[OSGeo-Conf] R: General mandate FOSS4G Travel Grants ~ Call for a VOTE

Tue May 9 07:51:05 PDT 2017

One more thing from the Boston Team...See below for an email that we
received from Narcisse Mbunzama from the Republique democratique du
Congo...I think it helps to put a human face to this topic as a reminder of
how important this program can be to individuals...And, in this case,
doubly so with FOSS4G 2018 taking place in Africa...

In the meantime, we will keep a list of inquiries from people like Mr.
Mbunzama and let them know that we will refer them to the "travel grant
application page" if/once the program is announced...Once again, thanks for
all the effort and action to bring this forward...Let us know what comes
next...

MT

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Narcisse Mbunzama <mbunzama at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, May 6, 2017 at 7:12 AM
Subject: Re: FOSS4G Abstract Submission for Presentation
To: Ashley Tardif <atardif at appgeo.com>

Dear Ashley Tardif,

I'm very happy to read your message about my selection to speak at
FOSS4G Boston 2017. I confirm that I will be available to participate
in this important event and bring my positive contribution during the
event.

Due to lack of financial resource, I will appreciate if you can
consider my application for travel and accomodation grant to help me
participate in the FOSS4G Boston 2017

I'm looking forward to hear from you

Best regards,

Narcisse Mbunzama

Project Manager
DRCongo Developer Association
7 av, Kalemie  Immeuble Anji App 100
Kinshasa-Gombe
Republique democratique du Congo
Tel: + 243 81 20 200 82
E-mail: mbunzama at gmail.com

On Sun, May 7, 2017 at 9:49 AM, Michael Terner <mgt at appgeo.com> wrote:

