[OSGeo-Announce] Barcelona to host FOSS4G conference in 2010

[Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)]

     Barcelona (Spain) selected to host the 2010 international
     conference for "Free & Open Source Software for  
GeoSpatial" (FOSS4G).

The OSGeo Foundation has selected Barcelona for the location of the  
FOSS4G 2010 conference, to take place in September.

FOSS4G is the premier international event organized around Free and  
Open Source Software for Geospatial. The selection of Barcelona  
brings the conference back to Europe, providing an ideal central  
location for experienced users and core developers to meet and share  
experiences. It is also the single best annual conference to dive in  
to the Open Source geospatial world, with introductory workshops,  
case studies of successful implementations, and numerous  
opportunities for meeting others who have leveraged FOSS to solve  
their problems.

The Spanish language chapter of OSGeo is pleased to be selected to  
host FOSS4G 2010. Geospatial Free and Open Source Software has great  
institutional support in Spain. Government administrations like  
Extremadura, Andalucia and Comunidad Valencia are investing heavily  
in building software that meets their needs. The official language of  
the conference will be English, but the Spanish speaking community  
will have numerous opportunities to participate in their native  
language.

In addition to software, the conference will also touch on a variety  
of related topics such as open data, open standards and the INSPIRE  
directive. To receive additional information about the conference go to:

   * http://2010.foss4g.org

*About OSGeo*

The Open Source Geospatial Foundation has been created to support and  
build the highest-quality Open Source geospatial software. The  
foundation's goal is to encourage the use and collaborative  
development of community-led projects, data development and education  
[1].

*About OSGeo-es*

The Spanish language chapter is a fast growing community embracing  
all countries that speak the Spanish language. It is focused on  
promoting and building software, localizing documentation, and  
sharing educational material. The primary activity of the chapter is  
the realization of a Free GIS book, built by the community and  
distributed with a Creative Commons license.

*About FOSS4G*

FOSS4G is the annual international conference on Open Source  
geospatial software. From its beginning the FOSS4G conference has  
been the gathering of the spatial tribes and has a reputation of  
being a melting pot for great ideas in the spatial industry and a  
catalyst for many successful geospatial products, standards and  
protocols. The 2008 conference was held in Cape Town, South Africa  
and was a huge success[2]. The 2009 conference will be held in  
Sydney, Australia[3]. FOSS4G 2010 Barcelona will be the eighth  
"formal" gathering of the Open Source geospatial community. 2010 will  
be a key year for Europe, with the INSPIRE initiative, and FOSS4G  
will be the best place to see the Free Software way to make an SDI work.

[1] http://www.osgeo.org

[2] http://www.foss4g2008.org

[3] http://2009.foss4g.org