[OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo

[Rafal Wawer]

Hi Frank,
For your end-users I see a lot of opportunities in developing countries, where the cost of software licenses is far to high for the budgets thay have. Naturally, some of the users use cracks, but it won't be that easy enymore, especially in the domain of web services. 
OSGeo could support education in FOSS4G in those countries - with active marketing, sending information letters to the bodies responsible for mapping and environment. OSGeo could also participate in dvelopment projects - like those small grants of GSDI, providing FOSS solutions, not mentioning European FP7 projects addressing Africa.
For know the quite steep learning curve to get into FOSS4G is very often keeping the potential users away. 

Is OSGeo targeting those users now? If you look onto the map of registered members: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Category:OSGeo_Member, well, not everyone added himself to the map, but enyway, Africa, Asia and South America look quite empty (-;

Best regards:
Raf

Dr. Rafal Wawer
K.U.Leuven
R&D Division SADL (Spatial Application Division)
Celestijnenlaan 200e bus 2224
BE-3001 Leuven-Heverlee
Belgium
tel. 0032 16 329731





-----Original Message-----
From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Frank Warmerdam
Sent: 30 September 2009 17:14
To: OSGeo Discussions
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo

Jacolin Yves wrote:
> Hello Cédric,
> 
> I think more people think same as you relating this point of view :) :
> 
> Le Wednesday 30 September 2009 16:28:20 Cédric Moullet, vous avez écrit :
>> The OSGEO is very developer centric and probably need more input from 
>> management, end user, marketing etc...
> 

Folks,

I would instead express this as OSGeo needs end users (including their managers), and those interested in it's marketting (which I would prefer to call promotion) to get more actively involved and contribute.

What we developers don't necessarily want is a bunch of others telling us what to do.

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    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent

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