From tmitchell at osgeo.org Mon Mar 2 11:33:58 2009 From: tmitchell at osgeo.org (Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)) Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 11:33:58 -0800 Subject: [OSGeo-Announce] FOSS4G 2009: One week extension to Workshops and Tutorial abstract submissions Message-ID: Sydney, Australia. 2 March 2009. In response to requests from presenters, the deadline for the FOSS4G 2009 workshop and tutorial abstract submissions has been extended by one week, to Monday 9 March 2009. If you are considering submitting a workshop, please notify your intent by emailing the Workshop/Tutorial coordinator, Mark Leslie m a r k . l e s l i e AT l i s a s o f t . c o m About FOSS4G FOSS4G, held 20-23 October 2009 in Sydney, Australia, is the international "gathering of tribes" for open source geospatial communities. The theme for the FOSS4G 2009 conference will be "User Driven". Users and developers are encouraged present their latest projects and software to demonstrate the power of Open Source for system integration through a series of workshop sessions and tutorial presentations. Session participants should expect to see presentations on both geospatial open source and propriety software integration along with pure open source solutions. Workshops Workshops are expected to be a hands-on experience with participants following along with the instructor, working directly with the application under discussion. All workshop rooms will be equipped with computers (two students sharing one system) to support this vision. Workshop computers will pre-installed with a basic image containing standard packages running in a Windows XP environment. A projector will be provided for each computer room for use within a workshop. Instructors will need to discuss pre-installation requirements with the Conference Organising Committee if required. Workshops are expected to require considerable effort to create, with past experience showing that three days of preparation per hour of presentation are required to produce a high quality workshop. Additionally you will be expected to develop material for attendees to take home with them, such as handouts, workbook, CD-ROMs etc. Due to the effort involved in producing and presenting a workshop, instructors will receive a single complementary registration to the conference for delivering a workshop. All workshop submissions will be considered, but particular interest will be shown in the following topics: * Practical Introduction to ____ * Integrating Open Source * Spatial Data Privacy and Security Tutorials Tutorial rooms will not be equipped with computers, however presenters may optionally make use of delegate laptops and the FOSS4G LiveDVD. At least 80% of delegates are expected to be carrying a laptop and FOSS4G LiveDVDs will be given to all delegates. Preference will be given to hands-on tutorials. Any hands-on aspects to a tutorial will be the responsibility of the presenter and needs to be described in the tutorial description. Presenters making use of the Live DVD or Climate Change Integration Plugfest (CCIP) will be expected to contribute to testing pre- releases to ensure material and software is properly installed. To discuss your requirements for LiveDVD, please contact the organising committee: http://2009.foss4g.org/contacts/. All tutorial submissions will be considered, but particular interest will be shown in the following topics: * Practical introductions * Interoperability * Spatial data accuracy * Spatial data privacy * Spatial data security * System implementation * Data migration ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Submission instructions and templates are available at http:// 2009.foss4g.org/workshops/ and http://2009.foss4g.org/tutorials/. The deadline for workshop / tutorial submissions is March 2, 2009. FOSS4G 2009 Highlights *The Climate Change Integration Plugfest (CCIP)*: FOSS4G will launch the OGC's Climate Change Integration Plugfest (CCIP), which demonstrates standards based interoperability between Open Source and Proprietary geospatial applications. It consists of a server with multiple virtual machines, each installed with geospatial applications offering standards based web services. All web services will demonstrate a common dataset, and will be accessed by a range of geospatial client applications installed on client computers. http:// external.opengis.org/twiki_public/bin/view/ClimateChallenge2009/WebHome Presenters are encouraged (but not mandated) to make use of scenarios and on-site data from the Climate Change Integration Plugfest (CCIP). This is especially important as demand for access to data over the internet is expected to be high, and Australia has notoriously slow connections to the outside world. *FOSS4G Live DVD*: LiveDVDs, based on the Xubuntu operating system and including Geospatial Open Source Software, will be given to all delegates. Users can boot a Live DVD on their computer and trial the software without installing or effecting the existing system. http:// wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_Disc *Installfest*: The Installfest will give delegates the opportunity to meet in a common area and install a wide variety of FOSS software on their laptops, EEPC or any other system they care to bring in. Community members will be around to assist with any troubles and provide help and insight into the software. The install fest will take place after workshops on the first day. *Workshops and Tutorials*: Workshops and Tutorials allow presenters to lead attendees through applications, integration solutions, or other topics in an interactive environment. Half-day workshops (3 hours) will be held in computer rooms on the first day. Tutorials (90 minutes) will be held in standard presentation rooms, run concurrently with presentations during the third and fourth days. *Presentations*: