How do multiple public agencies jointly own and sustain an open-source project — without it falling apart? The Model Baker QGIS plugin has done exactly this for a decade, and this talk shares how.

INTERLIS, the Swiss standard for geodata exchange, demands robust tooling. Model Baker brings that tooling into QGIS. It handles model-driven data collection and structural validation. But the technical challenge is only half the story. Just as important is governance: how a group of cantons with different priorities, budgets, and timelines could collaborate on a shared product sustainably.

In this talk we will show you what a working collaboration model between multiple public entities actually looks like in practice; the roadmap process, funding structure, and how quality assurance stays community-driven without becoming chaotic. And how this not only benefits the Swiss INTERLIS requirements but also helped QGIS to make a leap forward.