[Osmf-talk] OSGeo Oceania Local Chapter application

[Frederik Ramm]

Hi,

On 12.08.20 10:49, Christoph Hormann via osmf-talk wrote:
> The local chapters have not been created in a similar fashion in most
> cases, they are bottom-up creations by the mappers and the local OSM
> communities in free association. 

I'm not sure that is true; I have heard from many existing and aspiring
local chapters that "we really need to set up a chapter to be taken
seriously in $COUNTRY". It might not be the number one reason for a
local chapter to form but is certainly among reasons.

I think you have an overly romantic view of local chapters, portraying
them as a bastion of freedom against the clutch of an overbearing
international body. I think that many local chapters have already,
without evil prompting from the outside, found their own way of
establishing a top-down power structure - often something that is
encouraged if not required by law, where the organisation needs to have
"people who are responsible", and this responsibility often goes hand in
hand with a desire to control (as either a lot of trust or a lot of
naivete is required to declare yourself responsible for something you do
not control).

It would serve us well to not over-burden local chapters with the
expectation that they represent the local community. The OSMF does not
represent the world-wide OSM community and it knows that; the OSMF has
resolved to tread carefully in its relations to the OSM community and,
for example, not try and tell them what to map and how to map. Some
things are the domain of the community and the OSMF will not meddle.

A local chapter should share these values, and be aware that it does not
represent "the OSM community in $REGION" just as the OSMF doesn't
represent the OSM community of the world; the local chapter does what
the OSMF does on a regional basis and can well have a better
understanding of the needs and capabilities of the local community, but
it not identical with the local community, and must not attempt to
steer, control, lead, or form the local community.

Bye
Frederik

-- 
Frederik Ramm  ##  eMail frederik at remote.org  ##  N49°00'09" E008°23'33"