[UN] UN Open GIS ToR

[Jeff McKenna]

Hi Maria, Maxi,

Below are my comments on the draft ToR:

- in the title of the document, change the title to "UN Open GIS 
Initiative - Terms of Reference"   (notice no 's')

- in section #1, change the full text to:

***
The objective of the UN Open GIS Initiative is to identify and develop 
open source geospatial software and services that meet the requirements 
of UN operations, taking full advantage of the expertise of mission 
partners including partner nations, technology contributing countries, 
international organizations, academia, NGO’s, and the private sector.
***

I believe a very important part is missing in this document: a 
definition of what Open Source is.  This is especially important as the 
initiative will have interested partners in many sectors, including the 
private sector.  So we can use text from the OGC-OSGeo whitepaper, for a 
new Section #3 in the document, as follows:

***
3. Definition of Open Source

Open Source encompasses two related concepts regarding the way software 
is developed and licensed. They are codified in the "Free Software" and 
the "Open Source" definitions. "Free and Open Source Software" refers to 
software which has been made available under a free software license 
with the rights to run the program for any purpose, to study how the 
program works, to adapt it, and to redistribute copies, including 
modifications. These freedoms enable Open Source software development, a 
public, collaborative model that promotes early publishing and frequent 
releases. The Open Source Initiative has developed a set of 10 
requirements of any software license that is to be considered an Open 
Source license under the Open Source Definition.  For more details 
please see the OSGeo-OGC whitepaper on Open Source: 
https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Open_Source_and_Open_Standards#Open_Source
***

Also, I am happy to be involved in this initiative and committee as 
President Emeritus, OSGeo (especially as I worked with Kyoung-Soo to get 
this started), please let me know if I can help.

Thanks,

-jeff


-- 
Jeff McKenna
President Emeritus, OSGeo
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Jeff_McKenna




On 2016-10-14 4:34 PM, Maria Antonia Brovelli wrote:
> Dear All
>
> attached the ToR proposed by the Chairs of the UN Open GIS  Initiative.
> Please send Maxi and I comments, if any,  before 20th October.  Best
> regards.
>
> Maria
>