08-26, 15:35–15:40 (Europe/Rome), Room 9
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.
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.
I'm a Senior GIS Analyst at Kenex Ltd, a GIS consulting company based in Wellington, New Zealand and I'm currently Deputy Chair at OSGeo Oceania.
I have more than 15 years of experience in the GIS Industry and have been involved in a wide range of GIS projects for several industry sectors, including mineral exploration, renewable resources, land management and environment. I am a strong supporter of open source geospatial software as I believe everyone should be able to use GIS. I've been involved in the OSGeo Oceania community since 2019 and I'm currently in charge of the Microgrant and Good Mojo programs for the community.