[OSGeo-Discuss] some post-FOSS4G thoughts

[Alex Borrell]

On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 7:52 AM, Laura Toma <ltoma at bowdoin.edu> wrote:

> Dear OSGeo community,
>
> After attending FOSS4G last week, I wanted to share some thoughts.  As much
> as I'd like to be a regular attendee, I am afraid that the conference is
> becoming too  expensive.  This year the early registration was more than
> $400 (for 2.5 days of conference; the tutorials were extra), and the least
> expensive hotels listed by the conference website were more than$100 a night
> (As a matter of fact, most of the hotels listed on the conference website
> were 4 stars or more!).   Add the flight, and it ends up more than $2500.
> I am at a small university, and travel funds are limited. I imagine the
> situation is the same for many people in academia and external funding has
> become very hard to get.
>
> On the other hand, FOSS4G is the only conference that unites FOSS GIS
> developers.  I am wondering if anybody has the same concerns, and if
> anything can be  done to keep the conference available to a wide audience.
>  For e.g.,  have a regional conference;  and/or  split into several venues
> e.g.  users/research/business/developers;   have lower rates for academia
> and researchers.
>
>
> -Laura
>
>
>
>
> ------------------
>
> Laura Toma
>
> Dept. of Computer Science
>
> Bowdoin College
> Brunswick, ME 04011, USA
>
>
Thanks Laura for your comments. It's true that FOSS4G is expensive, at least
for Latin America. Cape Town
and Sydney are far away from our budgets. I would take advantage of you mail
to get in touch with other users
in Latin American countries and try unite, and maybe sometime sponsor a
conference or chapter. I am new
to OSGeo, working to get some projects to work in Guadalajara city in
Mexico. I am not aware of many
users of gis open software here, but is definitely worth trying!

Hope to get to some FOSS4G anytime soon, but like to thank all of you
involved in these projects, you
really help a lot.

Alex Borrell
Department of Transit and Transport.
Guadalajara, Mexico

>
>
>
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