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

Wed Nov 20 11:10:48 PST 2024

Dear all,
Caveat: I was not there this year, regrettably. I knew ESRI is a sponsor (and this was well known before the event. I neither am an ESRI user nor teach with it, but have no beef, and have professional friends in the global arm of the organisation.

I do not perceive FOSS4G & SOTM as an organisation+event *against* anyone /anything (again caveat, except unethical practices and conduct), but rather *for* the support of FOSS4G & SOTM, and to create a community.

Arguable, see how much ESRI (global arm, local orgs are a diff can of worms) contributes to FOSS4G, especially GDAL, our pillar: https://opencollective.com/gdal/contributions/793583

Also here: https://gdal.org/en/latest/sponsors/index.html

That is just one project, let alone OSM (noted earlier).
Let's match that, then throw stones. Think of the many other geo companies missing in that list.

Martin

Thanks,
Martin

Sent from a mobile device, apologies for typos.
________________________________
From: Oceania <oceania-bounces at lists.osgeo.org> on behalf of Rowan via Oceania <oceania at lists.osgeo.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2024 7:28:37 AM
To: Violaine <violaine at posteo.net>
Cc: oceania at lists.osgeo.org <oceania at lists.osgeo.org>
Subject: [EXT] Re: [OSGeo Oceania] FOSS4G Hobart - Elephant in the room ESRI

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Hi all,

I was asked the same question by some of the people that attended with me. My answer to them was that the FOSS4G community often tells people that major companies should care and invest in FOSS4G, Open Standards and Data as ultimately they benefit from it.

While have ESRI as a sponsor might seem strange, for me it is the message landing that FOSS4G and big business can coexist and that it ultimately benefits from an independent development community.

Hope this perspective helps.

Kind regards,

Rowan

On Thu, Nov 21, 2024 at 4:55 AM, Violaine via Oceania <oceania at lists.osgeo.org<mailto:On%20Thu,%20Nov%2021,%202024%20at%204:55%20AM,%20Violaine%20via%20Oceania%20<<a%20href=>> wrote:

Hi,

My quick 2 cents : I felt it weird too, and bring an unconfortable feeling. (It doesnt question the capacity to organize a great event thought)

Have a lovely day all

Le 20/11/2024 à 03:23, John Bryant via Oceania a écrit :
Thanks for bringing it up Andrew J, it hasn't sat especially well with me either. It was a great event, but it seemed incongruous to have a vendor selling ArcGIS at a booth at a FOSS4G.

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 at 21:02, Andrew Harvey via Oceania < oceania at lists.osgeo.org<mailto:oceania at lists.osgeo.org>> wrote:
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<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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