving, or which ropes should be un-woven as we go.

One key thing would be to spend time working on greenhouse gas mitigation programmes for conference travel - we’ve seen great enthusiasm for community-led, tangible programmes here in Oceania, I wonder if that exists worldwide. This may really fall to local organising committees in the end, I wonder how OSGeo can offer support?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

As a first-time board candidate I think learning the ropes will be plenty. Let's see which gaps need filling.

[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Election_2019]]

Election 2019 Candidate Manifestos

2019-11-20T10:00:42Z

Codrina: /* What you have done within the community in the past */

A space for the candidates for [[Election 2019|election]] to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

== 1. Msilikale Msilanga, Tanzania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/msilanga/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Spatial Planner by professional, but i have been working as a consultant since 2011 focusing on Geospatial in Urban Resilience, GEO-ICT and community mapping. Since 2011, I have been working on projects in Tanzania and Mozambique as the way to help my community. As part of this, I have co-led the Ramani Huria community mapping project among others for Africa’s fastest growing city, Dar es Salaam. So far this has impacted over 3.5 million residents of the city providing basemaps and flood evacuation plans, while coordinating a consortium consisting Red Cross, local universities and Tanzanian government ministries and agencies.

=== My vision ===
To establish African and other cities in a globe that embrace a local and open approach to risk information that is openly and widely accessible through open data, open tools, open knowledge exchange.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* 2017: OSGeo Africa Member
* 2018: Co-Chair FOSS4G
* 2018: Co-Chair Geo4All Africa

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
To be one among the contributors in order to provide ideas and effective supports that has an impact on the global community.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encourage public goods, technologies platform, digital skills, risk information Services and Research.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Being only a board Member is good for me as will give me a chance to give all my Contributions.

== 2. Marie Anna Baovola, Madagascar ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/baovola/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am database manager at the Geographic and Hydrographic Institute of Madagascar. I lead the Madagascar OSGeo local chapter which still to be confirmed as official.

=== My vision ===
To contribute to the promotion of the use of free and open source software in geospatial especially in developing country.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Since 2014, I have encouraged my institution and universities to change progressively to open source tools. 
October 2017: attending FOSS4G Belgium 
August 2018: my first participation in FOSS4G 
September 2018: Became a charter member 
2019 : Still continue to spread the idea of the OSGeo promotion everywhere I go.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I am willing and understand open source and want to help people to involve into it more such as developers, users, academic and other communities. I would like to explore my potential through this new experience to become a board member.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
How could OSGeo help local community which contributes to OSGeo mission?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I would like to join the Public Geospatial Data Project; but any role can be interesting.

== 3. Astrid Emde, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/astrid-emde/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am part of the OSGeo board at the moment and would like to volunteer for another period.

I am from Cologne (Germany) and work in Bonn at WhereGroup as Seniour GIS Consultant.

I work with the OSGeo stack since many years now. Always curious to learn more and open for new technologies. My focus is on web mapping and PostgreSQL/PostGIS.

I love to use OSGeo software and build up projects with this stack and I also love to teach others how to use it.
I am involved in Mapbender and have collaborated with some of the OSGeo projects like MapServer, GeoServer, QGIS and PostGIS.

I am part of the OSGeoLive PSC and promote OSGeoLive wherever I can.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I am involved in OSGeo since many years and visited my first FOSS4G in 2006 in Lausanne with my collegues of CCGIS and gave a presentation about Fiona and Mapbender. It was a great event where I felt the spirit of the community and wanted to get more involved.

I am a Charter Member since 2010.

I am a regular contributor at global and regional FOSS4G conferences or other events like FOSSGIS [1], AGIT [2], INTERGEO [3], SotM [4]. I gave presentations and workshops on Mapbender, MapServer, QGIS, GeoServer, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, OSGeoLive and OSGeo.
It is a pleasure for me to introduce people to our great projects, get them involved and build up connections.

In 2017 I was elected to the OSGeo Board. I am the OSgeo Secretary. I was two years in the board now with a great team and would like to go on for another period.

; FOSSGIS e.V
I am also active in the FOSSGIS e.V. [5] which is the German language OSGeo Local Chapter. FOSSGIS represents the OSGeo and OpenStreetMap community which is great.

At FOSSGIS I organize community events and code sprints [6] and try to bring people together. I am also responsible for the twitter account and the webside news items.

FOSSGIS e.V organizes the annual FOSSGIS conference [1] with more than 500 participant. I was involved in the organizantion since more than ten years.

In 2016 we had FOSS4G in Bonn where I was also involved and was pleased to organize the FOSS4G code sprint [7].

; TIB Videos Archive
I am involved in the contact and workflow of publishing the videos from different conferences (FOSSGIS, FOSS4G) in the TIV AV portal [8]

; Marketing
I love booths, postcards, flyer and especially sticker as a great possibility of spreading our idea. That is why I try to organize material and an OSGeo booth at every event that I am involved in.

I am involved in OSGeo marketing since a long time.

; OSGeoLive
I am involved in OSGeoLive since many years. I added Mapbender to OSGeoLive in 2011. I am member of the OSGeoLive PSC. I am involved in the press releases, testing, documentation and translation. For many years I organized the printing of thousands of DVDs and later USB drives of OSGeoLive for conferences.

; Twitter
I take care of some twitter accounts like @osgeo, @osgeolive, @fossgis_ev, @fossgis_konf, @qgis_de, @mapbender and try to keep you informed.

; News items
I am backup on the OSGeo News editors team and support Jorge Sanz if needed.

; Mapbender
I am part of the Mapbender [9] team and a member of the PSC. I do trainings on Mapbender very often and set up solutions with Mapbender and the OSGeo stack during my work at WhereGroup Bonn. WhereGroup has a training academy called FOSS-Academy where I give several courses and spread the spirit of OSGeo & FOSSGIS.

[1] FOSSGIS Konferenz 2017 Passau https://www.fossgis.de/node/294
[2] AGIT OSGeo Park & Day https://www.fossgis.de/node/261
[3] INTERGEO OSGeo Park 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/node/303
[4] FrOSCon 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/wiki/FrOSCon_2017#Impressionen
[5] FOSSGIS e.V. http://fossgis.de
[6] FOSSGIS Hacking https://www.fossgis.de/node/299
[7] FOSS4G Code Sprint 2016 Bonn https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2016_Code_Sprint
[8] TIB AV Videoarchive https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/TIB
[9] Mapbender http://mapbender.org

=== My vision ===

Strengthen OSGeo and the visibility of our organization and promote open source software for geospatial and open data. Support the projects and community and collaborate with other organisations.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* go on with the work as OSGeo secretary and improve the work we did the last two years
* improve the visibility of the projects and local chapters and get people involved
* encourage new people & projects to join OSGeo
* discuss how OSGeo can get more visible f.e. at universities, events. Support students, travel grants, GSoC
* spend OSGeo money for OSGeo projects & events
* encourage more sponsors to support OSGeo
* marketing / spreading idea / make OSGeo visible at FOSS4G events
* get things done and documented and structured

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

I could go on representing OSGeo as OSGeo Secretary.

== 4. Helena Mitasova, USA ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/helena-mitasova/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Professor at the Center for Geospatial Analytics and Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, and lead the Geoforall Lab at NCSU (one of the founding labs).

=== My vision ===
Make the world a better place with open source geospatial: promote sustainable, long term use of open source through research and teaching.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
I have been on GRASS GIS development team since 1991 and I have been involved with OSGeo since its founding in 2006, first serving on committees (conference, education) and then on the board.
Since elected to the board I served as vice-president, working with geoforall initiative and managing partnerships through memoranda of understanding. I also work with my students contributing new methods, techniques and tools to GRASS GIS and developing and delivering workshops and courses - see our [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/publications.html publications]
and [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/courses.html courses]

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I would like to make sure that the OSGeo board provides effective support to the projects through resources for code and community sprints and many other activities.
I would also like to continue my previous work with geoforall and our MoU partners and provide a voice for academic community to help open source geospatial grow
new generation of passionate developers, users and community builders.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encouraging educational institutions not only to use FOSS4G but also increase the contributions at several levels - from educational material to the code. Also, I think that we may need to revisit the OSGeo website management issues to make sure it is always up to date and helps the community.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Coordination with geo4all initiative and working with partner organizations.

== 5. Vicky Vergara, Mexico ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/vicky-vergara/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am an experimenting person, perfectionist, a test freak, and lazy. (Maybe
you have not noticed the lazy part, but, I spend days, days and more days
to figure out if there is a fastest/better way to do a particular task, so
that when the task is done, its in seconds, instead of hours).

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Back in 2013, I was jobless then my only way to contribute, because of the use I was making of OSGeo projects, was to become a translator on pgRouting:

* July 25, 2013 [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21562472 I offered my self as translator] of pgrouting
** Note that I was new to everything: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21584629 comment about my ignorance]
* August 16, 2013: I was invited to contribute code to pgRouting: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/178#issuecomment-22802017 Invitation]
* August 23, 2013: My first code contribution [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/pull/185 the modifying 75 files Pull request].
* July 2015:
** Version 2.1.0 released
** OSGeo-GSoC mentor for pgRouting.
* September 2015: My first FOSS4G participation
* September 2015: Became a Charter member
* June 2017, I accepted to be part of PSC of OSGeoLive: [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/osgeolive/2017-June/012175.html Accepting statement]
* 2017 elections: I was nominated to be member of the Board of Directors, did not make it to the Board ;-)
* 2018: I still can do a lot, so I volunteered to be member of the System Administration Committee (SAC)
* 2018: I also volunteered for CRO, because as member of SAC and because I imagined
what the CRO where doing to handle the elections, and I thought I can do a lot to facilitate that Job.
* 2019: I still can do much more, I became member and co-chair of the Code of Conduct Committee.

=== My vision ===

'''The right to be the best one can be'''

* Who am I?
* What do I do?
* Am I the best of what I can be?
* Do I have a dream?
Those are questions that we can ask to ourselves.

Before I answer those questions, I think in society, everything starts with the family:
* My father gladly goes with me to events (gives me some family time).
* When on vacation on Paris with my mother, a brother and his wife. We met a colleague from OSGeoLive and
we had a great evening. (family time mixed with new family member time)
* One of my sons went to Argentina and volunteered on the reception desk on FOSS4G-Argentina 2017. (allows me family time)
* My other son is letting us use his AZURE code on transifex for OSGeoLive and on pgRouting.
* My husband, well what can I tell, he supported me a full year with my kid to study my masters, he
knows that I will do what I need to do to be the best of what I can be.
* My niece is doing the Spanish translations on OSGeoLive and on pgRouting and made a presentation on
FOSS4G Argentina 2019 about point clouds. (more family time)

I am a lucky person, my family is participating in what I do. I consider that my family
is doing all what they can do, so that my ''right to be the best I can be'' is fulfilled.
And my family is growing with OSGeo.

