[Talk-ca] [AtlanticCanada] Introduction

[Emilie Laffray]

Hello,

just a quick comment following your observation.
I would like to point out the relation between osm and osgeo are orthogonal
considering they have two different mandates: osgeo is working on open
source geography tools, many of which I use almost everyday, osm is a free
data source. The members between the two groups largely overlap and there is
absolutely no conflict. Many people from osgeo are doing some work in osm
and vice versa.

OpenStreetMap Canada will never become osgeo-Canada because they don't have
the same goals in the first place. I would also like to point out that
several local osm groups are a sub section of local osgeo groups like what
is happening in France and Germany. There is no licensing problem whatsoever
or conflicts. I am part of osgeo-fr. In addition, tools like Mapnik are
moving towards OGC standards allowing to use WMS. In addition, the OSM wiki
website is full of examples on how to use many people produced by the osgeo
community like mapserver, openlayers, GDAL/OGR2OGR, Postgis, etc.....

You can of course talk about different source of data on osgeo mailing
lists. But you would however find very difficult to go and praise latest
incarnation of Arcgis from ESRI on and on on the osgeo mailing list: that
would be considered trolling. Similarly, raving on CommonMap on osm mailing
lists is not considered polite at best. You are more than welcome to talk
about it but making it the single point of all discussion is not considered
polite.

In addition, many people including me are talking to Brendan Morley
regularly and we have no qualms about CommonMap. It is a different solution
answering to a different need. However, it is not free of licensing issues
itself, and so far it is possible for them to contribute back two ways with
Australian government as it is using the same licence (CC-BY, a ported
version for Australia), which may or may not prevent similar interaction in
in Canada, or the US for example due to licensing issues. Apart from that,
it is wonderful project which I hope will succeed.

Anyway, this was a quick answer to your email. There is no point in
continuing to hijack this thread in public and I am more than happy to
continue to reply in private as I don't want to look like I am raving.

Emilie Laffray
OSMF Treasurer

On 1 February 2011 14:16, Sam Vekemans <acrosscanadatrails at gmail.com> wrote:

> FYI,
> Just an observation.
>
>
> On the talk-ca mailing list, where i have attended and creating osm -
> 'mapping parties', i have noticed where the difference is from an
> osgeo 'informal meeting'
>
>
> The OSGeo Community (all things geo-related) is a much more
> professional group.  The group members tend to be professional gis
> people (in their day jobs).
>
>
> Where-as, for OSM, there is a tendency (or at least in the begining)
> for it to be 'weekend hobbiests, and geocaching, and maaping
> inthusiasts'
>
>
> So there is a contrast, which is known, but perhaps not apparent,
> especially when writing notes to each mailing list.
>
>
> Just an observation.  If OpenStreetMap Canada wants to become
> osgeo-canada .... this is where the data licence conflicts.
>
>
> I can freely talk about 'commonmap and open map features, and
> alternate api's at a osgeo-canada meetup, but that discussion is
> 'shunned' on the osm-ca mailing list and meetups.
>
>
>
> Just an observation,
>
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