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

[Emma Hain]

Hi All
I want to put my full support behind Andrew's email and I thank him for
effort it took.
Thanks
Em

On Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 8:30 PM Andrew Jeffrey <aljeffrey83 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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
>> _______________________________________________
>> Oceania mailing list
>> Oceania at lists.osgeo.org
>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania
>>
>
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