The meat of the conference are it's presentations. Drawing on a huge community of local, regional and international experts we will discuss some of the most current and poignant topics in the industry today. *Birds of a Feather*: Rooms have been set aside for semi-organised meetings between like minded groups. Some prominant community initiatives started in prior FOSS4G Birds of a Feather sessions. *Code Sprint*: The weekend after FOSS4G is reserved for the Hackers' Code Sprint. Hackers will be locked in a basement with lots of bandwidth, pizzas and coke. (Well, maybe something better than that, but we don't want to spoil the mystical hacker image by describing it any differently.) Upcoming milestones * 2 Feb 2009, *Call for Workshops/Tutorials opens* * 9 Mar 2009, Call for Workshops/Tutorials closes * 9 Mar 2009, *Call for Abstracts opens* * 30 Mar 2009, Notification of acceptance for workshops/tutorials * 13 Apr 2009, *Registration for conference and tutorials opens* * 1 Jun 2009, Abstract submission deadline * 13 Jul 2009, Presenters notified of acceptance for talks * 31 Jul 2009, *Author/Early registration deadline* * 14 Sep 2009, *Completed program available on the wiki* * 20 Oct 2009, FOSS4G Workshop * 21-23 Oct 2009, FOSS4G Presentations and Tutorials * 24-25 Oct 2009, FOSS4G Code Sprint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For information about this announcement, contact: FOSS4G Organising Committee: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/ FOSS4G_2009#Contact_Us or, Cameron Shorter, Chair of the FOSS4G Organising Committee and Geospatial Systems Architect at LISAsoft tel +61-8570-5050 c a m e r o n . s h o r t e r @ l i s a s o f t . c o m Press Release at: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2009_Press_Release_6 From tmitchell at osgeo.org Mon Mar 9 11:02:05 2009 From: tmitchell at osgeo.org (Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)) Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 11:02:05 -0700 Subject: [OSGeo-Announce] FOSS4G 2009 Call for Abstracts Message-ID: <55CD66F8-DD0D-4D5C-9859-91F4F546F30E@osgeo.org> The Organising Committee would like to welcome all interested participants to submit abstracts for presentations for the Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial conference (FOSS4G), being held in Sydney, Australia October 20-23. FOSS4G offers participants an opportunity to learn from and share your knowledge, experience and ideas with a group of like minded individuals representing a wide array of industries, governments, technologies and nationalities. Presentations are open to all those interested and will comprise a 30 minute slot which includes hand-over, introductions and 5 minutes for questions. Presentations will be selected which have a strong "Open Geospatial" theme to them. The committee is looking for a mixture of technical and non-technical presentations. In deference to the conference theme of ?User Driven,? topics of particular interest are: * Case Studies: Share your experiences implementing and using open source geospatial. What problems were you attempting to solve? How successful were you and at what cost? What can others learn from your experience? * Business Case: Have you had to sell the Open Source concept within your organisation? How did you present the concept to management? How did you present the cost/benefit scenarios and build the business case? What hurdles did you encounter and how did you surmount them? * Collaboration: Have you faced the trials of collaboration between organisations, remote offices or team members scattered to the far corners of the globe? What steps have you taken to improve the efficiency of your collaboration: open or de facto standards, decentralised data collection, or the myriad of solutions that only you could describe? * Security: Securing you data while ensuring ease of access to those select few within your inner circle can be a daunting task. Share you successes, and your failures, with others facing their own security issues. * Developments: Have you created a shiny new widget that is about to change the world? Or has your time-honoured project finally completed a much requested feature or two? Bring us up to date with the new developments in your open source geospatial software products with all the latest buzz: what does it do, how are people using it and what is in store for the next year. For more information, visit the FOSS4G site at http://2009.foss4g.org/ presentations/ The deadline for presentation submissions is June 1st 2009. See you in Sydney. FOSS4G 2009 Highlights The Climate Challenge Integration Plugfest (CCIP): FOSS4G will launch the OGC's Climate Challenge Integration Plugfest (CCIP), which demonstrates standards based interoperability between Open Source and Proprietary geospatial applications. It consists of a server with multiple virtual machines, each installed with geospatial applications offering standards based web services. All web services will demonstrate a common dataset, and will be accessed by a range of geospatial client applications installed on client computers. http:// external.opengis.org/twiki_public/bin/view/ClimateChallenge2009/WebHome Presenters are encouraged (but not mandated) to make use of scenarios and on-site data from the Climate Challenge Integration Plugfest (CCIP). This is especially important as demand for access to data over the internet is expected to be high, and Australia has notoriously slow connections to the outside world. FOSS4G Live DVD: LiveDVDs, based on the Xubuntu operating system and including Geospatial Open Source Software, will be given to all delegates. Users can boot a Live DVD on their computer and trial the software without installing or effecting the existing system. http:// wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Live_GIS_Disc Installfest: The Installfest will give delegates