[OSGeo Oceania] FOSS4G Hobart - Elephant in the room ESRI

[Andrew Harvey]

Hi Andrew,

Good on you for speaking up about your concerns! I'm sure you're not the only one who had this thought.

Speaking from myself here, as far as I'm aware anyone can support the conference financially through sponsorship without any other requirements, but it would be up to the organising committee and board if they did want to add additional conditions for accepting sponsors.

However given ESRI's involvement with OpenStreetMap (https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Esri), in particular their "Esri World Imagery" which they provide to OpenStreetMap for tracing features, and their OpenStreetMap powered basemaps which help make it easier for people to consume OpenStreetMap data. I would say they are very much a positive part of the OpenStreetMap community and with FOSS4G SotM Oceania being a State of the Map conference the more financial support we have from entities who want to help OpenStreetMap the stronger OSGeo Oceania and the conference will be.

Andrew Harvey

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024, at 10:07 PM, Andrew Jeffrey via Oceania wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I hope everyone that was able to attend the FOSS4G SOTM Oceania Hobart conference had a great time. I'm still very much bummed that I wasn't able to make it down there and my only start at the OO conference remains Melbourne in 2018. I plan on improving my numbers as best I can into the future, but from the outside looking in, it looked like all those that attended had a blast - well done conference committee and OO board.
> 
> I am writing to the list because I have a question that has been bugging me ever since I talked to a colleague who attended the event. That question is "What's the deal with ESRI being a sponsor?". I have genuine curiosity when it comes to the decision process in having them on board. I understand these things take money to put on and the conference needs to turn a profit, a healthy conference makes for a healthy OO which allows the organisation to do many of the great things that they do. However, I think this sponsorship from ESRI should be reconsidered in the future.
> 
> Just to be clear, I am not opposed to speakers who work for ESRI coming and talking, from all reports the keynote from Kate Fickas was amazing (as were all the keynotes from what I hear) and these are the industry people that we all crave to hear from - top job in landing that line up! But as for sponsorship I feel that ESRI is putting their brand on a community that a lot of us turned to when looking for refuge from them.
> 
> I acknowledge that my opinion on this is biased as a QGIS advocate and trainer. But something about this just feels off! I don't see what's in it for the FOSS4G community having ESRI involved in our conferences, to me it looks more of a cheap way for them to buy some good news without doing anything to improve the relationship with the FOSS4G community. 
> 
> However, I know I wasn't there, and I could be wrong about the whole thing. Maybe the overwhelming opinion is that it's a good thing and this is a step in the right direction? I would be interested in hearing what people think and even hearing from someone on the conference organising committee that has more knowledge about this. Is this something the conference would do again? Is there a limit to their involvement? What would have happened if they were a platinum sponsor and got the primary logo placement + verbal mention at opening and closing of the event?
> 
> Thanks
> Andrew
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