[OSGeo-Announce] Happy Birthday OSGeo! Celebrating 20 years of Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial

[Jorge Sanz]

https://www.osgeo.org/foundation-news/happy-birthday-osgeo-celebrating-20-years-of-free-and-open-source-software-for-geospatial/

*2026-02-04 | Celebrate 20 years of OSGeo with us*

In February 2026, the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) will
celebrate its 20th anniversary. What began as a small group of individuals
and projects with a shared vision for free and open-source software for
geospatial applications (FOSS4G) has evolved into a global organisation
with projects, local chapters, conferences and communities spanning all
continents.

While looking back over the last 20 years is important, it is even more
important to consider what OSGeo represents today and how the foundation
continues to evolve.
OSGeo: Then and Now

Founded in 2006, OSGeo provides a legal, organisational and community home
for open-source geospatial software projects. From the outset, its purpose
has been clear: to enable long-term sustainability for geospatial free and
open-source software (FOSS) projects, and to support open collaboration
across institutions, countries, and disciplines.

Twenty years later, OSGeo has grown into a foundation that includes the
following:

   -

   > 50 officially recognised OSGeo projects (including desktop GIS, server
   software, spatial libraries, and educational initiatives);
   -

   > 30 local chapters worldwide, representing active communities in
   Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America and Oceania:
   -

   a global conference series (FOSS4G), with additional international and
   regional events held every year;
   -

   strong partnerships across academia, public administration, NGOs, and
   industry.

Projects: From the First Incubations to a Diverse Ecosystem

OSGeo has always been strengthened by its projects
<https://www.osgeo.org/projects/> and the people behind them.

Some projects have been part of OSGeo since its inception:

   -

   MapServer, one of the foundational projects that helped to define web
   mapping as we know it today;
   -

   GDAL, which is critical for accessing raster and vector data across the
   entire geospatial ecosystem;
   -

   GRASS GIS, one of the oldest open-source GIS projects with a long
   tradition of scientific rigour, active development and global code sprints;
   -

   also GeoTools
   <https://web.archive.org/web/20090209052731/http://www.geotools.org/>,
   Mapbender
   <https://web.archive.org/web/20090209052731/http://www.mapbender.org/>,
   MapBuilder
   <https://web.archive.org/web/20090209052731/http://mapbuilder.sourceforge.net/>
   , MapGuide
   <https://web.archive.org/web/20090209052731/http://mapguide.osgeo.org/>
   and OSSIM
   <https://web.archive.org/web/20090209052731/http://www.ossim.org/>.

Other projects joined later and grew into some of the largest and most
active communities in the geospatial world:

   -

   QGIS, one of the most widely used desktop GIS applications worldwide;
   -

   PostGIS, which brings spatial capabilities to enterprise-grade databases
   -

   and many, many more.

OSGeo’s incubation process has proven to be a reliable framework for
project governance, openness and long-term sustainability – values that
remain as relevant today as they were 20 years ago.
Local chapters: OSGeo on every continent

Local chapters <https://www.osgeo.org/local-chapters/> are where OSGeo
becomes a tangible presence at a regional level. They organise meetups,
conferences, workshops and outreach activities, often in local languages
and tailored to regional needs.

Over the years, local chapters have emerged across the globe, including
long-established communities and newly formed chapters such as:

   -

   OSGeo Local Chapter Nepal (newly formed).
   -

   OSGeo Local Chapter Romania
   -

   OSGeo Local Chapter FOSSGIS e.V. (D-A-CH region)
   -

   OSGeo Local Chapter Argentina.

Each local chapter reflects OSGeo’s diversity and shared commitment to open
geospatial knowledge.
FOSS4G: Meeting in Person, Building Community

Although much of OSGeo’s collaboration takes place online, through tickets,
mailing lists, chats and video calls, the FOSS4G conferences
<https://www.osgeo.org/initiatives/foss4g/> remain at the heart of the
community.

By bringing together developers, users, researchers, students and
decision-makers, FOSS4G events create spaces where ideas turn into
collaborations and collaborations turn into long-lasting projects.
Looking ahead

Celebrating 20 years of OSGeo is not just about history. It is also about
the future.

As geospatial technologies become ever more central to addressing global
challenges, from climate change to land management and urban planning,
OSGeo’s role as a neutral, open and community-driven foundation remains
essential.

The coming years will continue to focus on:

   -

   strengthening the sustainability of the projects
   -

   supporting new communities and local chapters
   -

   expanding education and outreach
   -

   ensuring that geospatial software remains free, open and accessible to
   all.

Happy birthday, OSGeo! Thank you to everyone who has been part of this
endeavour over the last 20 years.
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