the opportunity to meet in a common area and install a wide variety of FOSS software on their laptops, EE PC or any other system they care to bring in. Community members will be around to assist with any troubles and provide help and insight into the software. The install fest will take place after workshops on the first day. Workshops and Tutorials: Workshops and Tutorials allow presenters to lead attendees through applications, integration solutions, or other topics in an interactive environment. Half-day workshops (3 hours) will be held in computer rooms on the first day. Tutorials (90 minutes) will be held in standard presentation rooms, run concurrently with presentations during the third and fourth days. Presentations: The meat of the conference are it's presentations. Drawing on a huge community of local, regional and international experts we will discuss some of the most current and poignant topics in the industry today. Demo Theatre: During lunch and coffee breaks the demonstration theatre will be showcasing live software. These short demonstrations from sponsors, open source projects and the user community show what is possible with open source today. Birds of a Feather: Rooms have been set aside for semi-organised meetings between like minded groups. Some prominant community initiatives started in prior FOSS4G Birds of a Feather sessions. Code Sprint: The weekend after FOSS4G is reserved for the Hackers' Code Sprint. Hackers will be locked in a basement with lots of bandwidth, pizzas and coke. (Well, maybe something better than that, but we don't want to spoil the mystical hacker image by describing it any differently.) Upcoming milestones * 9 Mar 2009, Call for Abstracts opens * 30 Mar 2009, Notification of acceptance for workshops/tutorials * 13 Apr 2009, Registration for conference and workshops opens * 1 Jun 2009, Abstract submission deadline * 13 Jul 2009, Presenters notified of acceptance for talks * 31 Jul 2009, Author/Early registration deadline * 14 Sep 2009, Completed program available on the wiki * 20 Oct 2009, FOSS4G Workshop * 21-23 Oct 2009, FOSS4G Presentations and Tutorials * 24-25 Oct 2009, FOSS4G Code Sprint Media Sponsors * Position Magazine: http://www.positionmag.com.au * Geoconnexions Magazine: http://www.geoconnexion.com/ For information about this announcement, contact: FOSS4G Organising Committee: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/ FOSS4G_2009#Contact_Us or, Cameron Shorter, Chair of the FOSS4G Organising Committee and Geospatial Systems Architect at LISAsoft tel +61-8570-5050 c a m e r o n . s h o r t e r @ l i s a s o f t . c o m From tmitchell at osgeo.org Wed Mar 18 15:45:50 2009 From: tmitchell at osgeo.org (Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)) Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:45:50 -0700 Subject: [OSGeo-Announce] Barcelona to host FOSS4G conference in 2010 Message-ID: Barcelona (Spain) selected to host the 2010 international conference for "Free & Open Source Software for GeoSpatial" (FOSS4G). The OSGeo Foundation has selected Barcelona for the location of the FOSS4G 2010 conference, to take place in September. FOSS4G is the premier international event organized around Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial. The selection of Barcelona brings the conference back to Europe, providing an ideal central location for experienced users and core developers to meet and share experiences. It is also the single best annual conference to dive in to the Open Source geospatial world, with introductory workshops, case studies of successful implementations, and numerous opportunities for meeting others who have leveraged FOSS to solve their problems. The Spanish language chapter of OSGeo is pleased to be selected to host FOSS4G 2010. Geospatial Free and Open Source Software has great institutional support in Spain. Government administrations like Extremadura, Andalucia and Comunidad Valencia are investing heavily in building software that meets their needs. The official language of the conference will be English, but the Spanish speaking community will have numerous opportunities to participate in their native language. In addition to software, the conference will also touch on a variety of related topics such as open data, open standards and the INSPIRE directive. To receive additional information about the conference go to: * http://2010.foss4g.org *About OSGeo* The Open Source Geospatial Foundation has been created to support and build the highest-quality Open Source geospatial software. The foundation's goal is to encourage the use and collaborative development of community-led projects, data development and education [1]. *About OSGeo-es* The Spanish language chapter is a fast growing community embracing all countries that speak the Spanish language. It is focused on promoting and building software, localizing documentation, and sharing educational material. The primary activity of the chapter is the realization of a Free GIS book, built by the community and distributed with a Creative Commons license. *About FOSS4G* FOSS4G is the annual international conference on Open Source geospatial software. From its beginning the FOSS4G conference has been the gathering of the spatial tribes and has a reputation of being a melting pot for great ideas in the spatial industry and a catalyst for many successful geospatial products, standards and protocols. The 2008 conference was held in Cape Town, South Africa and was a huge success[2]. The 2009 conference will be held in Sydney, Australia[3]. FOSS4G 2010 Barcelona will be the eighth "formal" gathering of the Open Source geospatial community. 2010 will be a key year for Europe, with the INSPIRE initiative, and FOSS4G will be the best place to see the Free Software way to make an SDI work. [1] http://www.osgeo.org [2] http://www.foss4g2008.org [3] http://2009.foss4g.org