Now lets answer those questions:
* Who am I? I am Vicky. I was thought to be a fighter and not to give up.
* What do I do? I do whatever I need to do to make this world a better place.
* Am I the best of what I can be? No, as for tomorrow I want to be better than today.
* Do I have a dream? I want to make this world be a better place.

The best of all is that I have my family support.

OSGeo, is as small part of the society, but its an international part of it.
And we are part of OSGeo.

We don't have borders and the people are:
* members from everywhere,
* users who live in any country
* volunteers from any part of the world.

I have being one of the fortunate that has met many of them
* on FOSS4G events
* on code sprint events.
* some only thru video conference
* most of them by IRC/chat

I consider them as my heroes.

They give up:
* social time
* work opportunities
* and most important: family time
** I cheat, some family time I make up when taking a family member to an OSGeo event.

I feel blessed as I have, from some of those heroes of mine, their autograph, I am their FAN #1.

Here are the next questions as a charter member I ask:
* IS OSGeo helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Is OSGeo encouraging?
* IS OSGeo a safe place?

From my experience the answers to all questions is yes.

There might be limitations, for example of local cultural limitations:
A lady I met in India who is a student. Her father, who lives 300km away, forbids her
to go out of the campus, not even to the restaurant in 50 mts away, and she complies
to her father wishes. (I wonder if ever she will go to an international FOOS4G).

The reason that form my experience the answer is yes, is because when rephrasing the questions:
* Am I helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Am I encouraging?
* Am I a safe person?

I can answer, without a doubt, YES.

Am I doing enough?

That I don't think so, but I am trying to enforce the '''right to be the best on can be''' on our members, volunteers, users, etc.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* In general: promote the use and development of Free and Open Source Software
* In particular: promote the use and development of the OSGeo projects, OSGeo incubation and OSGeo community Free Open Source Software.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

Given my location and maternal language, the following points have a stronger implied emphasis to Latin America, but its not limited to this area.

''' Let the kitten be known'''

* Encourage developers to build open projects using OSGeo projects that can help communities from pot hole control to emergency plans, from planting trees to avoid forest deprivation, from Archaeology to Economics, etc.
* Promote the use of open source as tools, in particular OSGeo projects that give an ample variety of backend and frontend tools for systems development.
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to participate from simple tasks as translation up to code contributions on OSGeo Projects
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to create new OSGeo Community projects that can be used by local communities.
* I went to the OGP summit in Mexico 2015 https://www.opengovpartnership.org/ and I think there is a lot of possibilities for using OSGeo projects. Do more research, and maybe starting to see how my own country is advancing towards the openness and more details on how OSGeo can be/its being used.
* Support and encourage smaller open source projects to join OSGeo, and make OSGeo more valuable for them
* Reach out to Latin-American local chapters and encourage them to play an active role in OSGeo

'''Curiosity killed the cat'''

Normally people tend to see, what's going wrong, on things that are happening. What becomes difficult to observe is what is wrong that things/activities that should be going are not even started yet.

Lets not forget to think about why things are not happening.

* Why "[abc] is NOT [xyz] OSGeo".
* Why do some projects, do not start incubation?
* Why is there no local OSGeo chapter in, for example, Mexico?
* Why do we have mostly sponsors from North America and Europe?
* Why there are so few participation from Latin American countries in OSGeo even if they have conferences every year ... same for Japan actually.
* Why we only hear (and see) those, who raise their voice and shout out loud. But we miss to reach the silent majority?
* What causes the "inactivity"?
* Why ....

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===
* As an Economist, I don't want to handle money (It was by accident that I studied economics).
* Get things done! Solving issues and making decision.
* Ask: why? what? how?

== 6. Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
By day, I am a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at [http://www.terrasigna.com/ Terrasigna], a Romanian based SME, searching to improve by integrating data from non-traditional sources, such as the open data initiative. In the 10 years I’ve spent working, I focused on using open source solutions for geodata processing and visualisation, with a more recent spotlight on standardization and interoperability. By night, I am a loud advocate for open source solutions for geospatial and for the open (geo)data initiative worldwide.

=== My vision ===
[http://geo-spatial.org/ geo-spatial.org] - the Romanian OSGeo Local Chapter - and further along the way, the international OSGeo community, has been a crucial pillar of my life and personality. Joining geo-spatial.org as a young student, I have learned from them not only what GRASS and OpenLayers is, but also what it means to offer your time generously to your community, to share your knowledge and data (!) while you benefit from the knowledge and data from others, just as well as what it means to argue with elegance and kindness and to critique in a constructive way. In a more and more complex international climate, my vision is to foster and further expand, thought my activities and contributions, the OSGeo community as the environment where one, anyone, can grow, professionally and personally - just as I did and still do - where one can comfortable continue discussing the technical complexities of a new solution started online, over a beer, in a remote corner of the world at a FOSS4G event.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
10 years ago, when I was in my second year at the University of Bucharest, I stumbled upon a webpage, in Romanian (!) - geo-spatial.org - filled with geospatial articles, tutorials, book reviews etc. in a time when any information on related technical literature was scarce and expensive, that was if you were lucky enough to find any. Immediately, I joined the mailing list (one of the first I ever did) and then, boldly joined a hands-on workshop on web mapping some months later. And I never left the group. It was my very first encounter with open source, but equally important, it was the first time I had ever met people that would openly and happily, within no official framework, spend their free time and resources to share their knowledge with strangers, lead by the belief that together we can do more, we can do better. The impact was incisive. Years passed and from the student in the auditorium, I slowly transitioned to presenting my work and giving my own hands-on workshops. Today, I humbly serve geo-spatial.org as vice-president.
My active contribution to OSGeo came, of course, via geo-spatial.org. After I participated at my first FOSS4G conference - Central Eastern Europe 2012 in Prague, in 2013, geo-spatial.org organised FOSS4G Central Eastern Europe in Bucharest and I was part of the active core of organisers. And what a wonderful, full of work and new experiences that time was! 2013 was also the year when I become a OSGeo Charter Member.
In 2015, I was the chair of the Open Data track at FOSS4G 2015 in Como, in 2016 I was part of the LOC for the global FOSS4G in Bonn. However, I believe that my biggest yet contribution to the community I’ve made in 2019, when I served as Chair of the Program Committee of FOSS4G 2019 Bucharest. It was by far the most substantial responsibility I have carried on behalf of OSGeo for the geospatial community and I am deeply honoured for the trust I have been invested with by my peers. Additionally, as I understand - including from a personal perspective - the intricacies in communication that can arise from cultural differences or diversity in all forms, I have supported organising side events at FOSS4G 2019 aimed at creating a welcoming environment - such as the [https://twitter.com/geospatialwomen Women in Geospatial] Bof and ‘[https://www.eventbrite.com/e/geochicas-take-bucharest-tickets-68740991155 Geochicas take over Bucharest!]’. Above all though, at the end of the day, what remains is the strong feeling of belonging to a community which values I share, which products - software - I use everyday and, most important, the feeling that I have too brought a contribution to its further development. And I am not done, as I have humbly and happily taken the role of Program Chair for FOSS4G Europe 2020.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 7. Till Adams, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/till-adams/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
(Facts: See OSGeo-profile.) I am a long term member of the OSGeo community and started my first projects with a UMN version "3.something" in the early 2000's, but I am even longer convinced, that the Free&Open Source Software way is the right way to go. In my work life, I had the chance of participate on most of the global FOSS4G conferences up now, and it teached me one thing: There is a special spirit, that distinguishes us from all other GIS or non-GIS conferences in the world.

In 2016 I had the luck to chair the global FOSS4G conference in Bonn. We, the whole local team, put a lot of passion into the preparation and everything we did, was done by us, so no professional conference-agency told us, how to run our conference. I think, that most of the people that joined us here in Bonn felt this special spirit, that was evoked by our motto "building bridges".

Present, I chair of OSGeo's conference committee (in case you vote me on the board, I will step back as CC-chair, of course, although I thought about stepping back after 3 years anyhow and free the seat for new energy ;-)).

Personally I am interested in cooking, food in general, traveling, soccer and of course spending time with nice people. I am married and we have one son (15).

=== My vision ===
For me the OSGeo community is a special group of individuals and the way we meet other members or people and the way we interact with each other is certainly not unique, but it is special - I mean positively special :-).
There have been two mottos in past FOSS4G conferences, that I appreciated very much and that describe quite well my vision and my way of thinking: "Building Bridges" and "Leave no one behind".

On the one hand, I am convinced, that we as OSGeo have already reached a status, that can make us proud. On the other hand, I see a lot of challenges, which we should face to in the future: Beside some global challenges, I can imagine of equal opportunities, participation, sharing of knowledge, e.g..
One answer could be: Build bridges! "Building bridges" in this context means, strengthening the internal communication in our community, reaching out to (potential) new members, but also establish new or maintenance of existing relationships to other communities and people.

"Leave no one behind" is a wide topic, that not only affects us in OSGeo, but on which we certainly could focus on more, than just having a Travel Grant Programme (which was established by the Conference Committee in recent years and which is a great thing!). In order to strengthen our community towards this topic, I can imagine activities, that help us to share our knowledge, mentoring programms, partnerships among organisaitons or companies, ... (e.g.). This all could help to transfer knowledge among members inside and outside our community.

All together, we have a well established community, that is able to build these bridges and where every single member is willing to help to leave no one behind, so let's go!

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Beside having had a lot of fun on meetings, conferences, code sprints or whatever, when I list this up, there are quite a few things I did in the past:

* regular visits of FOSS4G events with a countless number of talks (including 2 keynotes, FOSSGIS 2015 & SOTM SEE 2019)
* OSGeo charter member
* co-initiator of local OSGeo chapter FOSSGIS and FOSSGIS conference since 2004
* board member of FOSSGIS from 2014 to 2019
* co-founder and board member of OSGeo's european local chapter
* chair of global FOSS4G conference 2016
* since 2016 chair of OSGeo's conference committee (which I will quit in case of becoming a member of the board)
* member of programm committee and/or organizing committee of numerous FOSSGIS conferences and/or code-sprints
* co-initiator of becoming the actinia project under the umbrella of OSGeo (as community project)
* established 2 companies (terrestris/mundialis) that contribute to and work with OSGeo-software, that today give ~ 30 people an umbrella

But the most important thing is: I met a lot of people all over the world.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
Of course I support completely the general ideas, ideals and goals of OSGeo and I could state to promote them here, and of course I will, but:

Looking back, I can say, that this community has given me a lot, not only for my job or for my companies, but also privately. When I only imagine all the people I met in the past 15 years. So it's time to give something back to the community. With my candidacy, I offer to support the board, the community or even simpler - "us" with my experience, my ideas, my network and my passion. Maybe also my work as agile coach may help us to see some things from different perspectives and helps us in general, to strengthen and even improve our methods, processes and behaviour.

