[OSM-talk] From osmf-talk: "Balancing the presence of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT US Inc) in the OpenStreetMap Foundation"

nicolas chavent nicolas.chavent at gmail.com
Tue Nov 24 23:01:16 UTC 2015


Hi all,


Apologies for crosspostings, resending to talk an email sent to
osmf-talk about the HOT US Inc presence at the Board of the OSMF.

Best,
Nicolas


Dear OSMF voting members and mappers,

This short note (also published in my diary [1]) to draw your
attention on the danger for OSMF (and the OSM project) in the case the
United States NGO "Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team US Inc" (aka HOT US
Inc) got a majority at the OSMF Board after this 2015 election.

Mikel Maron, Joseph Reeves and Yantisa Akhadi, all members of the NGO
HOT US Inc, are running for the OSMF Board [2]; Kate Chapman, the
former ED of HOT US Inc serves already as Board Officer in OSMF.

Shall Mikel Maron, Joseph Reeves and Yantisa Akhadi be elected, HOT US
Inc will get a majority at the Board of the Foundation.
This will provide a single organization of the OSM ecosystem (HOT US
Inc) with an unprecedented and excessive power of influence over the
Foundation.

This running of three candidates from the same organization is
puzzling and troublesome when one considers that HOT US Inc (and
therefore its perspective around OpenStreetMap) is already represented
at the OSMF Board since Sept 2013. Why extending its presence and
influence and consequently diminishing the OSM diversity represented
at the OSMF Board?

A greater HOT US Inc presence at the OSMF Board would be a matter of
concern in terms of :
- balance of powers
- diversity of visions, thoughts and practices around OSM
- board dynamics: a collective of HOT US Inc Boardees would interact
with single individuals.
This is a bad practice which is not followed by any Organizations;
this is specifically true for representative bodies (organization
representing organizations) such as OSMF

Here are some elements that OSMF voting members shall have in ming
prior casting their ballot 28-Nov onwards bearing in minds that HOT US
Inc and this perspective about OSM is already represented at the OSMF
Board through Kate Chapman.

The HOT US Inc perspective informs, like other perspectives, the work
of the Foundation and has its effect on the OSM project, there is no
need to take risks in providing this group with more room in the
Foundation which is hot enough in these times of winter.

Best,
Nicolas

[1]: https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/Nicolas Chavent/diary/36750
[2]: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Foundation/AGM15/Election_to_Board




-- 
Nicolas Chavent
Projet OpenStreetMap (OSM)
Projet Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT)
Projet Espace OSM Francophone (EOF)
Mobile (FRA): +33 (0)6 52 40 78 20
Mobile (CIV): +225 78 12 76 99
<nicolas.chavent at hotosm.org>
Email: nicolas.chavent at gmail.com
Skype: c_nicolas
Twitter: nicolas_chavent



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