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<TITLE>Re: [Foss4g2008loc] Feedback from GISSA National Council meeting on4Oct</TITLE>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Thanks for that point Jeff,
we're going to have to target our marketing differently within and outside SA.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>From outside SA we will only
accept FOSS presentations and market it as a FOSS conference, indicating that
there will be other local content. For South Africans however, it is also our
biennial general GIS conference, so we will be inclusive and catering for all,
obviously with a strong FOSS message. Exactly how we market the mix and do the
actual 'blending' at the conference is important and we need discussion like
this to get to the best way to do it. </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gavin</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><BR>
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<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> foss4g2008loc-bounces@lists.osgeo.org on
behalf of Jeff McKenna<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wed 10/10/2007 5:52 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
foss4g2008loc@lists.osgeo.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Foss4g2008loc] Feedback
from GISSA National Council meeting on4Oct<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT size=2>Question: how do we accept abstracts for presentations
and/or<BR>workshops for our "FOSS4G" conference that do not contain
any<BR>reference to FOSS? Maybe I am misreading your "blending
proprietary<BR>and FOSS talks" idea. I personally think that PaulR and the
2007<BR>committee successfully showed the community how proprietary and
FOSS<BR>can work together in the geospatial world. And if education is
the<BR>key for the 2008 conference, surely accepting non-FOSS
presentations<BR>and workshops will not help in educating the SA area in
FOSS. Please<BR>clarify.<BR><BR>--<BR>jeff<BR><BR><BR><BR>On 10/10/07,
Gavin Fleming <GavinF@mintek.co.za>
wrote:<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> You're right, but it is
incorporating GISSA 2008 so there will be some<BR>> content that is
'proprietary'. Our challenge is to work the two together in<BR>> a sensible
and non-threatening way. We want to communicate to the<BR>> 'proprietary'
world what FOSS can do so want to attract as wide an audience<BR>> as
possible, while keeping it attractive to the FOSS GIS
core.<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> ESRI, Leica, Autodesk, Google and others
were major sponsors of FOSS4G2007,<BR>> exhibited and presented at the
conference and indeed use and support FOSS<BR>> projects in a big way and we
will be approaching them for next year too.<BR>> E.g. GDAL is core to Google
Earth and ArcGIS.<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
Gavin<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
________________________________<BR>><BR>><BR>> From: Dewald Troskie
[<A
href="mailto:nucleotic@gmail.com">mailto:nucleotic@gmail.com</A>]<BR>>
Sent: 10 October 2007 10:30 AM<BR>> To: Gavin Fleming;
foss4g2008loc@lists.osgeo.org<BR>> Subject: RE: [Foss4g2008loc]
Feedback from GISSA National Council meeting<BR>> on
4Oct<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> Hi
All,<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> Just a point - FOSS4G is about Free and
Open Source GIS, not proprietry<BR>> talks. That is against the spirit of the
conference in my opinion - just as<BR>> the name states. Otherwise we might
as well invite the "Microsoft" of GIS<BR>> (we all know whom I'm talking
about) to jump onboard. If users are<BR>> interested in that, then they
should attend one of the ESRI User<BR>>
conferences.<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> The debate may be a good idea, but
it should be properly mediated to prevent<BR>> scope creep and have proper
direction without getting ugly (I have seen it<BR>> happen before between
professionals).<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> Just a note. My Zim $5
worth.<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> Dewald.<BR>><BR>><BR>>
________________________________<BR>><BR>><BR>> From:
foss4g2008loc-bounces@lists.osgeo.org<BR>> [<A
href="mailto:foss4g2008loc-bounces@lists.osgeo.org">mailto:foss4g2008loc-bounces@lists.osgeo.org</A>]
On Behalf Of<BR>> Gavin Fleming<BR>> Sent: 10 October 2007 09:01
AM<BR>> To: foss4g2008loc@lists.osgeo.org<BR>> Subject:
[Foss4g2008loc] Feedback from GISSA National Council meeting on<BR>>
4Oct<BR>><BR>><BR>> I gave brief feedback from FOSS4G2007 to the GISSA
National Council and<BR>> asked for their comments on FOSS4G2008
organisation:<BR>><BR>> An idea was proposed for blending proprietary and
FOSS talks: have themed<BR>> rooms where delegates know certain streams or
cross-cutting content like<BR>> FOSS will be presented. Previous suggestions
include having streams<BR>> containing FOSS, though not necessarily keeping
them in the same room, or<BR>> randomly interspersing talks with FOSS content
throughout a topic stream and<BR>> just identifying them with some flag. The
point was also made that many<BR>> delegates will see a talk for the
application, not for the tools used, i.e.<BR>> to them it's not important
whether FOSS or proprietary GIS was used.<BR>> The marketing message must be
open and inclusive. While we may run a formal<BR>> FOSS vs proprietary
debate, confrontation is not the message. Most debate<BR>> will occur in the
presentations and corridors anyway.<BR>> Re topics, it was suggested that we
add topics for business and government<BR>> delegates (pretty much what is
being discussed on OSGeo-Discuss at the<BR>> moment) such as<BR>><BR>>
FOSS GIS migration strategies<BR>> FOSS GIS business case, FOSS vs
proprietary TCO, etc.<BR>> It was advised that we aim to break even with 600
delegates but plan space<BR>> for 1000 delegates.<BR>> Carrin would send a
letter to GISSA members and vendors advising them of the<BR>> conference and
asking them to plan for the time and budget to attend.<BR>> A request was
made to boost the academic component of the conference. i.e.<BR>> improve the
options available to those who want peer review and publication<BR>> of their
papers. Antony Cooper will participate in this.<BR>> Local Cape participation
in the LOC should be boosted. So far Inge is the<BR>> main person on the
ground there. Russell Hope might want to get more<BR>> involved and Derek
Clarke will be approached (Gavin will approach Derek)<BR>> The whole Council
asked to be placed on the LOC mailing list.<BR>> In the development of an
agreement between GISSA and OSGeo we need to<BR>> clarify respective risks,
contributions and benefits and draft the agreement<BR>>
accordingly.<BR>><BR>>
Gavin<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
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