There is always the possibility to improve!

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
In our local chapter (FOSSGIS) we managed to get two of the leading Geo-communities under one umbrella: The german speaking OSGeo and OpenStreetMap-community. I'd like to contriibute that OSGeo can establish even more vivid interactions (although, I know there are already quite a few) to neighboured communities such as OSM, OpenData, other Free Software communities or maybe also to the Agile Community - to name just a few as examples... For this I can imagine to use my network for new contacts.

To make this more concrete: In Bonn I participate in a programm called "Geo-Mentoring Prgoramm", which is initiated by the cities administraiton. The idea is to bring newbiews and experienced persons (I claim to be that ;-)) together and to form a tandem with the aim to give the mentee (in this case the student) an orientation about the geoinformation market and to assist with advice and action. Why not work on establishing such means of support across our community (and also beyond Google Summer of Code...) ? Sharing is what we do in order to broaden our movement - to the benefit of all.

Another challenging topic is our rapid changing environment. I could imagine that of course we can do some concrete things towards saving energy and protect our environment. But this could and should be done by any community or organisation. One of the questions to answer could be:
"How can we contribute to solutions, that help to guide the consequences of climate change into manageable paths?"

Could we promote data, software or solutions that contribute to transparency, control, education or more general - (de)fin/d/ing an OSGeo position on how we want to position ourselves as a community in the context of global tasks, who push themselves more and more into our daily consciousness?
Being a visible part in this whole meachanism has the potential to open even more doors for our community - in sights of projects, connections, awareness, new members ...

Regarding these two topics above - yes, I know, that we as OSGeo live in a do-ocracy and of course, in order to work on the topics mentioned above, one does not necessarily have to be member of the board. However, I can imagine that it is easier to push and move things forward from there, and of course, these motions then have the potential to develop their own dynamics.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
* Regular incidental works, where I can support
* As my background is more from a business-perspective and in my eyes, business or better companies in our environment are one important part, as they put a lot of (direct or indirect) support into our projects and OSGeo, I can imagine to especially support
** established companies in networking (i.e. AFAIK at FOSS4G in Bonn, we had the first B2B meeting)
** help startups with OSGeo-focus to find their way (partners, mentors, advice, ...)

== 8. Nicolas Bozon, France ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/nicolas-bozon/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

=== My vision ===

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 9. Adam Steer, Australia ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/steer/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

I have a diverse career/life history, so this could be really long - but I’ll make it short. I’ve been putting data on maps for a long time; and fell naturally to open source software to accomplish that task. Much later, I realised there’s this whole support system behind the stuff I downloaded and used - and now, since I’m not a software engineer and usually would probably make the software worse if I tried, I try to give back by helping that support system to thrive however I can.

My technical world is focussed on airborne remote sensing - lidar and imagery. Outside of technical stuff, I like to adventure and consider deeply how we interact with our planet and each other. And sometimes destroy good songs on a guitar.

I live in Australia, usually someplace around the southeast corner. I right now operate my own consultancy, and get to work from home or wherever - which is an amazing privilege.

=== My vision ===

OSGeo blends a pile of theoretical fields, rigorous engineering practice and community; bonded together by the desire to make sense of space around us and create tools which can be freely given for others to do the same in ways which make sense to them. It provides an entrypoint - an easy on-ramp - for anyone to learn about coding; or learn about geospatial stuff; or learn about developing a community. Or all of the above!

This was the special sauce has been so attractive to me, and why I’ve devoted a pile of time to helping grow an open geospatial community in Oceania.

My vision is pretty much ‘keep doing that’, coupled with ‘listen a lot’, and ‘go out of our way to invite people in’.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I’ve attended and spoken or facilitated workshops at FOSS4G conferences in 2016,17,18, and 2019. I consider this a huge privilege - so thanks also to this community for your support and trust!

In 2018 I led the sponsorship drive for the inaugural FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference; and also helped create some programmes to specifically fund inclusivity initiatives. In 2019 I had to step back from programme leadership, and invested energy in a community based greenhouse gas mitigation strategy instead.

I’ve contributed small pieces to a couple of projects (PyWPS, I think maybe one line ages ago!) and PDAL (mostly docs). I’m also a member of the marketing committee and have an OGC membership - both of which I feel a bit guilty about because really, I haven’t pushed much along on either front.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

I accepted a nomination for this election because there is no representation on the board of OSGeo from the Oceania region. I hope to act as a kind of conduit for the visions of my (broad and diverse) region in terms of guiding OSGeo into a sustainable and equitable future.

I’m also here to learn - from the experience of working with a diverse distributed, and successful group.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I think right now I’d need to spend a lot of time learning the ropes before knowing about what to change. We can see which ropes need re-weaving, or if any new ropes need weaving, or which ropes should be un-woven as we go.

One key thing would be to spend time working on greenhouse gas mitigation programmes for conference travel - we’ve seen great enthusiasm for community-led, tangible programmes here in Oceania, I wonder if that exists worldwide. This may really fall to local organising committees in the end, I wonder how OSGeo can offer support?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

As a first-time board candidate I think learning the ropes will be plenty. Let's see which gaps need filling.

[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Election_2019]]

Election 2019 Candidate Manifestos

2019-11-20T09:56:12Z

Codrina: /* My vision */

A space for the candidates for [[Election 2019|election]] to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

== 1. Msilikale Msilanga, Tanzania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/msilanga/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Spatial Planner by professional, but i have been working as a consultant since 2011 focusing on Geospatial in Urban Resilience, GEO-ICT and community mapping. Since 2011, I have been working on projects in Tanzania and Mozambique as the way to help my community. As part of this, I have co-led the Ramani Huria community mapping project among others for Africa’s fastest growing city, Dar es Salaam. So far this has impacted over 3.5 million residents of the city providing basemaps and flood evacuation plans, while coordinating a consortium consisting Red Cross, local universities and Tanzanian government ministries and agencies.

=== My vision ===
To establish African and other cities in a globe that embrace a local and open approach to risk information that is openly and widely accessible through open data, open tools, open knowledge exchange.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* 2017: OSGeo Africa Member
* 2018: Co-Chair FOSS4G
* 2018: Co-Chair Geo4All Africa

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
To be one among the contributors in order to provide ideas and effective supports that has an impact on the global community.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encourage public goods, technologies platform, digital skills, risk information Services and Research.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Being only a board Member is good for me as will give me a chance to give all my Contributions.

== 2. Marie Anna Baovola, Madagascar ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/baovola/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am database manager at the Geographic and Hydrographic Institute of Madagascar. I lead the Madagascar OSGeo local chapter which still to be confirmed as official.

=== My vision ===
To contribute to the promotion of the use of free and open source software in geospatial especially in developing country.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Since 2014, I have encouraged my institution and universities to change progressively to open source tools. 
October 2017: attending FOSS4G Belgium 
August 2018: my first participation in FOSS4G 
September 2018: Became a charter member 
2019 : Still continue to spread the idea of the OSGeo promotion everywhere I go.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I am willing and understand open source and want to help people to involve into it more such as developers, users, academic and other communities. I would like to explore my potential through this new experience to become a board member.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
How could OSGeo help local community which contributes to OSGeo mission?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I would like to join the Public Geospatial Data Project; but any role can be interesting.

== 3. Astrid Emde, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/astrid-emde/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am part of the OSGeo board at the moment and would like to volunteer for another period.

I am from Cologne (Germany) and work in Bonn at WhereGroup as Seniour GIS Consultant.

I work with the OSGeo stack since many years now. Always curious to learn more and open for new technologies. My focus is on web mapping and PostgreSQL/PostGIS.

I love to use OSGeo software and build up projects with this stack and I also love to teach others how to use it.
I am involved in Mapbender and have collaborated with some of the OSGeo projects like MapServer, GeoServer, QGIS and PostGIS.

I am part of the OSGeoLive PSC and promote OSGeoLive wherever I can.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I am involved in OSGeo since many years and visited my first FOSS4G in 2006 in Lausanne with my collegues of CCGIS and gave a presentation about Fiona and Mapbender. It was a great event where I felt the spirit of the community and wanted to get more involved.

I am a Charter Member since 2010.

I am a regular contributor at global and regional FOSS4G conferences or other events like FOSSGIS [1], AGIT [2], INTERGEO [3], SotM [4]. I gave presentations and workshops on Mapbender, MapServer, QGIS, GeoServer, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, OSGeoLive and OSGeo.
It is a pleasure for me to introduce people to our great projects, get them involved and build up connections.

In 2017 I was elected to the OSGeo Board. I am the OSgeo Secretary. I was two years in the board now with a great team and would like to go on for another period.

; FOSSGIS e.V
I am also active in the FOSSGIS e.V. [5] which is the German language OSGeo Local Chapter. FOSSGIS represents the OSGeo and OpenStreetMap community which is great.

At FOSSGIS I organize community events and code sprints [6] and try to bring people together. I am also responsible for the twitter account and the webside news items.

FOSSGIS e.V organizes the annual FOSSGIS conference [1] with more than 500 participant. I was involved in the organizantion since more than ten years.

In 2016 we had FOSS4G in Bonn where I was also involved and was pleased to organize the FOSS4G code sprint [7].

; TIB Videos Archive
I am involved in the contact and workflow of publishing the videos from different conferences (FOSSGIS, FOSS4G) in the TIV AV portal [8]

; Marketing
I love booths, postcards, flyer and especially sticker as a great possibility of spreading our idea. That is why I try to organize material and an OSGeo booth at every event that I am involved in.

I am involved in OSGeo marketing since a long time.

; OSGeoLive
I am involved in OSGeoLive since many years. I added Mapbender to OSGeoLive in 2011. I am member of the OSGeoLive PSC. I am involved in the press releases, testing, documentation and translation. For many years I organized the printing of thousands of DVDs and later USB drives of OSGeoLive for conferences.

; Twitter
I take care of some twitter accounts like @osgeo, @osgeolive, @fossgis_ev, @fossgis_konf, @qgis_de, @mapbender and try to keep you informed.

; News items
I am backup on the OSGeo News editors team and support Jorge Sanz if needed.

