[OSGeo Oceania] Board response to the Elephant in the room thread from November, 2024

[Andrew Jeffrey]

Hi all,

Thanks to the board for the response. I appreciate the time you have taken
to consider this and respond. I know everyone is a volunteer and this adds
work, so your contribution is not lost on me. Also, big shout out to Ewen.
He kept me in the loop all the way along, assuring me that things were
happening in the background while the mailing list went quiet.

I took some time to think about this. I also reached out to a number of
friends and colleagues who attended to ask them about their experience,
thoughts and feelings on the matter. I encouraged them to participate in
the conversation on the mailing list and was disappointed to hear but
completely understand that not everyone is comfortable voicing their
opinions due to the nature of this topic. The reason I raise this is the
summary of the thread in the board's response, particularly the first point
I feel reduces the importance of this discussion by stating that "Several
(5) community members expressed discomfort with EsriI's sponsorship". While
that is factual, it's without context! There were only 19 unique voices in
that thread, several in this case is over a quarter of the participants. I
know this sample isn't an accurate extrapolation of community sentiment,
but I make this point to reiterate to the board that this issue is bigger
than 5 people experiencing discomfort.

I can live with the fact that ESRI was there in support of the OSM
community, from what I now understand via this process, is that they
provide valuable imagery resources to that community. The nature of the
joint conference means that there needs to be give and take to make sure
everyones needs are met and I hope this brought value to that part of the
community and conference.

What I struggled with and more so since reaching out to people that
attended, is that the community had little to no idea that ESRI was there
in support of the OSM community. The worst part is during the conference
that purpose was not made any clearer, which reiterates Ems comments that
they really didn't take advantage to push the OSM message, their
contribution to that community, or why they were there to help, but instead
they took the opportunity to push their offerings. The marketing of ESRI
offerings at a FOSS4G event, surely, does not align with the values of the
FOSS4G movement.

I don't blame ESRI, after all they followed the process. They were let
right through the front door, and they didn't even have to put on a fake
pair of glasses, rubber nose, or moustache to disguise what they were
doing. As a member of the OO community I feel let down, as a QGIS user,
advocate, and someone that has been involved in the grass roots of the
local community for some time I feel like we're being pushed aside to make
way for a company that regularly punches down on us. I have trouble
understanding that neither the OO board or the LOC could not see that this
would be divisive. Other parts of our community globally have documented
ESRI coming in and slowly taking over - See Kurts blog
https://www.birdseyeviewgis.com/blog/2019/8/13/esri-and-me-part-1-background
- This is where I can see this going if this continues to happen.

I was hoping that the board's response would contain more self reflection
and dive into the thought process that led to this occurring, unfortunately
that was not the case. However, the response is at least comforting that it
appears to be a commitment for continuous improvement, and at the end of
the day I do believe that everyone involved in OO board and conference LOC
are trying to do their best for the community. So from this process, I can
at least say that I have been heard, and I hope that this is a chapter that
can be put behind us. Apologies if I have taken any time, effort or energy
away from the things that are important for 2025 such as the international
conference but some things as uncomfortable as they are to talk about need
to be said out in the open, thankyou for the chance to do that.

I wish the OO Board and the conference LOC the best of luck for the
upcoming event. I hope you knock it out of the ground!

Thanks
Andrew

On Thu, Feb 20, 2025 at 1:57 PM Adam Steer via Oceania <
oceania at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:

> G'day all.
>
> I'm posting the board response to the sponsorship discussion [1] as text
> here, to ensure that it is archived and searchable along with
> discussion about it. Also this archive is hosted on OSGeo infrastructure,
> hopefully less exposed to large corporation business decision risk.
> --------------
> OSGeo Oceania Board’s response to the mail list regarding perceived or
> potential conflict of ideals at conferences
>
> Jan 2025
>
> Background
> -----------------
> Following the FOSS4G Oceania Conference held in Hobart in November 2024,
> members of the FOSS4G community voiced concerns about Esri’s presence at
> the event on the Oceania mailing list [1]. Here is a summary of the
> discussions.
>
> 1. Concerns About Sponsorship:
> ○ Several (5) community members expressed discomfort with EsriI's
> sponsorship, feeling it could be a way for the company to "buy in" to the
> open-source community without genuine engagement.
> ○ Some believe corporate sponsorship, especially from proprietary software
> companies like Esri, could undermine the open-source values and dilute the
> conference's purpose.
> ○ Examples were given of Esri resellers past actions perceived as hostile
> toward open-source initiatives, such as blocking QGIS adoption in
> government settings and aggressive marketing tactics.
>
> 2. Balanced Views and Inclusivity:
> ○ Some contributors emphasized the importance of inclusivity and the
> potential for individuals within Esri to bring value and contribute
> positively to the community.
> ○ There was acknowledgement of Esri's contributions to projects like
> OpenStreetMap and significant financial support for GDAL, suggesting that
> sponsorship could be beneficial if aligned with the community's values.
> ○ It was noted that other commercial sponsors have been welcomed before,
> and it would be inconsistent to exclude Esri solely based on their
> proprietary nature.
>
> 3. Clarifications on Sponsorship Intentions:
> ○ Organizers clarified that ESRI’s sponsorship was justified by them
> internally due to the State of the Map component of our conference.
> ○ It was highlighted that Esri’s sponsorship did not grant them special
> influence over the event's organization or content and that the keynote
> speaker was invited prior to, and completely separately of the sponsorship.
> ○ The importance of maintaining transparency and community-driven
> decision-making around sponsorship policies was emphasized.
>
> Boards’ response
> Subject: Response to Community Concerns Regarding Conference Sponsorship
>
> We thank members of the FOSS4G community for sharing thoughts and concerns
> regarding the sponsorship of our recent conference. We deeply appreciate
> the passion and commitment that our community brings to maintaining the
> values and integrity of the FOSS4G movement.
>
> We recognize that (Esri's) sponsorship has sparked a variety of
> perspectives, and the board would like to address the key themes raised in
> this discussion. Our goal is to provide clarity on the decisions made and
> outline how we move forward while staying true to our mission of promoting
> open-source geospatial technology.
>
> 1. The Role of sponsorship in our community
> FOSS4G Oceania is a community-driven event, and sponsorship plays a
> crucial role in enabling us to host high-quality conferences, support
> travel grants, and make the event accessible to a diverse audience. We are
> committed to ensuring that all sponsorship agreements align with our core
> values of openness, collaboration, and inclusivity, and have always asked
> sponsors to participate in this way. We want to clarify that (Esri's)
> sponsorship was targeted at supporting the OpenStreetMap
> component of the conference. This sponsorship, like others, did not
> influence the program's
> content or the selection of speakers.
>
> 2. Addressing concerns about influence and community integrity
> We acknowledge the concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest. Our
> intention has never been to allow corporate sponsorship to overshadow the
> core mission of FOSS4G or diminish the contributions of our grassroots
> community. At the same time, we believe it is important to recognise
> individuals and teams within organisations who genuinely engage with and
> contribute to open-source initiatives. Fostering dialogue between different
> software communities can open opportunities for collaboration and positive
> change.
>
> That said, we understand the community's desire to maintain a clear
> distinction between support and influence. Moving forward, we will work to
> refine our sponsorship policies and keynote speaker presentation policy to
> ensure greater alignment with the spirit of the
> conference.
>
> 3. Inclusivity and fair participation
> We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone -
> individuals, companies, and organisations - can contribute meaningfully to
> the open geospatial community, provided they respect and uphold our
> principles. We remain committed to
> ensuring that sponsorship does not equate to undue influence or
> exclusivity.
>
> 4. Next Steps and Future Sponsorship Approach
> To address these concerns and maintain transparency, the board will
> suggest to the conference organising committee:
> ● Continue to ensure balanced representation by encouraging a diverse
> range of sponsors and inviting keynote speakers who align with the values
> of the open geospatial community.
> ● Increase communication about sponsorship details before and after the
> event.
> ● Consider the design and trial the creation of different streams of
> presentations to accommodate different types of audiences and sponsors,
> while remaining focused on benefits and outcomes for the open source
> community of developers and users.
> ● Enhance the clarity of guidelines regarding speakers’ presentations and
> relations to sponsorships to ensure that sponsors align with the
> open-source mission.
>
> Closing Thoughts
> We thank everyone for their thoughtful contributions to this important
> discussion. Your feedback is invaluable, and we are committed to working
> together to maintain the integrity, inclusivity, and openness that make
> FOSS4G Oceania such a special community.
>
> If you have further thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to reach out
> to the board or participate in the future consultations and events.
> Together, we can continue to build an event and a community that reflects
> our shared values and aspirations, while maintaining an open and welcoming
> environment to all.
>
> Warm regards
>
> OSGeo Oceania Board
>
> ---
> [1] https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/oceania/2024-November/002926.html
> _______________________________________________
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> Oceania at lists.osgeo.org
> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania
>
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