[OSGeoLive] Buzz in writing community about GeoLexicon

Cameron Shorter cameron.shorter at gmail.com
Thu Jul 30 17:48:23 PDT 2020


+lexicon at lists.osgeo.org <lexicon at lists.osgeo.org>, +Osgeolive
<osgeolive at lists.osgeo.org>, +Astrid Emde <astrid_emde at osgeo.org>  +Alessa
Rock <arock at saltstack.com>  (Looping in public list with Reese's
permission).

Hi Reese,
This is really great feedback, and I think it frames key problems to solve
within our next phase of the geolexicon community.

I think part of what we need to solve is a process for updating terms which
we can pass to projects and foundations to follow.
With regards to reaching out to communities, I think tapping into the
OSGeoLive communication pipeline to projects will be very helpful there.
I'm hoping Astrid, CCed, who has been doing this of late will be able to
help.

There is a central role required for a community manager. Alessa Rock, a
tech writing experienced with open source communities, has expressed an
interest in this and I think would be great at it.


On Thu, 30 Jul 2020 at 10:57, Reese W. Plews <rplews at gmail.com> wrote:

> hello Cameron, very nice to hear from you. sounds like your new
> position at google is working out well for you. very happy for you.
>
> besides my own projects, i have been busy as editor with another ISO
> project these past couple of months and also with the release of an
> update to the TC211 MLGT which is now available in geolexica.
>
> we had one meeting of the lexicon group to discuss the abbreviated
> terms. there were a few people on the call. i tried to make some
> categorizations but i wondered if that was the best way. i dont think
> the google docs idea is working well on an open mail list. it could be
> one issue why no one has participated much. Prof. Stubkjær had a
> couple of observations and wanted to address some of those issues
> before he worked on the file. and since i did not work on the file
> either, nothing has really happened.  after the summer i will try and
> get the abbreviated terms finished. i have talked with Ron about how
> to support those in geolexica.
>
> however, those are just a file of abbreviated terms and acronyms.
> there are a very small number of terms in that list which i separated
> out early on.
>
> to me the real issue that we discussed in one of our telecons was that
> i just do not understand how terms (either currently in use or new)
> will be submitted to the group for any management or discussion. the
> group cannot really go out and look for terms. if the project teams
> who are working on their own documentation are not extracting out
> those term/def entries then it seems quite difficult to populate a
> term registry. of course osgeo can/should use term/def entries from
> other groups but, in the case of tc211's terminology, there are a lot
> of terms that osgeo needs which are not going to be there. ogc will
> have, in my understanding, a wider set of terms that osgeo can
> probably use.
>
> perhaps the document link you sent explains some ways how those terms
> can be picked up, perhaps the people doing technical writing for osgeo
> projects will do that, i am not sure how that will work.  the issue
> about how terms will come into the group is the biggest issue for me
> in really understanding how to move forward for osgeo. at least from
> my work in tc211 i dont think the lexicon group should be the "writers
> group" however i do understand there is a need to work together, if
> there was such a group of writers. i can formulate, manage, and
> discuss terminology entries but i am not skilled at creating complete
> documentation for a software project...
>
> the discussion from Rob is also very fascinating. i must admit so much
> of it i do not understand. yet if there are no terms for the osgeo
> group to manage i dont see how the linkages will be helpful for
> osgeo... of course i see how they will be helpful for ogc and
> hopefully one day the iso terms will be able to have such linkages...i
> would hope everything is able to have some cross-relationships, but
> again, i dont understand what it takes to get there.
>
> i am sure you know but i will mention that tc211 members are now
> voting to adopt a resolution at accepts OSGeo's request to be a
> liaison to TC211. i expect the resolution ballot to pass. i think this
> is an important step at least for having osgeo members learn more
> about what tc211 is doing and for our terminology group will hopefully
> be able to get these osgeo members more engaged in that group. it also
> allows me to share things with osgeo members through the liaison
> agreement. i hope there will be a couple of members from osgeo who are
> willing to be liaisons to tc211.
>
> i am looking forward to your "manifesto," and hope it will answer the
> question about how terminology entries will come into the lexicon
> group.  i hope after reading, some of the other lexicon list members
> will also want to be involved more with the group.
>
> best regards,
>
> reese
>
>
>
> On Sun, Jul 26, 2020 at 6:40 AM Cameron Shorter
> <cameron.shorter at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Ron, Reese, Rob,
> > A quick heads up that I'm seeing solid interest within The Good Docs
> Project writing community around Term management, and I'm expecting a few
> motivated and competent writing volunteers are about to come join the
> GeoLexicon project within the next few weeks.
> >
> > Also, I'm now working as a tech writer at Google, and have been
> discussing and getting early traction around a wide range of tech writing
> patterns and anti-patterns, along with tasks to address these. It is based
> around this essay, of which lexicon management is one topic.
> >
> > There is a time window between now and the end of this year when there
> will be a doc-blitz effort aligned with Google's Season of Docs where we
> have an opportunity to push a Geolexicon pilot forward. I'm hoping you
> might be in a position to be part of it?
> >
> > More to come on the public email list soon.
> >
> > --
> > Cameron Shorter
> > Technical Writer, Google
> >
> >
>


-- 
Cameron Shorter
Technical Writer, Google
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