; Mapbender
I am part of the Mapbender [9] team and a member of the PSC. I do trainings on Mapbender very often and set up solutions with Mapbender and the OSGeo stack during my work at WhereGroup Bonn. WhereGroup has a training academy called FOSS-Academy where I give several courses and spread the spirit of OSGeo & FOSSGIS.

[1] FOSSGIS Konferenz 2017 Passau https://www.fossgis.de/node/294
[2] AGIT OSGeo Park & Day https://www.fossgis.de/node/261
[3] INTERGEO OSGeo Park 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/node/303
[4] FrOSCon 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/wiki/FrOSCon_2017#Impressionen
[5] FOSSGIS e.V. http://fossgis.de
[6] FOSSGIS Hacking https://www.fossgis.de/node/299
[7] FOSS4G Code Sprint 2016 Bonn https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2016_Code_Sprint
[8] TIB AV Videoarchive https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/TIB
[9] Mapbender http://mapbender.org

=== My vision ===

Strengthen OSGeo and the visibility of our organization and promote open source software for geospatial and open data. Support the projects and community and collaborate with other organisations.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* go on with the work as OSGeo secretary and improve the work we did the last two years
* improve the visibility of the projects and local chapters and get people involved
* encourage new people & projects to join OSGeo
* discuss how OSGeo can get more visible f.e. at universities, events. Support students, travel grants, GSoC
* spend OSGeo money for OSGeo projects & events
* encourage more sponsors to support OSGeo
* marketing / spreading idea / make OSGeo visible at FOSS4G events
* get things done and documented and structured

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

I could go on representing OSGeo as OSGeo Secretary.

== 4. Helena Mitasova, USA ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/helena-mitasova/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Professor at the Center for Geospatial Analytics and Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, and lead the Geoforall Lab at NCSU (one of the founding labs).

=== My vision ===
Make the world a better place with open source geospatial: promote sustainable, long term use of open source through research and teaching.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
I have been on GRASS GIS development team since 1991 and I have been involved with OSGeo since its founding in 2006, first serving on committees (conference, education) and then on the board.
Since elected to the board I served as vice-president, working with geoforall initiative and managing partnerships through memoranda of understanding. I also work with my students contributing new methods, techniques and tools to GRASS GIS and developing and delivering workshops and courses - see our [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/publications.html publications]
and [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/courses.html courses]

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I would like to make sure that the OSGeo board provides effective support to the projects through resources for code and community sprints and many other activities.
I would also like to continue my previous work with geoforall and our MoU partners and provide a voice for academic community to help open source geospatial grow
new generation of passionate developers, users and community builders.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encouraging educational institutions not only to use FOSS4G but also increase the contributions at several levels - from educational material to the code. Also, I think that we may need to revisit the OSGeo website management issues to make sure it is always up to date and helps the community.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Coordination with geo4all initiative and working with partner organizations.

== 5. Vicky Vergara, Mexico ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/vicky-vergara/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am an experimenting person, perfectionist, a test freak, and lazy. (Maybe
you have not noticed the lazy part, but, I spend days, days and more days
to figure out if there is a fastest/better way to do a particular task, so
that when the task is done, its in seconds, instead of hours).

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Back in 2013, I was jobless then my only way to contribute, because of the use I was making of OSGeo projects, was to become a translator on pgRouting:

* July 25, 2013 [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21562472 I offered my self as translator] of pgrouting
** Note that I was new to everything: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21584629 comment about my ignorance]
* August 16, 2013: I was invited to contribute code to pgRouting: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/178#issuecomment-22802017 Invitation]
* August 23, 2013: My first code contribution [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/pull/185 the modifying 75 files Pull request].
* July 2015:
** Version 2.1.0 released
** OSGeo-GSoC mentor for pgRouting.
* September 2015: My first FOSS4G participation
* September 2015: Became a Charter member
* June 2017, I accepted to be part of PSC of OSGeoLive: [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/osgeolive/2017-June/012175.html Accepting statement]
* 2017 elections: I was nominated to be member of the Board of Directors, did not make it to the Board ;-)
* 2018: I still can do a lot, so I volunteered to be member of the System Administration Committee (SAC)
* 2018: I also volunteered for CRO, because as member of SAC and because I imagined
what the CRO where doing to handle the elections, and I thought I can do a lot to facilitate that Job.
* 2019: I still can do much more, I became member and co-chair of the Code of Conduct Committee.

=== My vision ===

'''The right to be the best one can be'''

* Who am I?
* What do I do?
* Am I the best of what I can be?
* Do I have a dream?
Those are questions that we can ask to ourselves.

Before I answer those questions, I think in society, everything starts with the family:
* My father gladly goes with me to events (gives me some family time).
* When on vacation on Paris with my mother, a brother and his wife. We met a colleague from OSGeoLive and
we had a great evening. (family time mixed with new family member time)
* One of my sons went to Argentina and volunteered on the reception desk on FOSS4G-Argentina 2017. (allows me family time)
* My other son is letting us use his AZURE code on transifex for OSGeoLive and on pgRouting.
* My husband, well what can I tell, he supported me a full year with my kid to study my masters, he
knows that I will do what I need to do to be the best of what I can be.
* My niece is doing the Spanish translations on OSGeoLive and on pgRouting and made a presentation on
FOSS4G Argentina 2019 about point clouds. (more family time)

I am a lucky person, my family is participating in what I do. I consider that my family
is doing all what they can do, so that my ''right to be the best I can be'' is fulfilled.
And my family is growing with OSGeo.

Now lets answer those questions:
* Who am I? I am Vicky. I was thought to be a fighter and not to give up.
* What do I do? I do whatever I need to do to make this world a better place.
* Am I the best of what I can be? No, as for tomorrow I want to be better than today.
* Do I have a dream? I want to make this world be a better place.

The best of all is that I have my family support.

OSGeo, is as small part of the society, but its an international part of it.
And we are part of OSGeo.

We don't have borders and the people are:
* members from everywhere,
* users who live in any country
* volunteers from any part of the world.

I have being one of the fortunate that has met many of them
* on FOSS4G events
* on code sprint events.
* some only thru video conference
* most of them by IRC/chat

I consider them as my heroes.

They give up:
* social time
* work opportunities
* and most important: family time
** I cheat, some family time I make up when taking a family member to an OSGeo event.

I feel blessed as I have, from some of those heroes of mine, their autograph, I am their FAN #1.

Here are the next questions as a charter member I ask:
* IS OSGeo helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Is OSGeo encouraging?
* IS OSGeo a safe place?

From my experience the answers to all questions is yes.

There might be limitations, for example of local cultural limitations:
A lady I met in India who is a student. Her father, who lives 300km away, forbids her
to go out of the campus, not even to the restaurant in 50 mts away, and she complies
to her father wishes. (I wonder if ever she will go to an international FOOS4G).

The reason that form my experience the answer is yes, is because when rephrasing the questions:
* Am I helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Am I encouraging?
* Am I a safe person?

I can answer, without a doubt, YES.

Am I doing enough?

That I don't think so, but I am trying to enforce the '''right to be the best on can be''' on our members, volunteers, users, etc.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* In general: promote the use and development of Free and Open Source Software
* In particular: promote the use and development of the OSGeo projects, OSGeo incubation and OSGeo community Free Open Source Software.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

Given my location and maternal language, the following points have a stronger implied emphasis to Latin America, but its not limited to this area.

''' Let the kitten be known'''

* Encourage developers to build open projects using OSGeo projects that can help communities from pot hole control to emergency plans, from planting trees to avoid forest deprivation, from Archaeology to Economics, etc.
* Promote the use of open source as tools, in particular OSGeo projects that give an ample variety of backend and frontend tools for systems development.
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to participate from simple tasks as translation up to code contributions on OSGeo Projects
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to create new OSGeo Community projects that can be used by local communities.
* I went to the OGP summit in Mexico 2015 https://www.opengovpartnership.org/ and I think there is a lot of possibilities for using OSGeo projects. Do more research, and maybe starting to see how my own country is advancing towards the openness and more details on how OSGeo can be/its being used.
* Support and encourage smaller open source projects to join OSGeo, and make OSGeo more valuable for them
* Reach out to Latin-American local chapters and encourage them to play an active role in OSGeo

'''Curiosity killed the cat'''

Normally people tend to see, what's going wrong, on things that are happening. What becomes difficult to observe is what is wrong that things/activities that should be going are not even started yet.

Lets not forget to think about why things are not happening.

* Why "[abc] is NOT [xyz] OSGeo".
* Why do some projects, do not start incubation?
* Why is there no local OSGeo chapter in, for example, Mexico?
* Why do we have mostly sponsors from North America and Europe?
* Why there are so few participation from Latin American countries in OSGeo even if they have conferences every year ... same for Japan actually.
* Why we only hear (and see) those, who raise their voice and shout out loud. But we miss to reach the silent majority?
* What causes the "inactivity"?
* Why ....

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===
* As an Economist, I don't want to handle money (It was by accident that I studied economics).
* Get things done! Solving issues and making decision.
* Ask: why? what? how?

== 6. Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
By day, I am a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at [http://www.terrasigna.com/ Terrasigna], a Romanian based SME, searching to improve by integrating data from non-traditional sources, such as the open data initiative. In the 10 years I’ve spent working, I focused on using open source solutions for geodata processing and visualisation, with a more recent spotlight on standardization and interoperability. By night, I am a loud advocate for open source solutions for geospatial and for the open (geo)data initiative worldwide.

=== My vision ===
[http://geo-spatial.org/ geo-spatial.org] - the Romanian OSGeo Local Chapter - and further along the way, the international OSGeo community, has been a crucial pillar of my life and personality. Joining geo-spatial.org as a young student, I have learned from them not only what GRASS and OpenLayers is, but also what it means to offer your time generously to your community, to share your knowledge and data (!) while you benefit from the knowledge and data from others, just as well as what it means to argue with elegance and kindness and to critique in a constructive way. In a more and more complex international climate, my vision is to foster and further expand, thought my activities and contributions, the OSGeo community as the environment where one, anyone, can grow, professionally and personally - just as I did and still do - where one can comfortable continue discussing the technical complexities of a new solution started online, over a beer, in a remote corner of the world at a FOSS4G event.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 7. Till Adams, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/till-adams/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
(Facts: See OSGeo-profile.) I am a long term member of the OSGeo community and started my first projects with a UMN version "3.something" in the early 2000's, but I am even longer convinced, that the Free&Open Source Software way is the right way to go. In my work life, I had the chance of participate on most of the global FOSS4G conferences up now, and it teached me one thing: There is a special spirit, that distinguishes us from all other GIS or non-GIS conferences in the world.

