<div dir="ltr">Thanks Dirk, added to the information section of the website.</div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>--</div><div>Jody Garnett</div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On 7 July 2016 at 15:33, Dirk Frigne <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:dirk.frigne@geosparc.com" target="_blank">dirk.frigne@geosparc.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Dear OSGeo Board,<br>
<br>
Reason for my mail is to officially express our interest to form a<br>
Belgium local chapter of OSGeo.<br>
<br>
1. self-organise<br>
<br>
Since the conference in Bremen in 2013, thoughts and ideas where<br>
exchanged to organise OSGeo more on a European basis. The Industry group<br>
was started, a platform of people supporting the idea arose, but there<br>
was no real initiative for action.<br>
<br>
This year we (OSGeoEU in formation[1) have the ambition to organise a<br>
legal entity OSGEO-EU to create a stronger software group in Europe to<br>
defend the rights of open source from the perspective of the<br>
Geo-ecosystem. We want to announce this chapter on the FOSS4G 2016<br>
conference [2].<br>
<br>
In preparation for this official expression of interest, a couple of<br>
meetings have already taken place. A physical BOF @FOSS4G 2014 in<br>
Bremen, several mails and discussions, a BOF @FOSS4G 2015 in Como and<br>
physical meetings (last one at the GWF 2016 conference).<br>
An extract of the meeting report of this last meeting, written by Till<br>
Adams and send to all the local chapter representatives of Europe:<br>
<br>
"Marc Vloemans, Gert-Jan van der Wejden (both from local dutch chapter),<br>
Dirk Frigne (from local chapter Belgium and OSGeo board member) and<br>
me-myself-and-I, Till Adams (from german speaking local chapter FOSSGIS<br>
e.V.) met end of May after Geospatial World Forum in Rotterdam. We<br>
discussed about the potential and the need to have an European local<br>
OSGeo chapter, which is not "above" the local chapters and which does<br>
not overtake tasks, that are already well covered by OSGeo.org, but that<br>
overtakes different, special European-related tasks and challenges, that<br>
aren't already covered by local chapters or by OSGeo.org itself. "<br>
<br>
<br>
In the past there where already some OSGeo EU activities, organised as<br>
European FOSS4G conferences, and further specific activities are planned<br>
(f.i. the Topic talk at the FOSS4G 2016 conference: "become INSPIRE'd by<br>
OSGeo" about the opportunities the INSPIRE directive can bring to OSGeo<br>
members and the organisation of community effort around specific EU needs.)<br>
<br>
Please find our ideas and plans in the OSGeo WIKI [1].<br>
<br>
<br>
2. mission objectives<br>
<br>
After discussion amongst the active local chapter members we come to the<br>
following list of mission objectives:<br>
<br>
* Community-building and networking around specific European themes<br>
<br>
* support the European OSGeo members using FOSS4G software, help<br>
them to organise and bring into contact with governmental agencies and<br>
research institutes. Help them with European funded projects.<br>
<br>
* encourage interoperability in European projects<br>
<br>
* support European open standards and European directives such as<br>
INSPIRE<br>
<br>
* provide support for the use of OSGeo software in education via<br>
European curriculum development, outreach, and capacity building<br>
<br>
* to encourage communication between the different European local<br>
chapters<br>
<br>
* to encourage different communities to work together where relevant<br>
<br>
* Organisation of events<br>
<br>
* Networking with other typically European organisations and groups<br>
(notably OSM, JRC, European projects, FIWARE, EUROGI, SMESpire, ... )<br>
<br>
4. List of initial members:<br>
<br>
The European OSGeo Chapter has the support of the following initial<br>
founding members (alphabetic - first name):<br>
<br>
Dirk Frigne - Vice president<br>
Vasile Crăciunescu - board member<br>
Jáchym Čepický - Secretary of OSGeo<br>
Stephan Meißl - charter member<br>
Till Adams - charter member<br>
Marc Vloemans - Charter member<br>
Markus Neteler - Charter member<br>
Jorge Gustavo Rocha - Charter member<br>
<br>
5. May I kindly ask the OSGeo Board to consider passing a motion forming<br>
the European chapter, and designating Dirk Frigne as the liason officer.<br>
<br>
<br>
[1] <a href="http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Europe" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/<wbr>Europe</a><br>
[2] <a href="http://2016.foss4g.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://2016.foss4g.org</a><br>
<br>
--<br>
Yours sincerely,<br>
<br>
<br>
ir. Dirk Frigne<br>
CEO @geosparc<br>
<br>
Geosparc n.v.<br>
Brugsesteenweg 587<br>
B-9030 Ghent<br>
Tel: <a href="tel:%2B32%209%20236%2060%2018" value="+3292366018">+32 9 236 60 18</a><br>
GSM: <a href="tel:%2B32%20495%20508%20799" value="+32495508799">+32 495 508 799</a><br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.geomajas.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.geomajas.org</a><br>
<a href="http://www.geosparc.com" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.geosparc.com</a><br>
<br>
@DFrigne<br>
<a href="http://be.linkedin.com/in/frigne" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">be.linkedin.com/in/frigne</a><br>
<br>
______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
Board mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Board@lists.osgeo.org">Board@lists.osgeo.org</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://lists.osgeo.org/<wbr>mailman/listinfo/board</a></blockquote></div><br></div>