Edoardo Neerhut
I first got involved in mapping when I joined Mapillary in 2015, but my love of maps started long before that. In fact it started when I was gifted a Dorling Kindersley geographic atlas as a kid. Since then I've been fascinated by maps and the way they help us understand the world.
Mapillary is now part of Meta, and I work as a Program Manager, supporting groups and individuals utilising street-level imagery to solve geospatial problems.
I chaired OSGeo Oceania in 2021, serve as a Director on the OSGeo Oceania Board, and have helped to organise OSGeo Oceania conferences since 2018. I also contribute regularly to OpenStreetMap.
Sessions
Mapping is time-consuming and requires a high volume of a workforce when it comes to keep maps up to date periodically. This brings the need of finding alternative approaches to keep maps up to date. Mobile mapping is the process of collecting geospatial data from a mobile vehicle using a 360º camera, laser scanner, GPS/IMU positioning system, and other sensors.
Many devices now include a geotag for every photo captured, and GPS accuracy can have major effects on the quality of street-level imagery and derived data. Join us in an exploration of the different accuracy levels of GPS-enabled cameras, where we will take a look at how different devices compare, and what varied levels of GPS accuracy look like both for image location and for data extracted using computer vision and structure from motion.
Understanding the differences between devices is an important step in planning street-level imagery capture, as it will align your expectations with the advantages and limitations of the hardware you use. We tested various devices and will share the results of our investigation, with the aim of equipping you to capture street-level imagery with the tools and methods that fit your needs.
OSGeo has existed in Oceania in various forms for quite a while now. Some of the major contributors to projects such as QGIS are based in Oceania and open geo events have been organised in the region for many years. It is only in more recent times however that we have started to support these efforts through the creation of a local chapter. When a group of us came together to organise Oceania’s first regional FOSS4G SotM conference in Melbourne, 2018, it became clear structure was needed to sustain the momentum we had created.
Structure was established by forming an entity and completing all the tasks that go along with that. This included creating a constitution, financial policies, forming a board of directors, establishing a membership policy, consulting with the community, working out what the entity’s primary purpose is and so much more. We’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but we’ve also learned a lot. There are many successes too, such as the establishment of a Microgrant program to support initiatives across the region, the continuation of annual regional conferences, funding travel so that people without the financial means to do so could attend conferences, and the welcoming of new members from far and wide.
This talk is an insight into the journey of OSGeo Oceania. It is not meant to be a how to guide or a pat on the back, but rather a chance to facilitate discussion among the FOSS4G community so that we can find ways to support the use and understanding of open geospatial software in our respective regions.