In 2016 I had the luck to chair the global FOSS4G conference in Bonn. We, the whole local team, put a lot of passion into the preparation and everything we did, was done by us, so no professional conference-agency told us, how to run our conference. I think, that most of the people that joined us here in Bonn felt this special spirit, that was evoked by our motto "building bridges".

Present, I chair of OSGeo's conference committee (in case you vote me on the board, I will step back as CC-chair, of course, although I thought about stepping back after 3 years anyhow and free the seat for new energy ;-)).

Personally I am interested in cooking, food in general, traveling, soccer and of course spending time with nice people. I am married and we have one son (15).

=== My vision ===
For me the OSGeo community is a special group of individuals and the way we meet other members or people and the way we interact with each other is certainly not unique, but it is special - I mean positively special :-).
There have been two mottos in past FOSS4G conferences, that I appreciated very much and that describe quite well my vision and my way of thinking: "Building Bridges" and "Leave no one behind".

On the one hand, I am convinced, that we as OSGeo have already reached a status, that can make us proud. On the other hand, I see a lot of challenges, which we should face to in the future: Beside some global challenges, I can imagine of equal opportunities, participation, sharing of knowledge, e.g..
One answer could be: Build bridges! "Building bridges" in this context means, strengthening the internal communication in our community, reaching out to (potential) new members, but also establish new or maintenance of existing relationships to other communities and people.

"Leave no one behind" is a wide topic, that not only affects us in OSGeo, but on which we certainly could focus on more, than just having a Travel Grant Programme (which was established by the Conference Committee in recent years and which is a great thing!). In order to strengthen our community towards this topic, I can imagine activities, that help us to share our knowledge, mentoring programms, partnerships among organisaitons or companies, ... (e.g.). This all could help to transfer knowledge among members inside and outside our community.

All together, we have a well established community, that is able to build these bridges and where every single member is willing to help to leave no one behind, so let's go!

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Beside having had a lot of fun on meetings, conferences, code sprints or whatever, when I list this up, there are quite a few things I did in the past:

* regular visits of FOSS4G events with a countless number of talks (including 2 keynotes, FOSSGIS 2015 & SOTM SEE 2019)
* OSGeo charter member
* co-initiator of local OSGeo chapter FOSSGIS and FOSSGIS conference since 2004
* board member of FOSSGIS from 2014 to 2019
* co-founder and board member of OSGeo's european local chapter
* chair of global FOSS4G conference 2016
* since 2016 chair of OSGeo's conference committee (which I will quit in case of becoming a member of the board)
* member of programm committee and/or organizing committee of numerous FOSSGIS conferences and/or code-sprints
* co-initiator of becoming the actinia project under the umbrella of OSGeo (as community project)
* established 2 companies (terrestris/mundialis) that contribute to and work with OSGeo-software, that today give ~ 30 people an umbrella

But the most important thing is: I met a lot of people all over the world.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
Of course I support completely the general ideas, ideals and goals of OSGeo and I could state to promote them here, and of course I will, but:

Looking back, I can say, that this community has given me a lot, not only for my job or for my companies, but also privately. When I only imagine all the people I met in the past 15 years. So it's time to give something back to the community. With my candidacy, I offer to support the board, the community or even simpler - "us" with my experience, my ideas, my network and my passion. Maybe also my work as agile coach may help us to see some things from different perspectives and helps us in general, to strengthen and even improve our methods, processes and behaviour.

There is always the possibility to improve!

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
In our local chapter (FOSSGIS) we managed to get two of the leading Geo-communities under one umbrella: The german speaking OSGeo and OpenStreetMap-community. I'd like to contriibute that OSGeo can establish even more vivid interactions (although, I know there are already quite a few) to neighboured communities such as OSM, OpenData, other Free Software communities or maybe also to the Agile Community - to name just a few as examples... For this I can imagine to use my network for new contacts.

To make this more concrete: In Bonn I participate in a programm called "Geo-Mentoring Prgoramm", which is initiated by the cities administraiton. The idea is to bring newbiews and experienced persons (I claim to be that ;-)) together and to form a tandem with the aim to give the mentee (in this case the student) an orientation about the geoinformation market and to assist with advice and action. Why not work on establishing such means of support across our community (and also beyond Google Summer of Code...) ? Sharing is what we do in order to broaden our movement - to the benefit of all.

Another challenging topic is our rapid changing environment. I could imagine that of course we can do some concrete things towards saving energy and protect our environment. But this could and should be done by any community or organisation. One of the questions to answer could be:
"How can we contribute to solutions, that help to guide the consequences of climate change into manageable paths?"

Could we promote data, software or solutions that contribute to transparency, control, education or more general - (de)fin/d/ing an OSGeo position on how we want to position ourselves as a community in the context of global tasks, who push themselves more and more into our daily consciousness?
Being a visible part in this whole meachanism has the potential to open even more doors for our community - in sights of projects, connections, awareness, new members ...

Regarding these two topics above - yes, I know, that we as OSGeo live in a do-ocracy and of course, in order to work on the topics mentioned above, one does not necessarily have to be member of the board. However, I can imagine that it is easier to push and move things forward from there, and of course, these motions then have the potential to develop their own dynamics.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
* Regular incidental works, where I can support
* As my background is more from a business-perspective and in my eyes, business or better companies in our environment are one important part, as they put a lot of (direct or indirect) support into our projects and OSGeo, I can imagine to especially support
** established companies in networking (i.e. AFAIK at FOSS4G in Bonn, we had the first B2B meeting)
** help startups with OSGeo-focus to find their way (partners, mentors, advice, ...)

== 8. Nicolas Bozon, France ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/nicolas-bozon/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

=== My vision ===

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 9. Adam Steer, Australia ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/steer/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

I have a diverse career/life history, so this could be really long - but I’ll make it short. I’ve been putting data on maps for a long time; and fell naturally to open source software to accomplish that task. Much later, I realised there’s this whole support system behind the stuff I downloaded and used - and now, since I’m not a software engineer and usually would probably make the software worse if I tried, I try to give back by helping that support system to thrive however I can.

My technical world is focussed on airborne remote sensing - lidar and imagery. Outside of technical stuff, I like to adventure and consider deeply how we interact with our planet and each other. And sometimes destroy good songs on a guitar.

I live in Australia, usually someplace around the southeast corner. I right now operate my own consultancy, and get to work from home or wherever - which is an amazing privilege.

=== My vision ===

OSGeo blends a pile of theoretical fields, rigorous engineering practice and community; bonded together by the desire to make sense of space around us and create tools which can be freely given for others to do the same in ways which make sense to them. It provides an entrypoint - an easy on-ramp - for anyone to learn about coding; or learn about geospatial stuff; or learn about developing a community. Or all of the above!

This was the special sauce has been so attractive to me, and why I’ve devoted a pile of time to helping grow an open geospatial community in Oceania.

My vision is pretty much ‘keep doing that’, coupled with ‘listen a lot’, and ‘go out of our way to invite people in’.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I’ve attended and spoken or facilitated workshops at FOSS4G conferences in 2016,17,18, and 2019. I consider this a huge privilege - so thanks also to this community for your support and trust!

In 2018 I led the sponsorship drive for the inaugural FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference; and also helped create some programmes to specifically fund inclusivity initiatives. In 2019 I had to step back from programme leadership, and invested energy in a community based greenhouse gas mitigation strategy instead.

I’ve contributed small pieces to a couple of projects (PyWPS, I think maybe one line ages ago!) and PDAL (mostly docs). I’m also a member of the marketing committee and have an OGC membership - both of which I feel a bit guilty about because really, I haven’t pushed much along on either front.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

I accepted a nomination for this election because there is no representation on the board of OSGeo from the Oceania region. I hope to act as a kind of conduit for the visions of my (broad and diverse) region in terms of guiding OSGeo into a sustainable and equitable future.

I’m also here to learn - from the experience of working with a diverse distributed, and successful group.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I think right now I’d need to spend a lot of time learning the ropes before knowing about what to change. We can see which ropes need re-weaving, or if any new ropes need weaving, or which ropes should be un-woven as we go.

One key thing would be to spend time working on greenhouse gas mitigation programmes for conference travel - we’ve seen great enthusiasm for community-led, tangible programmes here in Oceania, I wonder if that exists worldwide. This may really fall to local organising committees in the end, I wonder how OSGeo can offer support?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

As a first-time board candidate I think learning the ropes will be plenty. Let's see which gaps need filling.

[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Election_2019]]

Election 2019 Candidate Manifestos

2019-11-20T09:53:37Z

Codrina: /* About me */

A space for the candidates for [[Election 2019|election]] to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

== 1. Msilikale Msilanga, Tanzania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/msilanga/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Spatial Planner by professional, but i have been working as a consultant since 2011 focusing on Geospatial in Urban Resilience, GEO-ICT and community mapping. Since 2011, I have been working on projects in Tanzania and Mozambique as the way to help my community. As part of this, I have co-led the Ramani Huria community mapping project among others for Africa’s fastest growing city, Dar es Salaam. So far this has impacted over 3.5 million residents of the city providing basemaps and flood evacuation plans, while coordinating a consortium consisting Red Cross, local universities and Tanzanian government ministries and agencies.

=== My vision ===
To establish African and other cities in a globe that embrace a local and open approach to risk information that is openly and widely accessible through open data, open tools, open knowledge exchange.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
* 2017: OSGeo Africa Member
* 2018: Co-Chair FOSS4G
* 2018: Co-Chair Geo4All Africa

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
To be one among the contributors in order to provide ideas and effective supports that has an impact on the global community.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encourage public goods, technologies platform, digital skills, risk information Services and Research.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Being only a board Member is good for me as will give me a chance to give all my Contributions.

== 2. Marie Anna Baovola, Madagascar ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/baovola/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am database manager at the Geographic and Hydrographic Institute of Madagascar. I lead the Madagascar OSGeo local chapter which still to be confirmed as official.

=== My vision ===
To contribute to the promotion of the use of free and open source software in geospatial especially in developing country.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Since 2014, I have encouraged my institution and universities to change progressively to open source tools. 
October 2017: attending FOSS4G Belgium 
August 2018: my first participation in FOSS4G 
September 2018: Became a charter member 
2019 : Still continue to spread the idea of the OSGeo promotion everywhere I go.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I am willing and understand open source and want to help people to involve into it more such as developers, users, academic and other communities. I would like to explore my potential through this new experience to become a board member.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
How could OSGeo help local community which contributes to OSGeo mission?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
I would like to join the Public Geospatial Data Project; but any role can be interesting.

== 3. Astrid Emde, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/astrid-emde/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am part of the OSGeo board at the moment and would like to volunteer for another period.

