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<body class='hmmessage'>Dear All<BR>
<BR>
Please find inserted below the re-worked call for Workshops. Can we please receive comments on this by no later than tomorrow 13 March 2008 at 12:00 SAST.<BR>
<BR>
Thank you kindly.<BR>
<BR>
Regards,<BR>Burnie Nawn <BR>0837785352<BR><BR>
<BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>FOSS4G 2008 Conference Call for Workshops</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>The FOSS4G (Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial) conference is pleased to announce the Call for Workshops for the 2008 conference which is being held September 29-October 3 in Cape Town, South Africa.</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>FOSS4g is the premier conference for the open source geospatial community, providing a place for developers, users, and people new to open source geospatial to get a full-immersion experience in both established and leading edge geospatial technologies.</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>This year’s FOSS4G conference is a bit different than prior FOSS4G conferences, because it incorporates GISSA 2008, the main GIS Conference on the South African calendar. GISSA is primarily attended by people who are not yet familiar with FOSS4G, however, the South African government has made a strategic commitment to FOSS. This has created a certain amount of clamour for more information about FOSS4G. The FOSS4G Organising Committee believe that immersive workshops could play a crucial role in convincing people that FOSS4G is “An Option for Developing Nations”, working alongside more well known proprietary tools. FOSS4G offers an opportunity to let people experience the FOSS and proprietary software developing nations together.</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Come to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1:place>Cape Town</st1:place></st1:City> to showcase your favorite application, integration solution, or other topic, and get the excitement bubbling around it. You will use your superior classroom skills to lead a group of attendees through your chosen topic in (either a half-day workshop or ninety minute lab session).</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>No restrictions are placed on topics for workshops, but we expect interest to be high for workshops on:</FONT></P>
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<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Practical Introduction to ________________</FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Interoperability</FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Exposure to a Software Stack</FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Fitting FOSS4G into the enterprise</FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Using FOSS4G to solve__________________</FONT></LI></UL>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>In addition, FOSS4G plays strongly in emerging spaces, so workshops with NeoGeography-like themes or on new directions will be welcome and are likely to be fresh topics for many attendees.</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>“Hands on” events, with participants seated in front of computers and able to follow along with the instructor, working directly with the software and applications under discussion.</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Workshops require considerable preparation. Past experience has shown that a high quality workshop requires about three days of preparation for each hour presentation time. As part of this preparation you will be expected to develop material for attendees to take away with them, such as handouts, a ‘workbook’, CDROM, etc.</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>In recognition of this effort, workshop presenters will receive a reduction in the price of conference registration:</FONT></P>
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<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Free registration for delivering a half-day workshop</FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Half price registration for delivering a 90-minute lab session</FONT></LI></UL>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>If your topic can be delivered in either a half-day or90-minute format, you may want to consider submitting two versions of your topic, because the number of Workshops and Labs is limited. It is unlikely that your topic will be selected for delivery in both formats. You are welcome to submit Workshop/Lab proposals for more than one topic.</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Please visit the Call for Papers page on our website to receive instructions for submitting a workshops/lab proposal at: </FONT><A href="http://conference.osgeo.org/index.php/foss4g/2008/shedConf/cfp"><U><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#0000ff size=3>http://conference.osgeo.org/index.php/foss4g/2008/shedConf/cfp</FONT></U></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>The deadline for workshop proposals submission is <st1:date Month="4" Day="15" Year="2008">15 April, 2008</st1:date>. You will hear whether your proposal has been accepted by 30 April, after which you will be required to register for the conference to confirm your attendance, as well as subscribe to the conference workshops mailing list (</FONT><A href="mailto:conference-workshops@lists.osgeo.org"><U><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#0000ff size=3>conference-workshops@lists.osgeo.org</FONT></U></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3> ), which will be the forum for discussing your workshop development, progress and logistics with the Workshop Committee, members of the OSGeo community, and fellow presenters.</FONT></P>
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