1) What were the key accomplishments of OSGeo during your term asexecutive director?


Many will remember the earliest days of the MapServer Foundation.  It was sure an exciting time to start passing around ideas and it was a tremendous learning curve for both me and others involved early on.  Surviving some of that learning back in 2005 was our first test and I am so glad we aimed for more than just MapServer and MapGuide related work at that time.  Looking back, I remember my first few months with OSGeo doggedly working alongside a few others over Christmas holidays to migrate systems to a new provider.  I had to laugh because during the last month of my term in 2011, I spent much time on systems stuff once again.  But what happened between those two bookends is purely amazing - not something I will take credit for, but something I was happy to alongside supporting where I could.  First we had the idea to work together across projects to help raise their profile.  They were already running fine as separate projects, so many didn't see the need whereas I saw an opportunity to help get OSGeo software onto more desks.

Once we started to brand it and raise the profile in the various ways we did this, then local chapters were keen to form and further support the efforts.  Meeting others on-the-ground in your own locale is of paramount importance for many users.  But again, I was just one of many helping it along.

Likewise, having several successful FOSS4G events is a feather in our cap.  No matter how you measure it - financial, number of attendees, quality of speakers, etc. - it has been going very well.  Not perfect of course, but more than most of us could have imagined.  I was glad that as part of my job at OSGeo I was able to be involved and see all the work that goes on behinds the scenes with local organisers.  It was a tremendous accomplishment.

With both the local chapters and the FOSS4G event we've raised OSGeo software profiles to a much higher point.  One related accomplish is also around the bridges to proprietary vendors that has been made.  OSGeo sponsors have had strong showing and a lot of work has been done to find common ways to work together and support all who come into the OSGeo ecosystem.  Maintaining those good relationships is not always easy but was very satisfying to see.


2) As the executive director of OSGeo, how did you personally define the "mission" of OSGeo as an organization?


It has always been simple to me: raise the profile of OSGeo projects.

Keep hands off the projects themselves, as they run fine with or without OSGeo, but I believe in the end that the more users you get, the more potential testers you have, which increases your odds of having more developers and more proponents in high places.  To get those initial "more users" we focused on various marketing approaches.  Some aimed at "traditional" GIS users, some at new approaches to managing geodata and yet others aimed to build academic communities around the world.


3) What are the biggest challenges for OSGeo moving forward?


There are so many opportunities, that I think the challenge is picking the top ones and pursuing them with enough force to make a difference.  Coming up with feasible ways to engage the four key target areas I have been looking at is probably a practical challenge enough to consider: business, government & NGO, academia.  The fourth area being working closer with OGC in some capacity.  Since I'm not an expert in any one of these particular areas, it needs serious time and brainstorming from the broader community to define the best approaches to these.


4) What excites you personally about open source software or technology in general as you move into the future?


I'm as enthusiastic for open source geo solutions as ever.  My initial interest in OSGIS was spurred on when I was looking for ways to build my own professional toolkit - something I could learn at home, bring to work and invest my personal time in.  It's the same today, though my sights are set a bit higher - to helping build systems-level toolkits that can help meet the needs of those targets areas I mentioned.  From one perspective I've moved from thinking about the individual who needs some tool for a job, to thinking about organisations that need platforms for solutions that they can rely on into the future.  I argue that open source is still a large part of that need.


5) What do you plan to do next in your career?


There are two things on my plate.  The most important is my work with http://Actian.com (formerly Ingres) and overseeing the geospatial implementation into their Ingres database products.  It's exciting for me because they have real customers (with 24/7 needs) with real challenges and I really enjoy keeping things practical.  If there isn't a practical reason for spending time on something, then I quickly lose interest.  It also has given me more excuses to get my technical hands (a little bit more) dirty.  R&D is also an important part of who I am, so this is really helping scratch that itch that had been on the shelf for a while when working mostly on outreach.

The other project I'm really excited about is my startup of a niche publishing company http://LocatePress.com.  This was going to be a rainy day project but since my work with OSGeo ended, I had to get moving on it a bit faster than I had originally planned.  I heard almost universal agreement  that the OSGeo sphere needed more training materials.  With the success of my book, Web Mapping Illustrated, and with other books also selling out quickly, I decided to focus on getting quality material into print.  There is nothing like a financial incentive to help motivate would-be writers to help share knowledge about their favourite OSGeo projects.  While "niche" may be a swearword in publishing, it is actually our strength here.  Geospatial technology may be a side category for many publishers, but for us it is everything.  Bring me your book ideas Landon!


6) Will you remain involved in OSGeo activities? If you will remain involved, on what will your activities at the OSGeo now focus?


I think there will be some natural overlap, just as there has been for many volunteers over the past 6 years.  Finding that overlap will take some time.  I'm still very interested in the success of the OSGeo Journal - it was serving a particular need (especially for academics desiring peer review) and can still grow.  I will also be interested in helping make various types of events happen, as keeping in touch with the broader community is important for me both personally and professionally.  I expect to find lots of excuses for continuing to work with those who I've enjoyed working with while at OSGeo, so don't hesitate to contact me with questions and ideas.  It's going to be another interesting decade for sure!

Thanks so much for the opportunity to share my thoughts.

Tyler