I am from Cologne (Germany) and work in Bonn at WhereGroup as Seniour GIS Consultant.

I work with the OSGeo stack since many years now. Always curious to learn more and open for new technologies. My focus is on web mapping and PostgreSQL/PostGIS.

I love to use OSGeo software and build up projects with this stack and I also love to teach others how to use it.
I am involved in Mapbender and have collaborated with some of the OSGeo projects like MapServer, GeoServer, QGIS and PostGIS.

I am part of the OSGeoLive PSC and promote OSGeoLive wherever I can.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I am involved in OSGeo since many years and visited my first FOSS4G in 2006 in Lausanne with my collegues of CCGIS and gave a presentation about Fiona and Mapbender. It was a great event where I felt the spirit of the community and wanted to get more involved.

I am a Charter Member since 2010.

I am a regular contributor at global and regional FOSS4G conferences or other events like FOSSGIS [1], AGIT [2], INTERGEO [3], SotM [4]. I gave presentations and workshops on Mapbender, MapServer, QGIS, GeoServer, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, OSGeoLive and OSGeo.
It is a pleasure for me to introduce people to our great projects, get them involved and build up connections.

In 2017 I was elected to the OSGeo Board. I am the OSgeo Secretary. I was two years in the board now with a great team and would like to go on for another period.

; FOSSGIS e.V
I am also active in the FOSSGIS e.V. [5] which is the German language OSGeo Local Chapter. FOSSGIS represents the OSGeo and OpenStreetMap community which is great.

At FOSSGIS I organize community events and code sprints [6] and try to bring people together. I am also responsible for the twitter account and the webside news items.

FOSSGIS e.V organizes the annual FOSSGIS conference [1] with more than 500 participant. I was involved in the organizantion since more than ten years.

In 2016 we had FOSS4G in Bonn where I was also involved and was pleased to organize the FOSS4G code sprint [7].

; TIB Videos Archive
I am involved in the contact and workflow of publishing the videos from different conferences (FOSSGIS, FOSS4G) in the TIV AV portal [8]

; Marketing
I love booths, postcards, flyer and especially sticker as a great possibility of spreading our idea. That is why I try to organize material and an OSGeo booth at every event that I am involved in.

I am involved in OSGeo marketing since a long time.

; OSGeoLive
I am involved in OSGeoLive since many years. I added Mapbender to OSGeoLive in 2011. I am member of the OSGeoLive PSC. I am involved in the press releases, testing, documentation and translation. For many years I organized the printing of thousands of DVDs and later USB drives of OSGeoLive for conferences.

; Twitter
I take care of some twitter accounts like @osgeo, @osgeolive, @fossgis_ev, @fossgis_konf, @qgis_de, @mapbender and try to keep you informed.

; News items
I am backup on the OSGeo News editors team and support Jorge Sanz if needed.

; Mapbender
I am part of the Mapbender [9] team and a member of the PSC. I do trainings on Mapbender very often and set up solutions with Mapbender and the OSGeo stack during my work at WhereGroup Bonn. WhereGroup has a training academy called FOSS-Academy where I give several courses and spread the spirit of OSGeo & FOSSGIS.

[1] FOSSGIS Konferenz 2017 Passau https://www.fossgis.de/node/294
[2] AGIT OSGeo Park & Day https://www.fossgis.de/node/261
[3] INTERGEO OSGeo Park 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/node/303
[4] FrOSCon 2017 https://www.fossgis.de/wiki/FrOSCon_2017#Impressionen
[5] FOSSGIS e.V. http://fossgis.de
[6] FOSSGIS Hacking https://www.fossgis.de/node/299
[7] FOSS4G Code Sprint 2016 Bonn https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2016_Code_Sprint
[8] TIB AV Videoarchive https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/TIB
[9] Mapbender http://mapbender.org

=== My vision ===

Strengthen OSGeo and the visibility of our organization and promote open source software for geospatial and open data. Support the projects and community and collaborate with other organisations.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* go on with the work as OSGeo secretary and improve the work we did the last two years
* improve the visibility of the projects and local chapters and get people involved
* encourage new people & projects to join OSGeo
* discuss how OSGeo can get more visible f.e. at universities, events. Support students, travel grants, GSoC
* spend OSGeo money for OSGeo projects & events
* encourage more sponsors to support OSGeo
* marketing / spreading idea / make OSGeo visible at FOSS4G events
* get things done and documented and structured

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

I could go on representing OSGeo as OSGeo Secretary.

== 4. Helena Mitasova, USA ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/helena-mitasova/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am a Professor at the Center for Geospatial Analytics and Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, and lead the Geoforall Lab at NCSU (one of the founding labs).

=== My vision ===
Make the world a better place with open source geospatial: promote sustainable, long term use of open source through research and teaching.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
I have been on GRASS GIS development team since 1991 and I have been involved with OSGeo since its founding in 2006, first serving on committees (conference, education) and then on the board.
Since elected to the board I served as vice-president, working with geoforall initiative and managing partnerships through memoranda of understanding. I also work with my students contributing new methods, techniques and tools to GRASS GIS and developing and delivering workshops and courses - see our [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/publications.html publications]
and [https://geospatial.ncsu.edu/geoforall/courses.html courses]

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
I would like to make sure that the OSGeo board provides effective support to the projects through resources for code and community sprints and many other activities.
I would also like to continue my previous work with geoforall and our MoU partners and provide a voice for academic community to help open source geospatial grow
new generation of passionate developers, users and community builders.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
Encouraging educational institutions not only to use FOSS4G but also increase the contributions at several levels - from educational material to the code. Also, I think that we may need to revisit the OSGeo website management issues to make sure it is always up to date and helps the community.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
Coordination with geo4all initiative and working with partner organizations.

== 5. Vicky Vergara, Mexico ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/vicky-vergara/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
I am an experimenting person, perfectionist, a test freak, and lazy. (Maybe
you have not noticed the lazy part, but, I spend days, days and more days
to figure out if there is a fastest/better way to do a particular task, so
that when the task is done, its in seconds, instead of hours).

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Back in 2013, I was jobless then my only way to contribute, because of the use I was making of OSGeo projects, was to become a translator on pgRouting:

* July 25, 2013 [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21562472 I offered my self as translator] of pgrouting
** Note that I was new to everything: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/157#issuecomment-21584629 comment about my ignorance]
* August 16, 2013: I was invited to contribute code to pgRouting: [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/issues/178#issuecomment-22802017 Invitation]
* August 23, 2013: My first code contribution [https://github.com/pgRouting/pgrouting/pull/185 the modifying 75 files Pull request].
* July 2015:
** Version 2.1.0 released
** OSGeo-GSoC mentor for pgRouting.
* September 2015: My first FOSS4G participation
* September 2015: Became a Charter member
* June 2017, I accepted to be part of PSC of OSGeoLive: [https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/osgeolive/2017-June/012175.html Accepting statement]
* 2017 elections: I was nominated to be member of the Board of Directors, did not make it to the Board ;-)
* 2018: I still can do a lot, so I volunteered to be member of the System Administration Committee (SAC)
* 2018: I also volunteered for CRO, because as member of SAC and because I imagined
what the CRO where doing to handle the elections, and I thought I can do a lot to facilitate that Job.
* 2019: I still can do much more, I became member and co-chair of the Code of Conduct Committee.

=== My vision ===

'''The right to be the best one can be'''

* Who am I?
* What do I do?
* Am I the best of what I can be?
* Do I have a dream?
Those are questions that we can ask to ourselves.

Before I answer those questions, I think in society, everything starts with the family:
* My father gladly goes with me to events (gives me some family time).
* When on vacation on Paris with my mother, a brother and his wife. We met a colleague from OSGeoLive and
we had a great evening. (family time mixed with new family member time)
* One of my sons went to Argentina and volunteered on the reception desk on FOSS4G-Argentina 2017. (allows me family time)
* My other son is letting us use his AZURE code on transifex for OSGeoLive and on pgRouting.
* My husband, well what can I tell, he supported me a full year with my kid to study my masters, he
knows that I will do what I need to do to be the best of what I can be.
* My niece is doing the Spanish translations on OSGeoLive and on pgRouting and made a presentation on
FOSS4G Argentina 2019 about point clouds. (more family time)

I am a lucky person, my family is participating in what I do. I consider that my family
is doing all what they can do, so that my ''right to be the best I can be'' is fulfilled.
And my family is growing with OSGeo.

Now lets answer those questions:
* Who am I? I am Vicky. I was thought to be a fighter and not to give up.
* What do I do? I do whatever I need to do to make this world a better place.
* Am I the best of what I can be? No, as for tomorrow I want to be better than today.
* Do I have a dream? I want to make this world be a better place.

The best of all is that I have my family support.

OSGeo, is as small part of the society, but its an international part of it.
And we are part of OSGeo.

We don't have borders and the people are:
* members from everywhere,
* users who live in any country
* volunteers from any part of the world.

I have being one of the fortunate that has met many of them
* on FOSS4G events
* on code sprint events.
* some only thru video conference
* most of them by IRC/chat

I consider them as my heroes.

They give up:
* social time
* work opportunities
* and most important: family time
** I cheat, some family time I make up when taking a family member to an OSGeo event.

I feel blessed as I have, from some of those heroes of mine, their autograph, I am their FAN #1.

Here are the next questions as a charter member I ask:
* IS OSGeo helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Is OSGeo encouraging?
* IS OSGeo a safe place?

From my experience the answers to all questions is yes.

There might be limitations, for example of local cultural limitations:
A lady I met in India who is a student. Her father, who lives 300km away, forbids her
to go out of the campus, not even to the restaurant in 50 mts away, and she complies
to her father wishes. (I wonder if ever she will go to an international FOOS4G).

The reason that form my experience the answer is yes, is because when rephrasing the questions:
* Am I helping people to be the best of what they can be?
* Am I encouraging?
* Am I a safe person?

I can answer, without a doubt, YES.

Am I doing enough?

That I don't think so, but I am trying to enforce the '''right to be the best on can be''' on our members, volunteers, users, etc.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
* In general: promote the use and development of Free and Open Source Software
* In particular: promote the use and development of the OSGeo projects, OSGeo incubation and OSGeo community Free Open Source Software.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

Given my location and maternal language, the following points have a stronger implied emphasis to Latin America, but its not limited to this area.

