So, what is OSGeo becoming then?
Comments(2) I have been musing all week over my response to some questions posted originally by James Fee and answered by Paul Ramsey and Jody Garnett.
The question has become one about the value of OSGeo as a brand- well personally I think the marketing aspects are really important. I’ve stood up and talked about open source GIS an awful lot recently, to a diverse range of people, trying to persuade them that it’s a viable choice for their business. Having OSGeo as an over-reaching network is really important, because it negates the common queries about where to go for support and how to tell if a project is sustainable. It’s a way of getting people to buy into the whole open source GIS concept and community, rather than using a particular programme that just happens to be free to download.
I do think that case studies and project support are incredibly valuable too, don’t get me wrong, but if we think OSGeo has a role in gaining new users for open source GIS, particularly in the business sector, then we need the brand and marketing too.
Marketing tends to end up translating into support for local chapters who are on-the-ground. They are regularly asking for marketing material, so they can go and do the “sell job” to potential users.
I’m finding that those who are actively involved with local chapters tend to have a different perspective on what they need from OSGeo, compared to what others from the larger network may believe.
In the end, the hands and feet of thousands of local chapter members will spread the word better than any official committee can – the best we can hope for is to support them with good marketing material.
Getting those chapters to talk to one another and share success stories would be really helpful – fortunately that’s already been the purpose of the OSGeo Journal!
Hi Tyler,
Agreed- there do seem to be two different perspectives here, much like there are in open source software in general! As long as both “sides” respect that, it’s fine…
Jo