[Foss4g2008loc] gearing up for FOSS GIS in South Africa

[Gavin Fleming]

Hi all

 

SITA, the South African State IT Agency who is responsible for strategy,
procurement and implementation of all things IT for SA National and
Provincial Government, has started actively pursuing investigations into
FOSS GIS. 

 

SITA staff concerned are on these lists and I am meeting informally next
week with the person who's been tasked with running the process. Two
SITA staff attended FOSS4G2007 and returned quite inspired. 

 

Why this might concern you is that it is an indication of SA government
taking their FOSS policy seriously, in this case with regards to FOSS
GIS. This means big upcoming FOSS GIS opportunities. SITA needs to
investigate and demonstrate what FOSS GIS can do and at some point start
implementing a parallel system to the proprietary one currently being
built. 

 

SITA will want to know what capacity there is to support them. I would
like to start the ball rolling by suggesting that if you are a
consultant or service provider that you register yourself on the OSGeo
Service Provider Directory (currently showing nothing from Africa).
http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/Service_Provider_Directory. After
familiarising yourself with that content you can submit your profile
here http://www.osgeo.org/submit_profile. SITA and others will then be
able to find you here: http://www.osgeo.org/search_profile 

 

Watch this space!

 

Gavin Fleming MSc

Senior GISc and Sustainable Development Researcher 

Mintek 

w: +27-11-709-4668

c: 0845965680

f: 0866164820

xmpp (Jabber, Google Talk, etc.): gavinjfleming at gmail.com
<mailto:gavinjfleming at gmail.com> 

Skype: phlemingo

postal: P/Bag X3015, Randburg, 2125

physical: 200 Malibongwe Drive, Randburg

South Africa

27.9782E 26.0896S

 

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