[OSGeo-Discuss] Service Provider Directory: Prioritization

[Frank Warmerdam]

Folks,

Having triggered quite a bit of fruitful discussion on the Jobs posting
question, I'm now returning to an earlier effort - the Service Provider
Directory (SPD).

This is basically a listing of contractors, integrators and solution providers
prepared to offer various sorts of services around open source geospatial
technologies.  It has been online now for roughly nine months, and has quite
a substantial list of providers.  However, the foundation has done relatively
little to promote it and we still consider it to be in a "fine tuning" phase.

It was decided at the Board Meeting FOSS4G2007 that the Service Provider
Directory should give searchers some guidance on which service providers
are actually supporters of the foundation and projects. This helps searchers
highlight the more involved service providers, and provides an incentive for
organizations to support development and the foundation.

This email is soliciting feedback from the community on this "prioritization"
effort.  A more complete discussion is available at:

   http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/SPD_Prioritization

The base page describing the Service Provider Directory is at:

   http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/Service_Provider_Directory

The service provider itself is available off the main OSGeo page (under
the OSGeo Community heading) for those unfamiliar with it.

Briefly, the proposal is to add a column in the service provider which
will indicate types of contribution by that service provider.  This could
be in-kind contributions to a project (as determined by the project) or
sponsorship of the foundation.  Service providers who are identified as
contributors will be listed ahead of service providers who are not identified
as contributors in any search.

However, being listed in the service provider directory would still be free
and we would not otherwise discriminate against service providers who have
not been identified as contributors.

This email is seeking feedback from the community on two main items:

1) Does it seem acceptable to give preferential listing (via order of
returned results) to organizations identified as contributors?

2) Are project PSCs actually willing and interested in identifying contributors
in a formal way?  It would be up to projects to decide what criteria they want
and to notify webcom of their contributors in some fashion.

I'm also interested in general feedback on how to improve the service
provider directory and on the "prioritization" effort.  Please read over the
prioritization proposal for details.

     http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/SPD_Prioritization

Best regards,
-- 
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I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | President OSGeo, http://osgeo.org