[OSGeo-UK] Update

[Joanne Cook]

Dear All,

Just a short update into what we've been doing with the local UK OSGeo chapter. Last week I attended the AGI Geocommunity 2008 conference in Stratford-upon-Avon, and talked about open source GIS in the UK, which seemed to get a fair bit of interest. What was clear from that conference is that a) open source GIS does have quite a low profile in the UK, but b) we need to engage more with that audience as that's where the professional and business users are. We can't sit around on the sidelines complaining that we're being ignored- we have to engage.

>From that conference there was considerable interest in a link-up with the AGI, in the form of either an open source Special Interest Group (SIG) or representation on the existing technical SIG. I am waiting to hear back about that to see how to proceed. Following on from that we talked about representation at a couple of other conferences next year, possibly holding our own OSGeo/AGI one-day conference in the middle of the year, and even more possibly putting in a proposal for hosting the main FOSS4G conference in 2011. More on all of these as things develop, and if anyone is keen to be involved then let us know!

Rob Newnham is currently at FOSS4G in Cape Town, and has kindly agreed to present a report on our activities at the AGM, so hopefully he will report back on that once he returns to rainy old Britain. What a come-down!

Finally (from me anyway), I have been talking to some people up in Edinburgh who see a need for a separate chapter in Scotland, due to the difficulties of travelling to more England-based events, and differences in license agreements (Ordnance Survey, for example). This is just at the talking stage at the moment, so anyone from Scotland on the list who would be interested in getting involved in a Scottish chapter, get in touch with me off-list and I'll give you their contact details. Of course it might mean that we have to change the name of this chapter, and that's hard to do without alienating colleagues from other parts of the UK! Ideas for what we should call ourselves would be gratefully received!

All the best

Jo

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Joanne Cook
Senior IT Support and Development
Oxford Archaeology (North)
01524 880212
http://thehumanjourney.net



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