[North America] updated status 25 Nov 2011

[Landon Blake]

Mark:

Thank you for your efforts so far. Organizing a North American Chapter
to help with an annual conference was a great idea.

I also like Daniel's suggestion. When the time is right it might be
good to ask for volunteers for a steering committee and then have a
vote from members of OSGeo in North America.

I don't have a desire to help on the steering committee, but I am
interested in helping make the conference material available to those
like myself that may not be able to attend every year. So I'll offer
to hep edit, organize, and distribute video content and talk materials
each year, whether I'm able to attend the conference or not. I hope
others will see value in this as well. If the conference is held close
to California in future years I can also help out with photos and
video.

If someone is going to the Denver conference and is willing to shoot
video, I'd even consider sending over some of my camera gear (to the
right person). I should also be able to help with conference coverage
in the Journal.

On a side note: I can help a little with a conference web site if we
are going to have one. Not sure about this. Maybe we will just be
using the wiki.

I look forward to learning more as our effort evolves. Perhaps it
makes some sense to have our benevolent dictatorship appoint some
committees to share the workload? I'm thinking you might need a
speakers committee, web site/media coverage committee, and content
committee?

Landon



On Sat, Nov 26, 2011 at 5:13 AM, Mark Lucas <mlucas17 at mac.com> wrote:
> Daniel,
> Good advice and I think it is something we should follow through with.
>  Given the timeline and current focus on repeating a Denver GITA event we
> are operating more in a 'benevolent dictator' mode to get some forward
> motion started.  At this point, anyone on the list can jump in, hoist some
> sails, and grab the tiller for a while (as long as we are heading out of the
> harbor).  My bias is that the contributors are the ones that get to vote, so
> we will have to try and figure out a way to establish a PSC that is
> meaningful.  For now, everyone on the mailing list has a voice - if someone
> has a better idea of how to organize the first regional conference before
> summer we'd really like to hear about it.
> I'd suggest that we set a goal to organize a mailing list vote before the
> end of the year for a chapter president.  For the time being, as required by
> the submission rules, I've put my name down as board liaison for the
> chapter.  I've also volunteered to take the lead on organizing the
> conference.  Nothing would make me happier than see someone come forward and
> take the lead - I just want to make sure that we get this started.
> By the way, I was in the early conferences in Minneapolis and Ottawa - those
> were great conferences.
> Mark
>
> On Nov 25, 2011, at 3:36 PM, Daniel Morissette wrote:
>
> On 11-11-25 11:32 AM, Mark Lucas wrote:
>
> There has been very constructive discussion on the various lists related
>
> to the North America chapter, ideas for an annual regional conference,
>
> and what can be done to assist the international event in Beijing this
>
> year. I think most of the questions are being addressed adequately and I
>
> sense that we are headed for approving the NA chapter at the next board
>
> meeting the first part of December. If we have missed anything, or
>
> anyone has questions, pleased let us know so we can do our best to
>
> address any concerns and promote good ideas.
>
>
> One suggestion: even if that is not a documented requirement I would suggest
> that the NA chapter form a steering committee responsible for making all
> decisions relating to the chapter and a possible conference.
>
> This steering committee would have open operation rules similar to OSGeo's
> project PSCs, with an open/balanced membership, etc. A committee with 5 or 7
> interested parties could be good to get started.
>
> I suggest this because one of the tough decision that this committee will
> have to make eventually is the location of the conference each year... a
> decision that is much easier to make for a well identified steering
> committee than a single individual trying to gather consensus from an
> unorganized group.
>
> I speak from experience, having witnessed the tough decision process to
> decide on the MapServer Users Meeting location after the first years in
> Minneapolis and Ottawa. If there had been an organized steering committee
> for this event at the time it would have been easier to plan each of the
> following year's location (the problem went away when OSGeo was created of
> course).
>
> --
> Daniel Morissette
> http://www.mapgears.com/
> Provider of Professional MapServer Support since 2000
>
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