Hi All I want to put my full support behind Andrew's email and I thank him for effort it took. Thanks Em
On Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 8:30 PM Andrew Jeffrey <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi all, > > Thanks to the board for the response. I appreciate the time you have taken > to consider this and respond. I know everyone is a volunteer and this adds > work, so your contribution is not lost on me. Also, big shout out to Ewen. > He kept me in the loop all the way along, assuring me that things were > happening in the background while the mailing list went quiet. > > I took some time to think about this. I also reached out to a number of > friends and colleagues who attended to ask them about their experience, > thoughts and feelings on the matter. I encouraged them to participate in > the conversation on the mailing list and was disappointed to hear but > completely understand that not everyone is comfortable voicing their > opinions due to the nature of this topic. The reason I raise this is the > summary of the thread in the board's response, particularly the first point > I feel reduces the importance of this discussion by stating that "Several > (5) community members expressed discomfort with EsriI's sponsorship". While > that is factual, it's without context! There were only 19 unique voices in > that thread, several in this case is over a quarter of the participants. I > know this sample isn't an accurate extrapolation of community sentiment, > but I make this point to reiterate to the board that this issue is bigger > than 5 people experiencing discomfort. > > I can live with the fact that ESRI was there in support of the OSM > community, from what I now understand via this process, is that they > provide valuable imagery resources to that community. The nature of the > joint conference means that there needs to be give and take to make sure > everyones needs are met and I hope this brought value to that part of the > community and conference. > > What I struggled with and more so since reaching out to people that > attended, is that the community had little to no idea that ESRI was there > in support of the OSM community. The worst part is during the conference > that purpose was not made any clearer, which reiterates Ems comments that > they really didn't take advantage to push the OSM message, their > contribution to that community, or why they were there to help, but instead > they took the opportunity to push their offerings. The marketing of ESRI > offerings at a FOSS4G event, surely, does not align with the values of the > FOSS4G movement. > > I don't blame ESRI, after all they followed the process. They were let > right through the front door, and they didn't even have to put on a fake > pair of glasses, rubber nose, or moustache to disguise what they were > doing. As a member of the OO community I feel let down, as a QGIS user, > advocate, and someone that has been involved in the grass roots of the > local community for some time I feel like we're being pushed aside to make > way for a company that regularly punches down on us. I have trouble > understanding that neither the OO board or the LOC could not see that this > would be divisive. Other parts of our community globally have documented > ESRI coming in and slowly taking over - See Kurts blog > https://www.birdseyeviewgis.com/blog/2019/8/13/esri-and-me-part-1-background > - This is where I can see this going if this continues to happen. > > I was hoping that the board's response would contain more self reflection > and dive into the thought process that led to this occurring, unfortunately > that was not the case. However, the response is at least comforting that it > appears to be a commitment for continuous improvement, and at the end of > the day I do believe that everyone involved in OO board and conference LOC > are trying to do their best for the community. So from this process, I can > at least say that I have been heard, and I hope that this is a chapter that > can be put behind us. Apologies if I have taken any time, effort or energy > away from the things that are important for 2025 such as the international > conference but some things as uncomfortable as they are to talk about need > to be said out in the open, thankyou for the chance to do that. > > I wish the OO Board and the conference LOC the best of luck for the > upcoming event. I hope you knock it out of the ground! > > Thanks > Andrew > > On Thu, Feb 20, 2025 at 1:57 PM Adam Steer via Oceania < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> G'day all. >> >> I'm posting the board response to the sponsorship discussion [1] as text >> here, to ensure that it is archived and searchable along with >> discussion about it. Also this archive is hosted on OSGeo infrastructure, >> hopefully less exposed to large corporation business decision risk. >> -------------- >> OSGeo Oceania Board’s response to the mail list regarding perceived or >> potential conflict of ideals at conferences >> >> Jan 2025 >> >> Background >> ----------------- >> Following the FOSS4G Oceania Conference held in Hobart in November 2024, >> members of the FOSS4G community voiced concerns about Esri’s presence at >> the event on the Oceania mailing list [1]. Here is a summary of the >> discussions. >> >> 1. Concerns About Sponsorship: >> ○ Several (5) community members expressed discomfort with EsriI's >> sponsorship, feeling it could be a way for the company to "buy in" to the >> open-source community without genuine engagement. >> ○ Some believe corporate sponsorship, especially from proprietary >> software companies like Esri, could undermine the open-source values and >> dilute the conference's purpose. >> ○ Examples were given of Esri resellers past actions perceived as hostile >> toward open-source initiatives, such as blocking QGIS adoption in >> government settings and aggressive marketing tactics. >> >> 2. Balanced Views and Inclusivity: >> ○ Some contributors emphasized the importance of inclusivity and the >> potential for individuals within Esri to bring value and contribute >> positively to the community. >> ○ There was acknowledgement of Esri's contributions to projects like >> OpenStreetMap and significant financial support for GDAL, suggesting that >> sponsorship could be beneficial if aligned with the community's values. >> ○ It was noted that other commercial sponsors have been welcomed before, >> and it would be inconsistent to exclude Esri solely based on their >> proprietary nature. >> >> 3. Clarifications on Sponsorship Intentions: >> ○ Organizers clarified that ESRI’s sponsorship was justified by them >> internally due to the State of the Map component of our conference. >> ○ It was highlighted that Esri’s sponsorship did not grant them special >> influence over the event's organization or content and that the keynote >> speaker was invited prior to, and completely separately of the sponsorship. >> ○ The importance of maintaining transparency and community-driven >> decision-making around sponsorship policies was emphasized. >> >> Boards’ response >> Subject: Response to Community Concerns Regarding Conference Sponsorship >> >> We thank members of the FOSS4G community for sharing thoughts and >> concerns regarding the sponsorship of our recent conference. We deeply >> appreciate the passion and commitment that our community brings to >> maintaining the values and integrity of the FOSS4G movement. >> >> We recognize that (Esri's) sponsorship has sparked a variety of >> perspectives, and the board would like to address the key themes raised in >> this discussion. Our goal is to provide clarity on the decisions made and >> outline how we move forward while staying true to our mission of promoting >> open-source geospatial technology. >> >> 1. The Role of sponsorship in our community >> FOSS4G Oceania is a community-driven event, and sponsorship plays a >> crucial role in enabling us to host high-quality conferences, support >> travel grants, and make the event accessible to a diverse audience. We are >> committed to ensuring that all sponsorship agreements align with our core >> values of openness, collaboration, and inclusivity, and have always asked >> sponsors to participate in this way. We want to clarify that (Esri's) >> sponsorship was targeted at supporting the OpenStreetMap >> component of the conference. This sponsorship, like others, did not >> influence the program's >> content or the selection of speakers. >> >> 2. Addressing concerns about influence and community integrity >> We acknowledge the concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest. >> Our intention has never been to allow corporate sponsorship to overshadow >> the core mission of FOSS4G or diminish the contributions of our grassroots >> community. At the same time, we believe it is important to recognise >> individuals and teams within organisations who genuinely engage with and >> contribute to open-source initiatives. Fostering dialogue between different >> software communities can open opportunities for collaboration and positive >> change. >> >> That said, we understand the community's desire to maintain a clear >> distinction between support and influence. Moving forward, we will work to >> refine our sponsorship policies and keynote speaker presentation policy to >> ensure greater alignment with the spirit of the >> conference. >> >> 3. Inclusivity and fair participation >> We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone - >> individuals, companies, and organisations - can contribute meaningfully to >> the open geospatial community, provided they respect and uphold our >> principles. We remain committed to >> ensuring that sponsorship does not equate to undue influence or >> exclusivity. >> >> 4. Next Steps and Future Sponsorship Approach >> To address these concerns and maintain transparency, the board will >> suggest to the conference organising committee: >> ● Continue to ensure balanced representation by encouraging a diverse >> range of sponsors and inviting keynote speakers who align with the values >> of the open geospatial community. >> ● Increase communication about sponsorship details before and after the >> event. >> ● Consider the design and trial the creation of different streams of >> presentations to accommodate different types of audiences and sponsors, >> while remaining focused on benefits and outcomes for the open source >> community of developers and users. >> ● Enhance the clarity of guidelines regarding speakers’ presentations and >> relations to sponsorships to ensure that sponsors align with the >> open-source mission. >> >> Closing Thoughts >> We thank everyone for their thoughtful contributions to this important >> discussion. Your feedback is invaluable, and we are committed to working >> together to maintain the integrity, inclusivity, and openness that make >> FOSS4G Oceania such a special community. >> >> If you have further thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to reach >> out to the board or participate in the future consultations and events. >> Together, we can continue to build an event and a community that reflects >> our shared values and aspirations, while maintaining an open and welcoming >> environment to all. >> >> Warm regards >> >> OSGeo Oceania Board >> >> --- >> [1] https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/oceania/2024-November/002926.html >> _______________________________________________ >> Oceania mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania >> >
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