Board Meeting 2013-02-26 - Revision history

Wiki-Camerons: /* Board Priorities */

2013-03-05T19:49:25Z

Board Priorities

Aghisla: /* Minutes */ anne expands some of her points

2013-03-04T09:48:07Z

Minutes: anne expands some of her points

Wiki-Camerons: /* Board Priorities */

2013-03-01T23:56:04Z

Board Priorities

Wiki-Camerons: /* Board Priorities */

2013-03-01T21:42:57Z

Board Priorities

Wiki-Camerons: /* Marketing */

2013-03-01T21:05:36Z

Marketing

Wiki-Camerons: /* Board Priorities */

2013-03-01T21:03:57Z

Board Priorities

Wiki-Camerons: /* Board Priorities */

2013-03-01T20:26:52Z

Board Priorities

Wiki-Camerons at 22:47, 28 February 2013

2013-02-28T22:47:06Z

Jmckenna at 19:18, 28 February 2013

2013-02-28T19:18:42Z

Jmckenna at 19:15, 28 February 2013

2013-02-28T19:15:17Z

@@ Line 158: / Line 158: @@
 Should OSGeo act as a high capital or low capital organisation? I.e., should OSGeo dedicate energy to collecting sponsorship and then passing out these funds to worthy OSGeo causes.
-While initially it seems attractive to have OSGeo woe sponsors, because we would all love to have more money to throw at worthy OSGeo goals, the reality is that chasing money is hard work. And someone who can chase OSGeo sponsorship is likely conflicted with chasing sponsorship for their particular workplace. So in practice, to be effective in chasing sponsorship, OSGeo will probably need to hire someone specifically for the role. OSGeo would then need to raise at least enough to cover wages, and then quite a bit more if the sponsorship path is to create extra value.
+While initially it seems attractive to have OSGeo woo sponsors, because we would all love to have more money to throw at worthy OSGeo goals, the reality is that chasing money is hard work. And someone who can chase OSGeo sponsorship is likely conflicted with chasing sponsorship for their particular workplace. So in practice, to be effective in chasing sponsorship, OSGeo will probably need to hire someone specifically for the role. OSGeo would then need to raise at least enough to cover wages, and then quite a bit more if the sponsorship path is to create extra value.
 This high capital path is how the Apache foundation is set up, and how LocationTech propose to organise themselves. It is the path that OSGeo started following when founded under the umbrella of Autodesk.
@@ Line 188: / Line 188: @@
 Other spatial conferences regularly request an OSGeo involvement, such as providing [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/OSGeo_Advocate presenters], workshops, [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_Disc#Including_OSGeo-Live_at_your_event OSGeo-Live DVDs for distribution], or [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Exhibition_Pack providing a booth]. OSGeo facilitates such requests to the level we can achieve with interested volunteers, but typically expects the conference or sponsors to cover expenses.
-OSGeo has limited budget set aside for code sprints, which are seen as a valuable forum for given directly back to development teams. OSGeo will typically expect co-contributions from interested sponsors, and would prefer to support code sprints which are of benefit to multiple projects and communities.
+OSGeo has limited budget set aside for code sprints, which are seen as a valuable forum for giving directly back to development teams. OSGeo will typically expect co-contributions from interested sponsors, and would prefer to support code sprints which are of benefit to multiple projects and communities.
 ===Education===

