[Board] USGIF Conference and diatribe on where we are heading

Tue Oct 25 20:14:47 PDT 2011

On 10/26/2011 01:44 AM, Michael P. Gerlek wrote:
> All:
> 
>  
> 
> I’m glad Mark sent this, as I’ve been pretty discouraged since our IRC
> meeting a couple weeks ago.
> 
>  
> 
> I thought the f2f board meeting after foss4g was very effective and got
> us off to a good start, and leaving Denver I had high hopes we could
> address OSGeo’s strategic issues.  However, the subsequent meeting –
> held via IRC – has led me to start to understand why OSGeo has stalled
> out on the strategic side over the past couple years:
> 
>  
> 
> IRC and email are simply the wrong way for the board to have any sort of
> meaningful discussion
> 
> about “big picture” things of the scope Mark is bringing up.
> 
>  
> 
> Some weeks ago we “stepped back from a core staff” for two reasons:  our
> current financial posture is unhealthy and our current staff was not
> seen as the best choice as to how to improve that situation.  The more I
> look at OSGeo right now, the more I am confident we did the right
> thing.  And I too want to see OSGeo rebuild itself with a clearer set of
> goals and objectives.  But I’ve yet to see any consensus on what those
> goals might be, or how we might develop a business plan to get there.
> 
> As the Board, it is our responsibility to set those goals and develop
> that plan, and we already agreed that, where justified, OSGeo should pay
> for additional in-person meetings.  Therefore, I propose we meet in
> person as soon as is practical to continue the work started in Denver,
> to decide in what direction we want to grow and make concrete plans for
> how to get there.
> 
>  
> 
> As secretary, I would be happy to organize a meeting space here in
> Seattle or anywhere else that might be convenient.  All we need is a
> hotel conference room near a major airport hub for a couple days.
> 
>  
> 
> -mpg

Michael,
I support this and am prepared to invest the time to make this possible.
We should also make reimbursement of travel and accomodation a part of
the OSGeo budget allowing all board members to participate regardless
from where they come.

Best regards,
Arnulf

> *From:*board-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
> [mailto:board-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] *On Behalf Of *Mark Lucas
> *Sent:* Tuesday, October 25, 2011 7:54 AM
> *To:* OSGeo-Board List
> *Subject:* [Board] USGIF Conference and diatribe on where we are heading
> 
>  
> 
> Just got back from the 2011 Geoint Conference in San Antonio Texas.
> 
> http://geoint2011.com/
> 
>  
> 
> The USGIF is the conference for geospatial intelligence in the US.  This
> year there were over 5000 attendees (138 from overseas- mostly foreign
> military).
> 
>  
> 
> There over 250  booths and paying sponsors (> 100,000 sq ft of exhibit
> space) .  They have built this organization up to support a full time
> staff, multiple events throughout the year, media publications etc.
> 
> http://www.gotgeoint.com/
> 
>  
> 
> For the first time, we were able to get on the agenda with an OSS panel.  
> 
> http://geointv.com/archive/geoint-2011-breakout-demonstration-of-military-relevant-open-source-geospatial-software/
> 
>  
> 
> Open source software is suddenly interesting because of dramatic budget
> cuts that are planned for most of the agencies.
> 
>  
> 
> Most of the presentations are online at: http://geointv.com/
> 
>  
> 
> NSA and NGA both made announcements related to their focus on open
> source software.
> 
>  
> 
> As the US government shows increasing interest in open source software
> solutions the existing contractors will try to align themselves with
> those capabilities.  
> 
>  
> 
> Unfortunately, this comes at a time when the OSGeo has stepped back from
> a core staff and is uncertain about holding annual NA conferences.
>  Indeed, there almost seems to be a reluctance to focus on raising
> revenue for the organization - instead focusing on how to allocate what
> we have to code sprints, travel, etc.  
> 
>  
> 
> We want to support the building of open source geospatial software.  I
> would contend that we can do more if we (the board) focus on running the
> organization more like a business.
> 
>  
> 
> We already do a great job on supporting development.  If we add more
> attention to business models I believe that we have a window of
> opportunity to attract sponsorship from some of the many players that
> already support USGIF.  If the US government continues to move towards
> OSS, many contractors will want to brand themselves with an OSS
> approach, resources, development and operational support.
> 
>  
> 
> If we do not focus on this we will simply lose the opportunity to USGIF,
> MIL-OSS, OSFA, OSSI or other organizations that will aggressively step
> forward.
> 
>  
> 
> In either case OSGeo projects will become a valuable resource.  As I
> mentioned before, I was able to convince RadiantBlue to make a $30k
> investment as a platinum foss4g sponsor based on the trends we see
> developing.  I'd like to continue and expand that support, but can only
> do that if there is a business case to be made.
> 
>  
> 
> I feel that we have fallen backwards.  We failed to raise sponsorship
> and revenue in order to sustain and grow the organization.  That led to
> decision to cut expenses with the removal of the ED.  I get the feeling
> that some on the board are comfortable with the status quo.  It is
> probably clear that I'm in a different camp - we need to raise revenue,
> get back to where we can support core staff, and grow the organization
> on a couple of fronts.  A litmus test for me will be a decision on the
> annual NA conference.
> 
>  
> 
> I feel that this is a discussion we should quickly settle one way or the
> other and I'd appreciate any feedback in advance of the next board
> meeting.  Either way I'll continue to be a strong supporter and user of
> OSGeo projects - its just that we all need to decide where we are going
> to focus and put our energies.
> 
>  
> 
> Mark
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-- 
Exploring Space, Time and Mind
http://arnulf.us