> Big thanks to all - Conference Dev & Board - for addressing our request in
> such a timely and productive manner. Particular thanks to Till for
> volunteering.
>
> We will be pleased to work with everyone on using Boston as a "beta" for
> this program should we be eligible. Let us know what comes next and what we
> can do to assist.
>
> Thanks again...
>
> MT
>
> On Sat, May 6, 2017 at 5:00 PM, Cameron Shorter <cameron.shorter at gmail.com
> > wrote:
>
>> +0 from me:
>>
>> Points to note:
>>
>> Does "FOSS4G" refer to "FOSS4G Global", or also "FOSS4G regional and
>> local" events? I suggest this motion re managing FOSS4G travel grants is
>> relevant to "FOSS4G Global" only, but may be extended on a case by case
>> basis to other events too.
>>
>> I suggest we define the process somewhere. Probably here:
>> https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Handbook
>>
>> I'm hesitant about introducing extra responsibility to the conference
>> committee, as I'm wondering whether we have sufficient volunteer capacity
>> to take the extra work on. Based on Till volunteering to lead, I think we
>> at least have initial capability.
>>
>> Warm regards, Cameron
>>
>> On 6/5/17 1:41 am, David Fawcett wrote:
>>
>> +1
>>
>> On Fri, May 5, 2017 at 9:30 AM, Maria Antonia Brovelli <
>> maria.brovelli at polimi.it> wrote:
>>
>>> +1
>>> Maria
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Inviato dal mio dispositivo Samsung
>>>
>>>
>>> -------- Messaggio originale --------
>>> Da: 신상희 <shshin at gaia3d.com>
>>> Data: 05/05/17 16:13 (GMT+01:00)
>>> A: David Bitner <bitner at dbspatial.com>
>>> Cc: Jody Garnett <jody.garnett at gmail.com>, Conference Dev <
>>> conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org>
>>> Oggetto: Re: [OSGeo-Conf] General mandate FOSS4G Travel Grants ~ Call
>>> for a VOTE
>>>
>>> Thanks Till. +1 from me.
>>>
>>> Sanghee
>>>
>>> 2017. 5. 5. 오후 11:11에 "David William Bitner" <bitner at dbspatial.com>님이
>>> 작성:
>>>
>>>> Big +1 from me!
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, May 5, 2017 at 7:32 AM, Steven Feldman <shfeldman at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> +1 :)
>>>>> ______
>>>>> Steven
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 5 May 2017, at 13:07, Till Adams <till.adams at fossgis.de> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Steven,
>>>>>
>>>>> setting up the process AND selection process.
>>>>>
>>>>> Till
>>>>>
>>>>> Am 05.05.2017 um 12:44 schrieb Steven Feldman:
>>>>>
>>>>> Till
>>>>>
>>>>> Arte you suggesting that CC approves events to be included in the
>>>>> travel grant program and/or runs the process to select the individuals who
>>>>> wish to benefit from the grants?
>>>>> ______
>>>>> Steven
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 5 May 2017, at 07:42, Till Adams <till.adams at fossgis.de> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi ConfComm,
>>>>>
>>>>> as you've seen in the past days, Michael from BLOC started a
>>>>> discussion how to proceed with the travel grants, Jody was involved for the
>>>>> board and the board accepted to take over the whole travel grant
>>>>> responsibility to OSGeo. This means, we now can (and should) setup a formal
>>>>> and unique procedure for ALL FOSS4G events for travel granting. In my eyes,
>>>>> this is a big step forward (my thanks to Michael to start this discussion
>>>>> again ;-)).
>>>>>
>>>>> My suggestion is, to give our ConfComm the mandate to have the
>>>>> responsibility for approving event applications.
>>>>>
>>>>> So my call for a vote is: "Should ConfComm take over responsibility
>>>>> for approving event applications" ?
>>>>>
>>>>> Please vote until 10.05.2017 24h CET
>>>>>
>>>>> Till
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Am 05.05.2017 um 08:31 schrieb Jody Garnett:
>>>>>
>>>>> Excellent, so would the idea be to update the conference committee
>>>>> mandate then?
>>>>>
>>>>> Or would the conference committee set this up as indicative (for
>>>>> program visibility and sponsorship)? ... similar to how the
>>>>> website/rebranding is being taken on as a one-off by the marketing
>>>>> committee.
>>>>>
>>>>> That is a bit of a strategic question so it may require thought /
>>>>> planning.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, May 4, 2017 at 11:19 PM Till Adams <till.adams at fossgis.de>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi Jody,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I would propose to post this responsibility to the ConfCom. Some of
>>>>>> the past chairs already were involved in such kind of decisions.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Till
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Am 04.05.2017 um 17:07 schrieb Jody Garnett:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks Till, can you dive into that draft document and come back here
>>>>>> with feedback?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One open question is who should take the responsibility for approving
>>>>>> event applications. Should the board handle it like code sprints, is the
>>>>>> conference committee interested in the responsibility, do we want a new
>>>>>> committee with yourself as chair? Etc ...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If there is a dedicated group then it would open up a few alternate
>>>>>> approaches to the one proposed.
>>>>>> On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 11:32 PM Till Adams <till.adams at fossgis.de>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I raise my hand as volunteer.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Till
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Am 03.05.2017 um 18:10 schrieb Jody Garnett:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We covered this in last months board meeting, so far we need
>>>>>>> volunteers willing to take part.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> You many not be specifically happy with the direction thus far
>>>>>>> (travel grant fund available to all osgeo events, focused on diversity,
