MapServer/FreeGIS and the market

[Mike Davis]

I believe it will be a while before you start to see Mapserver related
job postings in any large quantity.  To a certain extent this is
because web-mapping is still a relatively small segment of the GIS
industry and there are many more GIS Analyst/ Cartographer/ Image
Analyst positions than positions that solely deal with web based
mapping.  Many shops that produce Mapserver or ArcIMS sites have a GIS
Analyst working double duty when necessary or an IT guy who can throw
together and manage IMS sites.

That being said I think there is a definite advantage to knowing how
to create and manage web sites with multiple tools.  Companies and
Gov't Institutions go through phases of "we are going Microsoft/ ESRI
everything" or "Open Source is CHEAP lets do everything Open Source"
and someone who can adapt to meet their needs using the tools
available will always be valuable.

To answer your questions:

I don't think experience with free GIS or Mapserver is enough to get
you started.  I would recommend at least a GIS certificate from a
Community College or Technical University.  This will give you some
basic foundations in the theory behind GIS as well as some hands on
with different GIS software (although these days ESRI seems to have a
lock on the education side).  If this option is not available start
volunteering for local non-profit organizations (like conservation
groups, crime stoppers, etc) set up some nifty web sites for them and
then use them for resume padding.

I don't believe that commercial software companies are actively trying
to discourage jobs that use free GIS software in any way other than
their natural push to encourage people to use their software.  We use
Mapserver for all our web mapping needs, but the rest of our GIS
infrastructure is ESRI based.  When I mention this to the ESRI folks I
usually get a mixture of bewilderment and mild amusement from them. 
Most ESRI folks have absolutely no idea what Mapserver is and those
that do don't seem to know what its capabilities are compared to their
software.





On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 09:11:34 -0300, Eduardo Patto Kanegae
<lists at webmapit.com.br> wrote:
> Hi folks,
> 
> this is more a discussion and "opinion-collector" topic than a technical
> question.
> 
> Despite the known high potencial of MapServer and other very useful free gis
> tools, it's still very hard to find MapServer/Free GIS job offers at gis
> jobs websites or other GIS related sites.
> 
> Why do you think this happen this way?
> - do you think mapserver/freegis packs are not sufficient known to get a
> place at commercial media?
> - or could commercial proprietary software companies be doing something to
> avoid free gis from growing up?
> - or does companies know that this kind of professional is more difficult to
> find and then prefer not to loose time on high media announces and look for
> professionals only via people networking?
> 
> best regards,
> 
> Eduardo Patto Kanegae
> http://www.webmapit.com.br
> ICQ: 303747254
> MSN: eduardo_patto at hotmail.com
> phone:+55(16)9994-2928
> 
> Treinamento em UMN MapServer -
> http://www.webmapit.com.br/ptbr/?menuoption=mapserver
> Fórum MapServer Brasil - http://mapserver.cttmar.univali.br/forum
> 
> ***Fim da Mensagem / End of Message ***
>