[OSGeo-Discuss] OSGeo in Belgium

Tue Mar 17 14:07:00 PDT 2015

Hi Dirk,

To be honest, I am a bit ambiguous about this. 
Recently I've seen several cross-border Open Source Geo (and OpenStreetMap)
development: people from Holland visiting Belgian events, and people from
Leuven, Mechelen and Antwerp crossing the border northbound. I encourage
that very much, especially since it distinguishes us from the classical
(mainly closed source) community. 

However, I can also understand the willingness to form a local (bi- or even
tri-lingual?) Belgian OSGeo-chapter.
I hope you can discuss this in the meeting to be held in Brussels.

I might even come over to Brussels. Not especially to persuade you to join
us in a Dutch-speaking local chapter ;-)
But mainly to discuss how we can co-operate to keep the best of both worlds:
a local base, but still the willingness to look across (state-)borders. 
After all, for that same reason 9 people from Holland took part at the
recent German-speaking FOSSGIS-conference in Münster ;-)

Keep us through this list informed when the Brussels meeting will be held!

Greetings from "above the Moerdijk",

Gert-Jan
Chair of the dutch(-speaking) local chapter OSGeo.nl

-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
[mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] Namens Jeff McKenna
Verzonden: dinsdag 17 maart 2015 13:44
Aan: discuss at lists.osgeo.org
Onderwerp: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] OSGeo in Belgium

Hi Dirk,

Wonderful idea, please include me in your updates for this chapter, as I
like to follow along the progress.  Would this possible chapter be looking
at getting involved in something like the "Open Belgium" 
conference[1], with a geospatial track?

[1] http://2015.openbelgium.be/

-jeff

On 2015-03-17 6:47 AM, Dirk Frigne wrote:
> Dear list,
>
> Following some contacts I had since FOSDEM 2015, I think there is some 
> opportunity to start with a local chapter in Belgium.
> There is already the .nl (dutch speaking chapter)[1] and the .fr 
> (french speaking chapter)[2], but a local chapter has other benifits 
> (bringing OSGeo closer to the local people).
>
> We want to organize a physical meeting with the local OSGeo people in 
> Belgium to see if there is enough critical mass and interest to start 
> with a local chapter.
>
> I also talked with Pieter Colpaert[3] in cc, active in the open 
> knowledge foundation in Belgium. As they have already a legal non 
> profit structure, where also the local chapter of OSM Belgium [4] has 
> a place, we cooperate with this organisation and become also a working 
> group under the umbrella of the open knowledge foundation.
>
> So 2 questions to the community:
>
> 1. Do you agree with the fact that we investigate how we can join 
> forces with the open knowledge foundation Belgium to start up the 
> Belgium chapter of OSGeo
>
> 2. Who is interested to Join a physical meeting in Brussels to find 
> out if there is support for a OSGeo Belgium Chapter?
> For this second question, you may mail me directly, so we don't over 
> post this list.
> I'll send out a doodle end of the week to the list, but will also 
> include everybody showing interest.
>
> thanks in advance for your reaction,
> Dirk
>
>
> [1] http://osgeo.nl/
> [2] http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Francophone
> [3] http://www.openknowledge.be/
> [4] http://osm.be/
>

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