''' Let the kitten be known'''

* Encourage developers to build open projects using OSGeo projects that can help communities from pot hole control to emergency plans, from planting trees to avoid forest deprivation, from Archaeology to Economics, etc.
* Promote the use of open source as tools, in particular OSGeo projects that give an ample variety of backend and frontend tools for systems development.
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to participate from simple tasks as translation up to code contributions on OSGeo Projects
* Promote the participation of Latin American students/developers/users to create new OSGeo Community projects that can be used by local communities.
* I went to the OGP summit in Mexico 2015 https://www.opengovpartnership.org/ and I think there is a lot of possibilities for using OSGeo projects. Do more research, and maybe starting to see how my own country is advancing towards the openness and more details on how OSGeo can be/its being used.
* Support and encourage smaller open source projects to join OSGeo, and make OSGeo more valuable for them
* Reach out to Latin-American local chapters and encourage them to play an active role in OSGeo

'''Curiosity killed the cat'''

Normally people tend to see, what's going wrong, on things that are happening. What becomes difficult to observe is what is wrong that things/activities that should be going are not even started yet.

Lets not forget to think about why things are not happening.

* Why "[abc] is NOT [xyz] OSGeo".
* Why do some projects, do not start incubation?
* Why is there no local OSGeo chapter in, for example, Mexico?
* Why do we have mostly sponsors from North America and Europe?
* Why there are so few participation from Latin American countries in OSGeo even if they have conferences every year ... same for Japan actually.
* Why we only hear (and see) those, who raise their voice and shout out loud. But we miss to reach the silent majority?
* What causes the "inactivity"?
* Why ....

=== What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any) ===
* As an Economist, I don't want to handle money (It was by accident that I studied economics).
* Get things done! Solving issues and making decision.
* Ask: why? what? how?

== 6. Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/codrina-maria-ilie/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
By day, I am a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at [http://www.terrasigna.com/ Terrasigna], a Romanian based SME, searching to improve by integrating data from non-traditional sources, such as the open data initiative. In the 10 years I’ve spent working, I focused on using open source solutions for geodata processing and visualisation, with a more recent spotlight on standardization and interoperability. By night, I am a loud advocate for open source solutions for geospatial and for the open (geo)data initiative worldwide.

=== My vision ===

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 7. Till Adams, Germany ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/till-adams/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===
(Facts: See OSGeo-profile.) I am a long term member of the OSGeo community and started my first projects with a UMN version "3.something" in the early 2000's, but I am even longer convinced, that the Free&Open Source Software way is the right way to go. In my work life, I had the chance of participate on most of the global FOSS4G conferences up now, and it teached me one thing: There is a special spirit, that distinguishes us from all other GIS or non-GIS conferences in the world.

In 2016 I had the luck to chair the global FOSS4G conference in Bonn. We, the whole local team, put a lot of passion into the preparation and everything we did, was done by us, so no professional conference-agency told us, how to run our conference. I think, that most of the people that joined us here in Bonn felt this special spirit, that was evoked by our motto "building bridges".

Present, I chair of OSGeo's conference committee (in case you vote me on the board, I will step back as CC-chair, of course, although I thought about stepping back after 3 years anyhow and free the seat for new energy ;-)).

Personally I am interested in cooking, food in general, traveling, soccer and of course spending time with nice people. I am married and we have one son (15).

=== My vision ===
For me the OSGeo community is a special group of individuals and the way we meet other members or people and the way we interact with each other is certainly not unique, but it is special - I mean positively special :-).
There have been two mottos in past FOSS4G conferences, that I appreciated very much and that describe quite well my vision and my way of thinking: "Building Bridges" and "Leave no one behind".

On the one hand, I am convinced, that we as OSGeo have already reached a status, that can make us proud. On the other hand, I see a lot of challenges, which we should face to in the future: Beside some global challenges, I can imagine of equal opportunities, participation, sharing of knowledge, e.g..
One answer could be: Build bridges! "Building bridges" in this context means, strengthening the internal communication in our community, reaching out to (potential) new members, but also establish new or maintenance of existing relationships to other communities and people.

"Leave no one behind" is a wide topic, that not only affects us in OSGeo, but on which we certainly could focus on more, than just having a Travel Grant Programme (which was established by the Conference Committee in recent years and which is a great thing!). In order to strengthen our community towards this topic, I can imagine activities, that help us to share our knowledge, mentoring programms, partnerships among organisaitons or companies, ... (e.g.). This all could help to transfer knowledge among members inside and outside our community.

All together, we have a well established community, that is able to build these bridges and where every single member is willing to help to leave no one behind, so let's go!

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===
Beside having had a lot of fun on meetings, conferences, code sprints or whatever, when I list this up, there are quite a few things I did in the past:

* regular visits of FOSS4G events with a countless number of talks (including 2 keynotes, FOSSGIS 2015 & SOTM SEE 2019)
* OSGeo charter member
* co-initiator of local OSGeo chapter FOSSGIS and FOSSGIS conference since 2004
* board member of FOSSGIS from 2014 to 2019
* co-founder and board member of OSGeo's european local chapter
* chair of global FOSS4G conference 2016
* since 2016 chair of OSGeo's conference committee (which I will quit in case of becoming a member of the board)
* member of programm committee and/or organizing committee of numerous FOSSGIS conferences and/or code-sprints
* co-initiator of becoming the actinia project under the umbrella of OSGeo (as community project)
* established 2 companies (terrestris/mundialis) that contribute to and work with OSGeo-software, that today give ~ 30 people an umbrella

But the most important thing is: I met a lot of people all over the world.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===
Of course I support completely the general ideas, ideals and goals of OSGeo and I could state to promote them here, and of course I will, but:

Looking back, I can say, that this community has given me a lot, not only for my job or for my companies, but also privately. When I only imagine all the people I met in the past 15 years. So it's time to give something back to the community. With my candidacy, I offer to support the board, the community or even simpler - "us" with my experience, my ideas, my network and my passion. Maybe also my work as agile coach may help us to see some things from different perspectives and helps us in general, to strengthen and even improve our methods, processes and behaviour.

There is always the possibility to improve!

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===
In our local chapter (FOSSGIS) we managed to get two of the leading Geo-communities under one umbrella: The german speaking OSGeo and OpenStreetMap-community. I'd like to contriibute that OSGeo can establish even more vivid interactions (although, I know there are already quite a few) to neighboured communities such as OSM, OpenData, other Free Software communities or maybe also to the Agile Community - to name just a few as examples... For this I can imagine to use my network for new contacts.

To make this more concrete: In Bonn I participate in a programm called "Geo-Mentoring Prgoramm", which is initiated by the cities administraiton. The idea is to bring newbiews and experienced persons (I claim to be that ;-)) together and to form a tandem with the aim to give the mentee (in this case the student) an orientation about the geoinformation market and to assist with advice and action. Why not work on establishing such means of support across our community (and also beyond Google Summer of Code...) ? Sharing is what we do in order to broaden our movement - to the benefit of all.

Another challenging topic is our rapid changing environment. I could imagine that of course we can do some concrete things towards saving energy and protect our environment. But this could and should be done by any community or organisation. One of the questions to answer could be:
"How can we contribute to solutions, that help to guide the consequences of climate change into manageable paths?"

Could we promote data, software or solutions that contribute to transparency, control, education or more general - (de)fin/d/ing an OSGeo position on how we want to position ourselves as a community in the context of global tasks, who push themselves more and more into our daily consciousness?
Being a visible part in this whole meachanism has the potential to open even more doors for our community - in sights of projects, connections, awareness, new members ...

Regarding these two topics above - yes, I know, that we as OSGeo live in a do-ocracy and of course, in order to work on the topics mentioned above, one does not necessarily have to be member of the board. However, I can imagine that it is easier to push and move things forward from there, and of course, these motions then have the potential to develop their own dynamics.

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===
* Regular incidental works, where I can support
* As my background is more from a business-perspective and in my eyes, business or better companies in our environment are one important part, as they put a lot of (direct or indirect) support into our projects and OSGeo, I can imagine to especially support
** established companies in networking (i.e. AFAIK at FOSS4G in Bonn, we had the first B2B meeting)
** help startups with OSGeo-focus to find their way (partners, mentors, advice, ...)

== 8. Nicolas Bozon, France ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/nicolas-bozon/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

=== My vision ===

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

== 9. Adam Steer, Australia ([https://www.osgeo.org/member/steer/ OSGeo profile)] ==

=== About me ===

I have a diverse career/life history, so this could be really long - but I’ll make it short. I’ve been putting data on maps for a long time; and fell naturally to open source software to accomplish that task. Much later, I realised there’s this whole support system behind the stuff I downloaded and used - and now, since I’m not a software engineer and usually would probably make the software worse if I tried, I try to give back by helping that support system to thrive however I can.

My technical world is focussed on airborne remote sensing - lidar and imagery. Outside of technical stuff, I like to adventure and consider deeply how we interact with our planet and each other. And sometimes destroy good songs on a guitar.

I live in Australia, usually someplace around the southeast corner. I right now operate my own consultancy, and get to work from home or wherever - which is an amazing privilege.

=== My vision ===

OSGeo blends a pile of theoretical fields, rigorous engineering practice and community; bonded together by the desire to make sense of space around us and create tools which can be freely given for others to do the same in ways which make sense to them. It provides an entrypoint - an easy on-ramp - for anyone to learn about coding; or learn about geospatial stuff; or learn about developing a community. Or all of the above!

This was the special sauce has been so attractive to me, and why I’ve devoted a pile of time to helping grow an open geospatial community in Oceania.

My vision is pretty much ‘keep doing that’, coupled with ‘listen a lot’, and ‘go out of our way to invite people in’.

=== What you have done within the community in the past ===

I’ve attended and spoken or facilitated workshops at FOSS4G conferences in 2016,17,18, and 2019. I consider this a huge privilege - so thanks also to this community for your support and trust!

In 2018 I led the sponsorship drive for the inaugural FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference; and also helped create some programmes to specifically fund inclusivity initiatives. In 2019 I had to step back from programme leadership, and invested energy in a community based greenhouse gas mitigation strategy instead.

I’ve contributed small pieces to a couple of projects (PyWPS, I think maybe one line ages ago!) and PDAL (mostly docs). I’m also a member of the marketing committee and have an OGC membership - both of which I feel a bit guilty about because really, I haven’t pushed much along on either front.

=== What your interests are in terms of the board ===

I accepted a nomination for this election because there is no representation on the board of OSGeo from the Oceania region. I hope to act as a kind of conduit for the visions of my (broad and diverse) region in terms of guiding OSGeo into a sustainable and equitable future.

I’m also here to learn - from the experience of working with a diverse distributed, and successful group.

=== Any things that you would like to change or introduce ===

I think right now I’d need to spend a lot of time learning the ropes before knowing about what to change. We can see which ropes need re-weaving, or if any new ropes need weaving, or which ropes should be un-woven as we go.

