Hi all,<div><br></div><div>I had a good chat with Andrew Ross yesterday about our participation in LocationTech (will send more nots on that in due course). I am working through the paperwork for us to formally become an Associate Member of the Eclipse Foundation to participate in the LocationTech working group.</div>
<div><br></div><div>We need to sign the Eclipse Foundation Membership Agreement which I've attached. We would be associate members with no fees. Please let me know if you have any concerns with anything in the agreement.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Is it okay for me to sign and return this as our representative, or should it be signed by Daniel or Frank or Michael on behalf of OSGeo?</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div> Peter.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">
On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 2:22 PM, Cameron Shorter <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:cameron.shorter@gmail.com" target="_blank">cameron.shorter@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<div>Board members,<br>
Does anyone else have thoughts about participation with
LocationTech? If so, I suggest putting together in an email prior
to the meeting.<br>
<br>
My suggestion is:<br>
* OSGeo should accept this invitation to join LocationTech. I
think that OSGeo/LocationTech working together will be much
stronger than competing against each other, and that this offer is
a good first step toward building a positive relationship.<br>
<br>
* Preferably a board member should take the LocationTech position,
as a board position is a position of authority that has been voted
on by the community. (Delegation of responsibility by the board is
fraught with potential accusations of why one person was selected
over another).<br>
<br>
* I'd prefer not to be the OSGeo member, as my timezone is not
conducive for attending EU/US meeting times. However, I would like
to monitor a low traffic email list.<div><div class="h5"><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 04/10/12 10:36, Andrew Ross wrote:<br>
</div></div></div><div><div class="h5">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>Cameron,<br>
<br>
I'll do my best to answer in-line.<br>
<br>
On 10/03/2012 06:50 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>Andrew,<br>
I'm wanting to get down to the details of what is and is not
expected and acceptable, because I'm sure we will need to
answer community questions about this in the future. (My
questions are deliberately baiting in order to try to flush
out what might be obvious to yourself).<br>
<br>
Q1: What types of working groups are you expecting
LocationTech to host which people will wish to be involved in?
Why would such groups be set up to be exclusive, rather than
"everyone's welcome" which is current OSGeo default?<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
This model is very common and one often used for standards bodies,
industry associations, and the like. If you look at OGC for
example it'll look eerily familiar.<br>
<br>
You use the term everyone's welcome as though implying that
everyone is not welcome to the working groups at LocationTech.
They are indeed very welcome. There are fees for some services. To
illustrate my point, FOSS4G charges registration. Why can't FOSS4G
be "everyone's welcome"? Same answer... the funds cover costs and
support delivering benefits to the ecosystem.<br>
<br>
Comparing apples with apples, the open source projects at
LocationTech are "everyone's welcome" just as they are at OSGeo.<br>
<br>
As I meet new people getting involved at LocationTech I try very
hard to understand their needs and wants as a prelude to helping
them achieve them. One thing I have learned is they are diverse.
Some common themes include advancing the state of the art, tight
integration with other enterprise IT systems, creating new
reference implementations of standards, and more. For this reason
it's not really practical for me to encapsulate so much
information succinctly here.<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div> Q2: If a person wants to be
involved in a LocationTech working group, what process should
they follow? Should they lobby the OSGeo board asking to be
assigned as an official OSGeo delegate?<br>
Should OSGeo board allow anyone who asks to be given delegate
status?<br>
If not, what are the criteria for being allocated delegate
status? More importantly, under what circumstances does the
board reject the request?<br>
Is there a limit to the number of OSGeo representatives
LocationTech will accept?<br>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
OSGeo would appoint a single delegate. Given the potential the
relationship with LocationTech represents, it might make sense for
it to be a board member. To be honest, it isn't my place to say
how this person should be identified.<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div> Q3: What value does LocationTech
hope to gain by including OSGeo as a member organisation?<br>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
To foster the important idea that it really is one ecosystem. To
promote collaboration. To invite valuable input to shape the
direction of the working group & help shape the industry. etc.
etc.<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div> Q4: What value does OSGeo gain?<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
Another useful forum to relate to companies including big ones
without giving up autonomy. Another way to find and approach
potential sponsors.<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div> <br>
Q5: What level of effort is required, by whom, within OSGeo?
