[Qgis-user] The case for a Europe user group ?

[Valentin Buira]

Hi all

Sorry for hijacking this global mailing list for a local user group topic
(even though I seek the experience from outside Europe as well)

As the title of this email suggests, I would like to discuss the case for a
new QGIS Europe user group. Is there any interest ? Would it be relevant ?

To me given our specificities, I would argue the response to these
questions is yes

In random order a mix of rationales and potential goals for a European user
group:

* Provides a representation for European countries that do not have a user
group representation. At the moment only 12 out of 27 EU members have a
QGIS user group, and if we get a broader definition of Europe [1]including
candidates to the EU, non EFTA members, and former member we get 19 out of
41 have one [1] .
* I know it sounds dreadful but the INSPIRE directive should make studies
that use the INSPIRE data interpolate to any other countries.
* Mutualize plugin that only vary by language and translate them to other
european languages,  for example  "Spanish Inspire Catastral Downloader"
and  "Italy Inspire Cadastre Downloader"
* Lobbying (in a good way) for more open data across the EU (cf
https://data.europa.eu/en/open-data-maturity/2025 )
* Sovereignty, QGIS is the archetype of the geocommon. It belongs to
everyone, for free, forever. QGIS is not rooted into any countries, and is
not subject to any kill switches neither technical nor political.
* QGIS it's free to use but not to develop, mutualize funding QGIS feature
that benefits users of this potential future user group.
* Apply for EU funds [2], if someone has any experience with it, it would
be very welcome.

Side note : I would advocate to call it Europe user group and not EU user
group because I feel like Ukraine and other candidate countries to join EU
should definitely be included as the Bruxelles effect make their GIS data
converge before even joining the EU

Regards, and in hope to see this happening.
Valentin Buira

[1]
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N_727UP3XSEtGnH5SprPs76HPc8XOe0PrZ3purp7KbA/edit?usp=sharing
[2]
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/support/mobile-eufame
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