>>>>>>> event organizers apply similar to code sprints).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I have draft I am working on based on discussion thus far (using
>>>>>>> code sprint guidelines as a starting point).
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>  Travel Grant Guidelines
>>>>>>> <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jYDOd87redxMHwT-xURcBrD7xwOeAPdVVLWZtIbM7-w/edit?usp=drive_web>
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> Jody Garnett
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 3 May 2017 at 07:59, Steven Feldman <shfeldman at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I fully support Michael’s request.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> It is time for OSGeo to establish a transparent policy on travel
>>>>>>>> grants, to fund them and most importantly to administer them
>>>>>>>> ______
>>>>>>>> Steven
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 3 May 2017, at 13:56, Till Adams <till.adams at fossgis.de> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> As you all can see we've been very busy assembling our program (225
>>>>>>>> accepted talks <http://2017.foss4g.org/accepted-presentations/>,
>>>>>>>> out of 423 submitted) and rounding out the sponsorship for the conference (>$200k
>>>>>>>> of commitments <http://2017.foss4g.org/sponsor/>). And now, with 2
>>>>>>>> weeks to go before the Early Bird expires, registration is starting to
>>>>>>>> pickup with ~200 registrations processed.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> And, with registration on people's minds we have started to get the
>>>>>>>> inevitable requests for financial support (e.g., and accepted speaker who's
>>>>>>>> company cannot pay; graduate students looking for support; etc.) and we
>>>>>>>> expect those requests to continue. The Boston LOC (BLOC) would dearly like
>>>>>>>> to have a "Travel Grant Program", but as was pointed out in earlier threads
>>>>>>>> (I believe by both Steven Feldman and Jody Garnett) it is difficult for the
>>>>>>>> host LOC to run such a program. For instance:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>    1. We do not yet know our financial condition. With
>>>>>>>>    registrations being notoriously late, we won't know if/how much $'s are
>>>>>>>>    available for such a program for some time.
>>>>>>>>    2. Administering such a program takes time, and our primary
>>>>>>>>    focus is on producing the conference and the workshops.
>>>>>>>>    3. Decisions on criteria for choosing recipients and the amount
>>>>>>>>    of individual grants can be delicate and the criteria/objectives may differ
>>>>>>>>    between the BLOC and OSGeo
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> As such,* the BLOC would like to make a formal request that OSGeo
>>>>>>>> establish and administer a travel grant program for the Boston 2017 event*.
>>>>>>>> We would gladly collaborate and help advertise the program (e.g., on our
>>>>>>>> website and through referrals), but we would concur that this program
>>>>>>>> should be established and funded by OSGeo. We have high hopes that the
>>>>>>>> proceeds from Boston will reimburse OSGeo's investment in subsidizing
>>>>>>>> attendance from certain communities. And, we too will be looking to offer
>>>>>>>> other opportunities for financial support through our volunteer program,
>>>>>>>> and potentially a "need-based" registration discount (if our Early Bird
>>>>>>>> registrations give us increased confidence in our financial success).
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Thank you in advance for considering this request. Please let us
>>>>>>>> know if you have any questions.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Sincerely, MT & the BLOC
>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>> *Michael Terner*
>>>>>>>> *Executive Vice President  & Chair FOSS4G Boston 2017 *
>>>>>>>> Applied Geographics, Inc.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> This e-mail message and any attachments may contain confidential or
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>>>>>>>> in this e-mail or any attachments. If you have received this message and
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>>>>>>>> (AppGeo)._______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> Conference_dev mailing list
>>>>>>>> Conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> Board mailing list
>>>>>>>> Board at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Jody Garnett
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>> --
>>>>> Jody Garnett
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Conference_dev mailing list
>>>>> Conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Conference_dev mailing list
>>>>> Conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> ************************************
>>>> David William Bitner
>>>> dbSpatial LLC
>>>> 612-424-9932 <%28612%29%20424-9932>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Conference_dev mailing list
>>>> Conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org
>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> Conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org
>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Conference_dev mailing listConference_dev at lists.osgeo.orghttps://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev
>>
>>
>> --
>> Cameron Shorter
>> M +61 419 142 254 <+61%20419%20142%20254>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Conference_dev mailing list
>> Conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org
>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev
>>
>
>
>
> --
> *Michael Terner*
> *Executive Vice President*
> 617-447-2468 <(617)%20447-2468> Direct | 617-447-2400 <(617)%20447-2400>
> Main
> Applied Geographics, Inc.
> 24 School Street, Suite 500
> Boston, MA 02108
> www.AppGeo.com
>

-- 
*Michael Terner*
*Executive Vice President*
617-447-2468 Direct | 617-447-2400 Main
Applied Geographics, Inc.
24 School Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02108
www.AppGeo.com

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