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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Hi All.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">I am writing to </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">explore potential for collaboration with OSGEO to obtain news
and other SDI related content, for inclusion in the regional monthly newsletters
published by the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association <a href="http://www.gsdi.org/" target="_blank">http://www.gsdi.org/</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Each month, three regional newsletters are published by
the GSDI, for Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America and the <st1:place w:st="on">Caribbean</st1:place>.
The aim of the publication is to collate and share information relevant to
folks interested in SDI in these regions. The Centre for SDI and Land Administration at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Melbourne</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> has recently taken on the production
of the AP newsletter and I have been asked to act as editor. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">In the past, the SDI newsletters have attempted to
cover a broad spectrum of geospatial news – projects, data, events, technology,
applications, grants, jobs etc. We are currently reviewing the AP newsletter focus,
style, content and content collection process, with an aim of obtaining more
SDI-focused material that more directly
supports the goals of the GSDI. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">In order to provide some context to news items, I would like to include more editorial and opinions and thus provide a picture of
what goes on “under the hood” of SDI/web mapping. A URL to a web mapping
application is useful to communicate <u>what</u> is being done but providing additional
information that broadly describes the <u>how</u> would be really useful. The
target audience for the newsletters are those in the AP region trying to build towards
SDIs so the under the hood view is crucial to them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Several ideas for the new look newsletter are:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">to develop regular features from key
communities e.g. OGC round-up, Open source round-up, possibly UN <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">a series of thematic features e.g.
what<span style=""> </span>is GML and why is it important in
context of SDI, coordination mechanisms/governance of SDI, an SOA primer etc. The
aim of these would be to assist colleagues in developing nations to navigate
the complex SDI landscape and conceptually stitch together the different
technology and other components of an SDI.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">National SDI round-up – spotlight on
specific countries with an update of activities, achievements, issues,
challenges<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">As the OSGEO community plays such a key enabling role in
SDI implementation, I wanted to explore ideas with you as to how best to interface
with your community to obtain content. <span style=""> </span>Currently, the editors simply trawl the web,
monitoring certain sites and filtering RSS feeds. There is currently very
little content actively submitted by contributors at least in the Asia Pacific
region. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">In the next issue of the AP newsletter, available at <a href="http://www.gsdi.org/newsletters.asp">http://www.gsdi.org/newsletters.asp</a>
<span style=""> </span>from April 1, I have pulled together a
few OSGEO news items. FYI, the newsletter contains an article on an SDI for <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Kerala</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType>
in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>
built using open source s/w that could be a useful case study. press release <a href="http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/17/stories/2008021750750200.htm">http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/17/stories/2008021750750200.htm</a>
- <span style=""> </span>project site - <a href="http://www.edugrid.ac.in/webgis/webgis.htm">http://www.edugrid.ac.in/webgis/webgis.htm</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Given the importance of the OSEO community, particularly
in developing nations that are turning to open source geospatial solutions, I
wanted to explore ways in which your community could communicate key
messages/issues/developments to the broader (and largely less technically-minded)
community. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Specifically I would be interested in exploring possibility
of OSGEO:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Provision of a regular feature
monthly/quarterly from OSGEO on trends/themes/issues in your space, with
pointers to relevant resources <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Contribution of thematic features article
and or op/ed contributions <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the
above and am pretty open to ideas. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Cheers,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Paul<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div><br>-- <br></div>Paul Box<br>Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration <br>Department of Geomatics <br>The University of Melbourne<br></div></body></html>