[Board] Foss4G21012 and the Academic Track

[Barend Köbben]

Hi all on the OSGEO board list,

My name is Barend Köbben, and I was the one that probably was responsible
for what was dubbed on this list "some mails about the academic track at
FOSS4G in China". This is because I was asked to follow up on the OSGE-ICA
MOU with a plan and action on strengthening the Academic Track at upcoming
FOSS4G conferences. I set about organising this in early December, and
have had enthusiastic replies and messages of support from many people,
most importantly those on previous "scientific committees". Also I have
had John Wilson of the 'Transactions in GIS' journal reacting positively
on a possible multi-year deal for publishing.

But from two "important players" I have had no feedback, namely from the
local organizers and from OSGEO. I am most worried about the lack of
progress on the local organizers' side... Mr Xianfeng Song (mentioned as
the local committee lead for academic track) has answered that "the LOC
ever had a meeting
deciding to follow the customs to invite again those who ever working for
past academic tracks. To encourage more academic paper submission (...)
recommend to publish an IEEE conference proceeding.". I replied with a
question on how definite that was and if any contacts had been established
with IEEE, but only got a noncommittal reply with promises of things "soon
to come".

So like some on this list, I started to wonder what the status of the
conference is at the moment. I had really wanted to send out a first Call
for Papers before the New Year, but feel I really could not do that
without positive feedback from the local organizers. And I have no good
insight in the formal (or informal for that matter) relation between OSGEO
and the local  FOSS4G organizers, so I have no idea which of the two is
leading in this process.


My gut feeling is to concentrate on setting up a proper publishing
mechanism for Academic Tracks starting with the 2013 conference, and leave
the current one to to the LOC. This is mainly because I'd like it to be a
proper and worthwhile exercise, and time is basically becoming too short
for that with a September deadline...

But I feel it's not right to give up without first asking the OSGEO
board's opinion about it. So consider yourselves asked for advice on how
to (or if to) continue on this.

Yours truly,
--
Barend Köbben
(Senior Lecturer) ITC - University of Twente,
Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation
PO Box 217, 7500AE Enschede (The Netherlands)
+31-(0)53 4874 253



Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC)
University of Twente
Chamber of Commerce: 501305360000

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