[OSGeo Africa] FOSS4G 2008 Registration and Calls for Papers and Workshops

[Gavin Fleming]

If you attend just one GIS conference in 2008, make it FOSS4G 2008! It
promises to be the highlight of your year. 

The 2008 Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G)
conference, incorporating GISSA 2008, is on the horizon.

WHERE: Cape Town, South Africa, at the Cape Town International
Convention Centre. Cape Town is one of the Top 5 worldwide tourist and
conference destinations.
       
WHEN: Monday 29 September to Friday 3 October. Extend your stay with a
holiday in beautiful South Africa and make the trip even more
worthwhile.

Theme: "Open Source Geospatial: An Option for Developing Nations"

FOSS4G is presented annually by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation
(OSGeo) and in 2007 gathered 700 developers and users of open source
geospatial software as well as managers and decision makers from around
the world to discuss new directions, exciting implementations, and
growing business opportunities in the field of open source geospatial
software. 

Incorporation of GISSA 2008 this year opens FOSS4G to a wider field of
GIS practitioners and decision makers. GISSA is the GeoInformation
Society of South Africa and we want all players from South Africa to
join their peers from around the world at this international event. Come
and present your work, learn about Open Source GIS and participate in
the FOSS-Proprietary debate. 

South Africa's recent adoption of a National Open Source Policy in
Government and the introduction of GIS into our school syllabus this
year make FOSS4G an especially important conference for South Africa and
other countries in a similar position. 

Major features include Hands-on Workshops and Labs, Presentations and
Academic Papers, a live Demo Theatre, large exhibition hall, Outreach
activities, Technical visits and a great social programme including a
gala dinner at Moyo in Stellenbosch.

Visit the website http://www.foss4g2008.org to find out more. Register
or submit an Abstract or Workshop Proposal. This year there will be an
Academic Track in addition to non-peer-reviewed presentations, catering
for a wide range of topics. 

Autodesk and Google have already come on board as sponsors. If your
organisation is interested in supporting the conference or exhibiting,
please download the Prospectus from the website.

Please circulate this widely.

I'm looking forward to seeing you in Cape Town!

Gavin Fleming 
FOSS4G 2008 Conference Chair
www.foss4g2008.org