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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">Dear Menno-Jan,</span><br>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">It is now over one year and I have not heard any updates on the SDG book [1] .</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">As far as I am aware, there was no emails received</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">in </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">the GeoforAll lists on this till now</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">. Please correct me if I am wrong.</span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">As you are aware, I have personally requested colleagues</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">in the open source Geo community to support the ICA SDG book initiative and they have contributed to this book project in good faith, so I request you to kindly keep them informed. I thank you for your
kind understanding.</span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">We are now seeing a very disturbing
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">trend</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;"> with some vendors even </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">starting to trademark “ science” for marketing/sales
of their</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;"> </span>
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">products and “science” is being misused for vendor marketing/sales! . I have raised this issue through an open letter [2] . The good news</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">is that now everyone knows it is just marketing/sales gimmicks of vendor . Science is not owned by any vendors.</span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">But two weeks back, I received a email query from a respectable and senior ICA</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">colleague that made me very concerned</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">. He is one of the editors of a GIS journal
. They are receiving</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">lot of submissions from a country that are very similar</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">-“ poorly written, poor map design – to the point that they seem written in a factory” .</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">They were all using one </span><font face="Helvetica Neue"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">proprietary</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> GIS</span></font><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">
software</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">and deal with some aspect of physical geography.</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">He
asked for my advice.</span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I thanked him for sharing this information and though I do not know the background or details of the papers or authors, I am also very concerned</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">
to hear about this .</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> It is really sad to see the state of affairs in GIS . I requested</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><font face="Helvetica Neue"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">him to take strong action against any “factory produced” science and reject them.
</span></font><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> I am concerned in </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">the rapid increase in</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Fake
Science” . </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">I requested him to inform this to the wider community through an open letter .</span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">But this is not the solution as if one journal rejects these “factory produced</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">science”, then these kind of </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">papers will be submitted to other journals. I won’t be surprised if in future some vendors even start their own journals with their own editorial boards !
</span><font face="Helvetica Neue"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> What will then happen to the credibility of peer review and scientific quality. </span><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"></span></font></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">I think</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">it is important that editors of all GIS journals and leadership of all GIS Professional bodies like ICA</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">declare any conflict of interest with any vendors (funding/sponsorship/gifts received from any software vendors currently or in the past) to ensure transparency and good practices. </span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">I </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">am just a</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"> ICA volunteer . </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">I
am hoping that you will take principled</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">leadership and action against</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">“Fake Science” , “Factory produced</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">science” and any unethical practices in GIS that is affecting Science and Education from any vendors (open or </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">proprietary</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">)
. </span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">I thank you for the work on SDG book and looking forward to hear updates. </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"></span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">Best wishes,</span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11pt;">Suchith</span></p>
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<span style="color: #454545">[1] <a href="https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/geoforall/2017-June/003790.html" id="LPlnk357114" class="OWAAutoLink" previewremoved="true">
<span style="color: rgb(228, 175, 10);">https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/geoforall/2017-June/003790.html</span></a> </span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">[2] <span style="color: rgb(228, 175, 10);"><a href="https://www.rd-alliance.org/group/geospatial-ig/post/open-letter-importance-scientific-freedom-and-public-good" id="LPlnk476442" class="OWAAutoLink" previewremoved="true">https://www.rd-alliance.org/group/geospatial-ig/post/open-letter-importance-scientific-freedom-and-public-good</a></span><br>
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