[Geo4All] UN SDG mapping book updates

Wed Jun 7 23:18:00 PDT 2017

I agree Cameron . We should not blame any proprietary vendors for maximising profits.  It is fully upto us on how we setup procurement policies in our organisations and countries so that we don't fall into the clever marketing traps of vendors. The vendors aims are to increase profit and I can understand that but as universities and educators we have social responsibility and interest of our students first. Vendors would like to have universities and schools as training institutes for their particular software , hence they do big marketing like "free" software donations for limited time , free passes for their conferences etc etc . We should not fall into this kind of marketing traps as it is trapping our own students futures and potentials. Universities role is in teaching the science of Geographic Information.

It was just by coincidence while i was working on getting data for this research paper  on "How to quantify the economic impact of Open Source Geospatial software "  that i came across  Randal Hale's email's on the difficulties faced by one high school in the USA for Proprietary software updates [1]. It was a clear wake up call on the consequences of Proprietary GIS agenda for schools and education. It was then i decided to send an Open request to  AAG  [2]and humbly request AAG to specifically include Open Education principles firmly in the new Advanced Placement course in Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIS&T).

On 22nd June 2015 when i read Dave Murray's (GIS Coordinator, City of Westminster, USA ) reply email on this ,i realised that this is a much wider problem  and we need to make all colleagues globally aware of the dangers of falling into any vendor's very clever marketing traps for online services .  Dave has kindly given me permission to share his email with the wider geo community  so the wider community is aware of these kind of  clever marketing  and vendor lock-in tactics . I sincerely thank Dave for coming forward to share his experience so others do not fall in these very clever strategies of some vendor (either open or properitery).

Dave wrote "We got caught in the proprietary vendor's trap a couple of years ago.  Our public works department adopted the vendor's online service.  We had a number of business operations running that were critical to our success.  Then the vendor told us the service would cost $15,000 + per year to continue. Quite a shock and after we even promoted their service at conferences.  After that, I have real questions about what I can believe from them."[1].

I believe 99 percent of the geobusiness and vendors (both open and properitery) are honest and follow good and ethical business practices  . But it is a reminder for all of us to  realise the costs of being silent for any  misleading marketing strategies of any vendors (either open or properitery) as it is affecting not just government organisations such as City of Westminister in USA and other government, business and education organisations worldwide as the cost of moving from vendor lockin will be so high that users will be forced to keep paying whatever higher rates the vendor sets in the future but it also will affect our future generations education and innovation  opportunities.  If this can happen to  a government organisation in an advanced country like USA imagine the situvation  for poor  and developing countries!

I understand that  the procurement regulations in developed countries are strong and have a high degree of transparency and fairness but in many developing and poor countries i am not sure there is good procurement regulations and practices in place. In some developing countries , it is a sad fact that  corruption is a big problem and  the biggest sufferers are the poorest people. Corruption cannot be fully solved by technology , or new laws or regulations  but it needs spiritual awakening at all levels and everyone should take a moral pledge to not to do any unethical business practices either directly or indirectly.

Best wishes,

Suchith

[1] http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/discuss/2015-June/014405.html

[2] http://opensourcegeospatial.icaci.org/2015/06/open-gis-academics-and-educators-please-apply-to-aag-call-before-june-15th-2015/

________________________________________
From: GeoForAll <geoforall-bounces at lists.osgeo.org> on behalf of Cameron Shorter <cameron.shorter at gmail.com>
Sent: 07 June 2017 9:31 AM
To: geoforall at lists.osgeo.org
Subject: Re: [Geo4All] UN SDG mapping book updates

All,
I cringe when hearing people blaming proprietary vendors for maximising
profits. They are just working within the capitalistic market our
societies have created for them.
If we want to change how companies sell, then we need to change our
criteria for buying.

Cheers, Cameron

On 7/6/17 3:05 pm, Kiringai Kamau wrote:
> 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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--
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