[OSGeo-Discuss] some post-FOSS4G thoughts

Tue Oct 7 14:06:53 EDT 2008

I should have clearly stated that local conferences could be an
alternative to FOSS4G, not a REPLACEMENT. Please don't burn me at the
stake for that slip up. :]

Landon

________________________________

From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
[mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Landon Blake
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 11:04 AM
To: OSGeo Discussions
Subject: RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] some post-FOSS4G thoughts

I really think the best solution to this issue would be smaller,
regional conferences. Perhaps this could be an issue that could be
tackled by local OSGeo Chapters?

It would be cool if we could get a point location and radius of
acceptable travel from each OSGeo member. You could then determine which
host cities for a local or regional conference would impact the most
users.

Landon

________________________________

From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
[mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Daniel Ames
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 10:49 AM
To: OSGeo Discussions
Cc: conference_dev
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] some post-FOSS4G thoughts

Another consideration: my students who attended last week said that the
mix of GISSA with FOSS4g was EXCELLENT.  The really liked having the
business GIS users/non-FOSS people there. In fact, doing a joint
conference like this gave the FOSS folks lots of great proselytizing
opportunities that they wouldn't otherwise have. So that was a GREAT
idea the South Africa group had.  Good job.

One more thing... We should be careful talking about having conferences
"closer". Come on folks, as geo-people you all know that "closer" is
relative to your datum...  There is a huge growing GIS interest in China
right now. Wouldn't it be cool to have FOSS4g there one year? 

So a public "Thanks" to the SA organizers, and a "Good luck!" to the
Aussies... and as for 2010?  Anyone interested in Beijing? How about
Idaho? :)

- Dan

On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 8:42 AM, Gavin Fleming <GavinF at mintek.co.za>
wrote:

This thread has been doing the rounds on the conference_dev list as well

Some of my thoughts in the aftermath of FOSS4G 2008.

I have heard very positive feedback from all quarters. As Arnulf alluded
to in the AGM, I believe the decision to host in an 'untested' location
WORKED. The mix of FOSS and proprietary worlds WORKED. The mix of the
full-spectrum ecosystem from geek to user to academic to businessperson
to government official WORKED.

It WORKED on so many levels we'll be seeing positive spin-offs for years
to come.

Business people loved meeting developers and picking up the sense of
community.

Developers loved being with other developers and interacting with users
and funders.  And we did manage a code sprint of around 40 people.
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G2008_CodeSprint

Cost:
-Registration was well within the limits set by OSGeo of $600. It was
NOT the deciding factor for most people. Academics and students got 50%
discount, but these were a minority.
-Travel was THE deciding factor.
-Accommodation: yes, 'official' hotels where our agents got block
bookings were not exactly budget prices (global tourist destination in
high season) but we advertised and listed many links for organising
one's own cheap accommodation from backpackers to B&Bs. So that should
not have been a factor.
-with more sponsorship we would have loved to support those who could
not afford it. Luckily many who asked made a plan of their own.

By its nature, a moving conference will be expensive to get to from many
places. But it will be cheap and accessible to regional attendees and
that's the point. That's part of OSGeo's mission.

The value of bringing FOSS4G to South Africa (or Sydney or other future
global venues) far outweighs the 'cost' to a few who could not make it.
Sydney will be in the same boat next year - far from almost everywhere.
But they're already focussing on Australia/NZ and Southeast Asia. And a
core contingent of OSGeo techies WILL make it to FOSS4G each year. And
there you have the magic mix.

So, from me:
-keep FOSS4G roaming the globe annually
-stimulate and support local or regional events whenever and wherever
they emerge
-keep the FOSS4G mix as it is - don't split along a perceived
technical-business divide.
-put out RFPs even earlier to allow time to secure cheap venues, big
sponsorships, optimal scheduling, etc. A case in point is
http://www.igarss09.org/ where the conference was awarded years back
enabling the hosting of thousands at a cheap venue (university).

Gavin Fleming

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Department of Geosciences
Idaho State University - Idaho Falls
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