@@ Line 78: / Line 78: @@
 ** cameron: if they want us, they should pay for us
 ** mpg/daniel: distinguish between "advocate" travel and "board business" travel
-** (anne speaks, but audio is poor - can't transcribe much)
+** anne: sees a similarity between OSGeo, an umbrella org for local chapters and software projects, and Italian Linux Society: both sometimes need to revisit their goals, because an umbrella org is meant to work on a different level than a local/software-specific group, and it is not always evident what the umbrella organisation tasks are.
 ** frank: speaks of our "corporatist" beginnings, via Autodesk, but moving now towards grassroots
 ** mpg applauds this sentiment
 ** various terms suggested: "cheap", "scrappy", "spunky", "lean", "minimalist"
-** anne notes: would like to see more cooperation among projects and osgeo funding the meetups of osgeo projects' communities
+** anne notes: would like to see more cooperation among projects and osgeo funding the meetups of osgeo projects' communities - some cooperation takes place during GSoC but not as primary goal
 ** mpg wonders aloud what mlucas and pmbatty would say to these discussions
-** aghisla: foss4g barcelona was not appealing for developers, more for presenting technologies and make a great "show" - forgive the term
+** aghisla: foss4g barcelona was not appealing for developers, more for presenting technologies and make a great "show" - forgive the term, this feedback has been given by many developers she knows
 ** frank: we are not all things to all people
@@ Line 98: / Line 98: @@
 ** cameron: livedvd aimed at value to users, which means projects already extant
 ** jeff: "osgeo labs"...  big success, goes back to an MOU with ICA
-** anne speaks to the value of Suchith's work - http://nottingham.academia.edu/SuchithAnand
+** anne speaks to the value of Suchith's work - http://nottingham.academia.edu/SuchithAnand and the great momentum in last months - OSGeo should be more vocal on education initiatives, as university environment shows so much interest and willingness to cooperate
 ** mpg - points to osgeo labs as model if success -- low $ but high visibility, and no work from board to date
 ** frank: "we just have to be supportive", stay out of their way (which is not to imply that we have been in their way)
@@ Line 106: / Line 106: @@
 *** mpg: LCs are low overhead for board, but big impact - another example of how ogee foundation is a win
 *** mpg notes half his dev team came out of local chapter, promises to write some stuff about value & benefits of LCs
-*** anne: speaks on osgeo journal, asks about value of the local chapter reports
+*** anne: speaks on osgeo journal, asks about value of the local chapter reports, and how to improve communication among local chapters
-*** anne: italian chapter was created long before becoming osgeo local chapter and connection is still weak
+*** anne: italian chapter was created long before becoming osgeo local chapter and connection is still weak, mostly there is doubt on what italian chapter and OSGeo should share
 *** jeff: often during travel am asked "why create a chapter?" - would be nice to have published success stories to point to
 *** various: local events, networking, language affiliation, ...
@@ Line 137: / Line 137: @@
 === Motions ===
-−
+*
 == Board Priorities ==
 A productive virtual meeting of the OSGeo Board resulted in general consensus over OSGeo's priorities, which in turn should help the OSGeo Board and OSGeo committees when guiding OSGeo into the future.

@@ Line 194: / Line 194: @@
 This educational initiative is currently progressing well without requiring OSGeo's financial support.
-===Packaging===
+===Packaging and Marketing===
-OSGeo's marketing effort has primarily been focused around the packaging and documentation efforts of [http://live.osgeo.org OSGeo-Live], and to a lesser extend, [http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/ osgeo4w]. In 2012, OSGeo-Live was used at [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_History 45 events] without OSGeo's financial support. It was entirely driven by volunteer labour and printing costs covered by local events or sponsors.
+OSGeo's marketing effort has primarily been focused around the packaging and documentation efforts of [http://live.osgeo.org OSGeo-Live], and to a lesser extend, [http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/ osgeo4w]. In 2012, OSGeo-Live was used at [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_History 45 events] without OSGeo's financial support. It has been entirely driven by volunteer labour, with 140 OSGeo-Live volunteers, and printing costs have been covered by local events or sponsors.
 In the last couple of years, OSGeo has covered local chapter expenses required to purchase [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Exhibition_Pack non-consumable items for conference booths] (such as a retractable banner).
@@ Line 201: / Line 201: @@
 In moving forward, OSGeo hope to extend marketing reach by providing co-contributions toward printing costs of consumable items at conferences, such as toward OSGeo-Live DVDs.
-===Marketing===
+===Local Chapters===
-===Local Chapters===
+Much of OSGeo's marketing initiates are applied at the local level. In many cases, this is best supported through as little as an email list and wiki page. OSGeo also supports local chapters by offering to pay for an [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Exhibition_Pack Exhibition starter pack] for local chapters. Local chapters are also usually the coordinators of conferences and related events, as mentioned above.
 ===Sponsorship===

@@ Line 195: / Line 195: @@
 ===Packaging===
-OSGeo's marketing effort has primarily been focused around the packaging and documentation efforts of [http://live.osgeo.org OSGeo-Live], and to a lesser extend, [http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/ osgeo4w]. In 2012, OSGeo-Live was used at [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_History 45 events]. This was entirely driven by volunteer labour and printing costs covered by local events or sponsors.
+OSGeo's marketing effort has primarily been focused around the packaging and documentation efforts of [http://live.osgeo.org OSGeo-Live], and to a lesser extend, [http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/ osgeo4w]. In 2012, OSGeo-Live was used at [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_History 45 events] without OSGeo's financial support. It was entirely driven by volunteer labour and printing costs covered by local events or sponsors.
-In moving forward, OSGeo hope to extend marketing reach by providing co-contributions toward printing costs of OSGeo-Live.
+In the last couple of years, OSGeo has covered local chapter expenses required to purchase [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Exhibition_Pack non-consumable items for conference booths] (such as a retractable banner).
 ===Marketing===

