[Geo4All] UN SDG mapping book updates

Tue Jun 6 22:05:34 PDT 2017

Dears,

I am from the university of Nairobi. Since Suchith and I met last year in New York, he has been to Kenya once to promote open GIS.  We have embraced the open technology and our students can now practice without having to run to labs for access. Innovation is visible, indeed tangible now. I also work very closely with ESRI, they are a good company with wonderful CSR orientation. 

ESRI gives back...but as Maria says, it's not about ESRI but the principle behind all that is happening in the packaging of knowledge... shall it be detrimental if the documentation of what is universal is 'owned' by a profit driven rather than an open face? I aver yes!

Leadership in organizations change, policies that were pro openness in ESRI will go once the current leadership that may be open to openness changes, the future shall become indeterminate with decisions made now. The reason why guarding ourselves as an open community from sided leaning need not therefore be overemphasized. 

In a nutshell, if ESRI wants to support openness, we provide a pathway but let the path remain open for those endowed and those not. Allow my students to get knowledge freely on the net and promote innovation from as many youths as the world has. 

I support Suchith's views not because they are aligned with mine but because the principle and the moral behind them is human and humane...

I would like to invite those that have not seen an environment where the only accessible geospatial infrastructure a student has is their mobile phone... particularly when they leave college to visit me. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On 6 Jun 2017, at 11:22 PM, Suchith Anand <Suchith.Anand at nottingham.ac.uk> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Maria for sharing your opinions. We are all humans and we will make mistakes . We learn from each other and become better humans. For me,  Openness means being open to different perspectives ,ideas, viewpoints, cultures  and learning and improving to be a better human every day... It is the Open Principles in Education that is important not software A, B, C or D !
> 
> On your profound question of which are our strategies as community of educators? I really hope we all will work together for strongly in support of empowerment of educators and students globally forever (esp for colleagues in developing and poor countries). In my humble opinion, Education and Science should be lead by academics   not vendors (either directly or indirectly!) For decades  most of the developing world never got real opportunity to learn or benefit from GIS  opportunities and now only  we are getting that opportunity in true spirit . Colleagues in the developing world need empowerment NOT enslavement strategies in any form by any vendors! 
> 
> I am very grateful to get  the opportunity to be working with you and all amazing colleagues globally who are all working for education and empowerment for all forever. 
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Suchith
> 
> ________________________________________
> From: Maria Antonia Brovelli <maria.brovelli at polimi.it>
> Sent: 02 June 2017 4:48 PM
> To: Anand Suchith; geoforall at lists.osgeo.org; m.j.kraak at utwente.nl; sg at icaci.org
> Subject: Re: UN SDG mapping book updates
> 
> Thank you Suchith for having raised this problem. I want to try to answer in a global way. ESRI is just a detail.
> 
> 
> In my opinion "proprietary/closing" and "sustainable development" are not good companions. We want a sustainable development for whom? Is it possible to ensure a sustainable development for everybody if we don't share knowledge?
> My answer is no. Therefore openess is a necessary (even if  not sufficient) condition for going toward that sustainability we are speaking about.
> Said that, I understand that the way is very long. But please, everyone who reads, have in mind that the relevant point is the future of the humanity, as Suchith recalls us everyday. And, if we want to go toward a sustainable world, proprietary/closing has to be dismissed.
> But at the end all of us, we are humans and weak and full of contraditions, and therefore it is impossible to be coeherent every day in everything.
> So,  good to start discussing and possibly deciding which are our strategies as community of educators. Once the line is marked , probably it will be easier to decide collectively how to move.
> Concluding, here my question to you: is it possible a sustainable development based on a "proprietary/closing" approach?
> I already gave my answer. Waiting for yours.
> A warm hug
> Maria
> 
> 
> 
> Pay attention to this Special Issue and see if it is of interest by you:
> 
> http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijgi/special_issues/Geospatial_Big_Data_Urban_Studies
> 
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------
> Prof. Maria Antonia Brovelli
> Professor of GIS and Remote Sensing
> Politecnico di Milano
> 
> ISPRS WG IV/4"Collaborative crowdsourced cloud mapping (C3M)" http://www2.isprs.org/commissions/comm4/wg4.html, Board of Directors of OSGeo; GeoForAll Advisory Board; NASA WorldWind Europa Challenge; SIFET Advisory Board
> 
> UN-GGIM Italy, UN-GGIM Academic Network Task Team, UN OpenGIS Initiative (Chair of the Capacity Building WG)
> 
> Sol Katz Award 2015
> 
> P.zza Leonardo da Vinci, 32 - Building 3 - 20133 Milano (Italy)
> Tel. +39-02-23996242 - Mob. +39-328-0023867,  <mailto:maria.brovelli at polimi.it> maria.brovelli at polimi.it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> Da: GeoForAll <geoforall-bounces at lists.osgeo.org> per conto di Suchith Anand <Suchith.Anand at nottingham.ac.uk>
> Inviato: venerdì 2 giugno 2017 09.39
> A: geoforall at lists.osgeo.org; m.j.kraak at utwente.nl; sg at icaci.org
> Oggetto: [Geo4All] UN SDG mapping book updates
> 
> Dear  colleagues,
> 
> As you are aware there is some excellent work done by our ICA colleagues by highlighting the value of cartography by “mapping” the UN sustainable development goals. Silvana and our colleagues have done excellent work highlighting the importance of openness in reducing inequalities.
> 
> I believe this is a very important activity  but recently  I came to know that the book  proposal that is planned  to be developed from this is being planned to be published through a properitery GIS vendor ‘s publishing house. Hence I have written to Menno-Jan requesting him to consider publication on this important issue through  any neutral academic publishing houses as publishing this through properitery GIS vendor ‘s publishing company is against the spirit of openness in geo education and ICA-OSGeo MoU .  I think it is important to have both properitery and open solutions but ICA as an organisation should be neutral . Hence very important not to promote Properitery vendor agenda esp in UN SDG work by having the properitery GIS vendor publishing this. As an ordinary ICA volunteer  I am disappointed to see this.  I am grateful that Menno-Jan has understood my concern and I hope this will be rectified asap.
> 
> I will keep you updated on the developments.
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Suchith
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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