One key thing would be to spend time working on greenhouse gas mitigation programmes for conference travel - we’ve seen great enthusiasm for community-led, tangible programmes here in Oceania, I wonder if that exists worldwide. This may really fall to local organising committees in the end, I wonder how OSGeo can offer support?

=== What role you would wish to fulfil on the board (if any) ===

As a first-time board candidate I think learning the ropes will be plenty. Let's see which gaps need filling.

[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Election_2019]]

FOSS4G 2019 BirdsOfAFeather

2019-08-26T11:17:53Z

Codrina:

= Introduction =

Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions are unstructured timeslots where people can self-organise themselves to discuss topics of interest.

== General Information ==

During the [[FOSS4G 2019]] conference in Bucharest, there will be a number of spaces for people to hold Birds of a Feather sessions.

For reference, an overview of the FOSS4G schedule is available at [https://2019.foss4g.org/schedule/outline/ https://2019.foss4g.org/schedule/outline/].

=== How to organize a BOF ===

BoF sessions are informal gatherings of people around a specific topic. BoF's can be held in: BoF rooms or taken off-site for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

While FOSS4G is provide space, but the setting up a bird-of-feather meetup is done informally using this wiki, twitter, or on site BoF board.

=== Capacities ===

The BoF sessions rooms are available after regular parallel session times (setup theater style) in the InterContinental Hotel.

* Ronda Ballroom (450 people);
* Fortuna Vest (80 people);
* Fortuna Est (80 people);
* Rapsodia Ballroom (220 people);
* Opera (70 people);
* Opereta (40 people);
* Simfonia (30 people);
* Menuet (50 people);
* Hora (45 people);
* Coral (30 people).

We will put a BoF organizing board next to the lounge for on site organization.

== FOSS4G Contact ==

Reach out to https://twitter.com/foss4g on twitter, or mailto:foss4g2019@lists.osgeo.org via email.

= Wednesday 28 August (18:00 - 19:30) =

== Ronda Ballroom ==

=== OSGeo Charter Member ===

* Description: Are you a charter member? Then come to this BoF to talk about what we do as Charter Members!
* Person to contact: Vicky Vergara
Who is coming:
* Vicky Vergara

== Fortuna Est ==

=== OPEN SCIENCE AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES FORUM AT IPSRS 2020 CONGRESS ===

* Description: The BOF is aimed at organizing the OSGeo Forum that will held at the ISPRS Congress 2020 (http://www.isprs2020-nice.com/) in June 2020
* Persons to contact: Maria Antonia Brovelli (maria.brovelli@polimi.it) and Serena Coetzee (serena.coetzee@up.ac.za)

Who is coming:
* Moritz Lennert

== Rapsodia Ballroom ==

=== GeoForAll meeting ===

* Description: The aim of the BOF is to connect with members of GeoForAll labs and other educators.
* Person to contact: Andreea Marin (andreeamarin19@gmail.com) and Victoria Rautenbach (victoria.rautenbach@gmail.com)

Who is coming:
* Cameron Green
* Andreea Marin
* Zoltan Siki

== Opera ==

=== MapServer ===

* Description: An opportunity for users and devs to get together for a general discussions about MapServer's past, present and future.
* Person to contact: Seth Girvin and Daniel Morissette

Who is coming:
* Seth Girvin
* Daniel Morissette
* Lars Schylberg
* Even Rouault
* Michael Smith
* Add your name

== Opereta ==

=== Catalog ===

* Description:

- Metasearch; what are the expected/agreed best practices to link to OGC services from a Dublin Core metadata record, so metasearch is able to activate add-to-map button? Is it possible to specify a specific layer in the service so metasearch will not display the capabilities-layer-selection.

- OGC API Catalog (AKA Cat 4) in OGC, MetaSearch, pyGeoAPI, GeoNetwork, Geoserver, deegree

- Catalogs typically use OGC services to provide data previews of listed datasets. OGC is creating a batch of new OGC-API standards which will likely impact catalogs. Many catalogs delegate to OpenLayers and JSONIX to communicate to OGC services. To hear is the status of OpenLayers and JSONIX about ideas on new OGC API's

* Person to contact: Tom Kralidis, Paul van Genuchten

Who is coming:
* Paul
* Tom
* Antonio
* Angelos

== Simfonia ==

=== GRASS GIS new website ===

* Description: Small meeting to discuss about the new GRASS GIS website and plan/split further tasks
* Person to contact: Veronica Andreo (veroandreo@gmail.com)

Who is coming:
* Nicolas Bozon
* Veronica Andreo
* ...

== Menuet ==

=== Add BoF name ===

* Description: Add description
* Person to contact: Add contact person

Who is coming:
* Add your name

== Hora ==

===Travel Grant Program participants' session ===

* Description: This session is dedicated to the FOSS4G 2019 TGP participants.
* Person to contact: Olimpia Copăcenaru

Who is coming:
* Olimpia Copăcenaru
* Muhammad Hasan Mustafa
* Rosa Maria Aguilar de Archila
* Katre Kasemägi
* Jordan Steven Bates
* Tanmoy Chakraborty
* Md Reaid Alam
* Madelijn Madelief Bazen
* Akintunde Opeyemi Kuye
* Hamidreza Ostadabbas
* Anthonia Ijeoma Onyeahialam
* Cláudia Morais Viana
* Candan Eylül Kilsedar
* Brenda Ayo
* Ivan Rykin
* Caroline Akoth Otiwa
* Sharon Adhiambo Omoja
* Céline Lorraine Jacquin
* Gladys Adjei
* Anne Akinyi Aol
* Sidorela Uku
* Gorica Bratić
* Stefan Jovanovic
* Besfort Guri
* Vesna Tunguz
* Lukáš Bezrouk
* Ana-Ioana Breaban
* Iuliia Danylenko
* Marko Kažić
* Brunilda Licaj
* Erviola Konomi

== Coral ==

=== GeoServer Flock (18:00-19:00) ===

* Description: Meet GeoServer enthusiasts from all backgrounds for stories, discussion, and GeoServer Q&A.
* Person to contact: [[User:Jive|Jody Garnett]]

Who is coming:
* Jody Garnett
* Gert-Jan van der Weijden
* Andrea Aime

=== GeoServer Demos (19:00-19:30) ===

* Description: Got a great GeoServer example? Share and learn ...
* Person to contact: [[User:Jive|Jody Garnett]]

Who is coming:
* Jody Garnett
* Andrea Aime

= Thursday 29 August (18:00 - 19:30) =

== Ronda Ballroom ==

=== OSGeo Members ===

* Description: Are you a member of OSGeo, come and talk about what members do in OSGeo
* Person to contact: Vicky Vergara

Who is coming:
* Vicky Vergara
* Zoltan Siki

== Fortuna Vest ==

=== Open Source Cartography and Mapping (18:00-19:30) ===

* Description: Making open source look good with QGIS, GeoStyler, GeoServer and more ...
* Person to contact: [[User:Jive|Jody Garnett]]

Who is coming:
* Jody Garnett
* Andrea Aime

== Fortuna Est ==

=== Add BoF name ===

* Description: Add description
* Person to contact: Add contact person

Who is coming:
* Add your name

== Rapsodia Ballroom ==

=== Women in Geospatial - What skills will matter in FOSS4G? ===

This session highlights different aspects of essential skills in order to build up a successful career in FOSS4G. Besides an inspirational talk from Maria Brovelli, the Queen of FOSS4G, we will have a panel discussion with geospatial experts and FOSS4G enthusiasts discussing essential career skills across the career ladder.

Additionally, some community efforts such as the newly founded [https://twitter.com/geospatialwomen/ Women in Geospatial network] and the [https://twitter.com/GeochicasOSM/ GeoChicasOSM network] are presented.

This session is organised by Women in Geospatial network and we invite everyone to this session (men and women), who would like to join us in discussing different career development paths in the FOSS4G domain.

==== Programme ====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Time !! Title !! Presenter
|-
| 18:00-18:05 || Welcome and setting the scene || Julia Wagemann
|-
| 18:05-18:10 || Women in Geospatial || Julia Wagemann
|-
| 18:10-18:15 || GeoChicas OSM || Celine Jacquin
|-
| 18:15-18:30 || '''''"From an old Queen to young Princesses, Frogs and Princes"''''' || Maria Brovelli
|-
| 18:30-19:20 || Panel discussion on '''"Careers in FOSS4G - Which skills will matter?"''''' || Moderator: Joana Kamenova,
Panelists:
* Maria Brovelli
* Athina Trakas
* Astrid Emde
* Laura Mugeha
* Celine Jacquin
* Maria Arias de Reyna
* Maria Bellesteros
|-
| 19:20-19:30 || Q&A and Wrap-up || Julia Wagemann
|}

==== Who is coming ====
* [https://2019.foss4g.org/speakers/julia-wagemann/ Julia Wagemann] (Contact person for this session)
* Malena Libman
* Ilie Codrina
* Maria Brovelli
* Athina Trakas
* Astrid Emde
* Laura Mugeha
* Celine Jacquin
* Maria Arias de Reyna
* Maria Bellesteros
* Joana Kamenova
* Carmen Díez
* Cristina Vrînceanu
* ...

== Opera ==

=== Add BoF name ===

* Description: Add description
* Person to contact: Add contact person

Who is coming:
* Add your name

== Opereta ==

=== FOSS4G-Europe 2020===

* Description: Talk about FOSS4G Europe the next year. Where and who? See also dedicated AM [[AM_FOSS4G2019_Bucharest]]
* Person to contact: [[User:jachym|Jáchym Čepický]] jachym.cepicky@gmail.com

Who is coming:
* [[User:jachym|Jáchym]]
* [[User:Jgrocha|Jorge Gustavo]], Portugal
* [[User:Astrid Emde | Astrid Emde]]
* [[User:Geejee|Gert-Jan van der Weijden]], Netherlands

== Simfonia ==

=== Google Code-in ===

* Description: Meetup for Google Code-in mentors and students to discuss challenges and opportunities for the 2019 GCI.
* Person to contact: Victoria Rautenbach (victoria.rautenbach@gmail.com)

Who is coming:
* Cameron Green
* Add your name

== Menuet ==

=== Add BoF name ===

* Description: Add description
* Person to contact: Add contact person

Who is coming:
* Add your name

== Hora ==

=== Add BoF name ===

* Description: Add description
* Person to contact: Add contact person

Who is coming:
* Add your name

== Coral ==

=== Add BoF name ===

* Description: Add description
* Person to contact: Add contact person

Who is coming:
* Add your name

[[Category:FOSS4G2019]]