@@ Line 199: / Line 199: @@
 In moving forward, OSGeo hope to extend marketing reach by providing co-contributions toward printing costs of OSGeo-Live.
-==Marketing==
+===Marketing===
 ===Local Chapters===

@@ Line 162: / Line 162: @@
 However, over the last seven years, OSGeo has slowly evolved toward a low capital volunteer focused organisation. Our overheads are very low, which means we waste very little of our volunteer labour and capital on the time consuming task of chasing and managing money. Consequently, any money we do receive (from conference windfalls or sponsorship) goes a long way - as it doesn't get eaten up by high overheads. As discussed and agreed by the board, this low capital path is something that is working very well for us, and the path we should continue to follow.
 === Support initiatives which support themselves ===
@@ Line 188: / Line 187: @@
 Other spatial conferences regularly request an OSGeo involvement, such as providing [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/OSGeo_Advocate presenters], workshops, [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_Disc#Including_OSGeo-Live_at_your_event OSGeo-Live DVDs for distribution], or [http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Exhibition_Pack providing a booth]. OSGeo facilitates such requests to the level we can achieve with interested volunteers, but typically expects the conference or sponsors to cover expenses.
-Code sprints ...
+OSGeo has limited budget set aside for code sprints, which are seen as a valuable forum for given directly back to development teams. OSGeo will typically expect co-contributions from interested sponsors, and would prefer to support code sprints which are of benefit to multiple projects and communities.
 ===Education===
 ===Local Chapters===

@@ Line 144: / Line 144: @@
 * OSGeo should act as a low capital, volunteer focused organisation.
 * OSGeo should focus support on OSGeo communities and initiatives which support themselves.
-So lets expand on these principles:
+Current priority areas include:
 === OSGeo as a low capital, volunteer focused organisation ===
@@ Line 177: / Line 182: @@
 * OSGeo speaker travel expenses, or booth registration costs at a conference. (If conferences/local community feel this is important, they will either: 1. pay for the keynote, 2. make use of local talent, 3. waive fees for our non-profit, 4. find a local sponsor)
-===Conferences===
+===Conferences and related events===
 Conferences are financially risky events. They need to be planned well in advance, and you are never sure how many people will turn up, or whether some global event will have a substantial impact on registrations. Consequently, conferences such as FOSS4G require financial guarantees up front in order to secure a venue.  To support and enable these conferences, OSGeo will endevour to retain sufficient capital to offer such guarantees for any FOSS4G event requesting it. If OSGeo's support is requested, then OSGeo would expect these events to budget for a modest profit under conservative estimates, and for OSGeo to retain profits from such events. To date, such profits, while relatively modest, have been OSGeo's primary income source.
 ===Sponsorship===

@@ Line 138: / Line 138: @@
 === Motions ===
+*
 [[Category:Board]]
 [[Category:Board Meetings 2013]]

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 * roll call
-** Cameron - AU
+** Cameron Shorter - AU
-** Daneil - CA
+** Daneil Morissette - CA
-** Frank - US
+** Frank Warmerdam - US
-** Jacym - CZ
+** Jáchym Čepický - CZ
-** Jeff - CA
+** Jeff McKenna - CA
-** Michael - US
+** Michael Gerlek - US
-** Anne - IT
+** Anne Ghisla - IT
 ** ''(Hobu and Matt Wilkie lurked)''

@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 ** cameron: we should not be paying for booths
 ** frank (on IRC) clarifies: I think the idea is that paying for booth space at tradeshows can be very expensive and not a particularly good use of our funds.
-** jeff: line item for 'advocate travel' -- still valid?
+** jeff: line item for 'advocate travel' -- still valid? -- unsure of who is able to use this, so maybe we should place these funds elsewhere
 ** cameron: if they want us, they should pay for us
 ** mpg/daniel: distinguish between "advocate" travel and "board business" travel