Eg: A requirement for a high level of involvement from the
OSGeo board might not be sustainable. <br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
The work isn't too onerous I don't think. Participate on a monthly
conference call. Participate on the mailing list. Look for
opportunities of interest to OSGeo. To be honest there are
multiple people that might make excellent candidates to represent
OSGeo already doing this informally. The representative can be
changed at any time.<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div> <br>
On 4/10/2012 7:01 AM, Andrew Ross wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>Hi Cameron,<br>
<br>
In practice, a formal representative from OSGeo would
participate in the working group sessions and discussions.<br>
<br>
The links I provided provide a short summary of membership
rights and privileges. The <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/org/documents/Eclipse%20BYLAWS%202011_08_15%20Final.pdf" target="_blank">Eclipse
Foundation bylaws</a> (PDF) and <a href="http://www.eclipse.org/org/industry-workgroups/locationtech_charter.php" target="_blank">LocationTech
charter</a> are the canonical pages with much detail.<br>
<br>
Any individual designated by OSGeo can be the
representative. The representative can be changed as needed.
What you wrote sounds like any number of people and that's
not right.<br>
<br>
Hope this helps,<br>
<br>
Andrew<br>
<br>
On 10/03/2012 04:17 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">Andrew,
<br>
Can you please expand on what such membership would mean in
practice. Is there a web page explaining what such
membership entails? <br>
<br>
Does this membership provide an avenue for any individual to
participate in Locationtech by noting they are part of OSGeo
(as OSGeo accepts anyone offering to help OSGeo)? <br>
<br>
On 04/10/12 04:40, Andrew Ross wrote: <br>
<blockquote type="cite">Thank you Frank. <br>
<br>
That's right regarding formal representation for OSGeo at
LocationTech. <br>
<br>
And confirmed re: OSGeo wouldn't be a Steering Committee
member for $0. <br>
<br>
For what it's worth, OSGeo could be a Steering Committee
member for $15K/year at any point. <br>
<br>
Andrew <br>
<br>
On 10/03/2012 02:13 PM, Frank Warmerdam wrote: <br>
<blockquote type="cite">Andrew, <br>
<br>
Thanks - I have added this to our agenda for the next
board meeting at: <br>
<br>
<a href="http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Board_Meeting_2012-10-11" target="_blank">http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Board_Meeting_2012-10-11</a>
<br>
<br>
I gather to make this useful we would want to have one
or more <br>
OSGeo representatives to join various LocationTech
mailing lists <br>
to participate in discussions and act as a liason? I
gather we would <br>
be general members of the locationtech working group,
but not <br>
voting members of the steering committee, right? <br>
<br>
Best regards, <br>
Frank <br>
<br>
On Wed, Oct 3, 2012 at 9:58 AM, Andrew Ross <a href="mailto:andrew.ross@eclipse.org" target="_blank"><andrew.ross@eclipse.org></a>
wrote: <br>
<blockquote type="cite">Hi Everyone, <br>
<br>
On behalf of the LocationTech Steering Committee, I
would like to formally <br>
invite OSGeo to participate in LocationTech.
LocationTech's Steering <br>
Committee unanimously agreed to invite OSGeo to
participate without <br>
membership dues. To do so, OSGeo would sign up as an
Associate member of the <br>
Eclipse Foundation ($0 for OSGeo) and Participating
member of LocationTech <br>
(also $0 due to the invitation). <br>
<br>
OSGeo's involvement in this working group: <br>
<br>
helps influence the working group's direction <br>
provides a useful forum for OSGeo to engage companies
<br>
maintains close ties to help identify opportunities of
mutual benefit & <br>
collaboration <br>
<br>
Best regards, <br>
<br>
Andrew <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br>
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<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<pre cols="72">--
Cameron Shorter
Geospatial Solutions Manager
Tel: <a href="tel:%2B61%20%280%292%208570%205050" value="+61285705050" target="_blank">+61 (0)2 8570 5050</a>
Mob: <a href="tel:%2B61%20%280%29419%20142%20254" value="+61419142254" target="_blank">+61 (0)419 142 254</a>
Think Globally, Fix Locally
Geospatial Solutions enhanced with Open Standards and Open Source
<a href="http://www.lisasoft.com" target="_blank">http://www.lisasoft.com</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<fieldset></fieldset>
<br>
<pre>_______________________________________________
Board mailing list
<a href="mailto:Board@lists.osgeo.org" target="_blank">Board@lists.osgeo.org</a>
<a href="http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board" target="_blank">http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<pre cols="72">--
Cameron Shorter
Geospatial Solutions Manager
Tel: <a href="tel:%2B61%20%280%292%208570%205050" value="+61285705050" target="_blank">+61 (0)2 8570 5050</a>
Mob: <a href="tel:%2B61%20%280%29419%20142%20254" value="+61419142254" target="_blank">+61 (0)419 142 254</a>
Think Globally, Fix Locally
Geospatial Solutions enhanced with Open Standards and Open Source
<a href="http://www.lisasoft.com" target="_blank">http://www.lisasoft.com</a>
</pre>
</div></div></div>
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<a href="http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board" target="_blank">http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br></div>