Quantum GIS Report 2009

=THIS IS A DRAFT REPORT=

Quantum GIS

 * Contact name: Gary Sherman

Releases
The year 2009 was a busy one for the QGIS team, with five major releases:
 * QGIS began the year by releasing the long anticipated 1.0 version ('Kore') on January 10, 2009. This version provided a stable API from which to develop custom solutions in Python or C++.
 * In May the team released QGIS 1.0.2 (stable release) and QGIS 1.1.0 (unstable release). The stable release is a continuation of the long term support 1.0.x series while 1.1.0 includes new features and is considered stable enough for production work.
 * Version 1.2 ('Daphnis') was released September 1, 2009 with improvements in editing, GRASS shell, symbology, and many new plugins.
 * Version 1.3 ('Mimas') followed shortly after on September 20, 2009 and included the OSM plugin and additional fixes.
 * While all but packaging was completed in December, Version 1.4 ('Enceladus') was officially released the first week of January 2010 and contains nearly 30 new features and around 200 bug fixes.

Developer Meetings
The QGIS team had two "hackfests" in 2009 which resulted in significant collaboration and facilitated the ambitious release schedule:
 * Ten members of the team met in Hannover in March. For details on the meeting and results, see http://qgis.org/en/developer-meetings/hannover-2009.html.
 * In November a group of 20 QGIS team members met in Vienna and worked on a variety of issues and features, including planning for QGIS 2.0. For details see http://linfiniti.com/2009/11/report-back-on-the-qgis-hackfest-in-vienna-november-2009/ and http://www.carsonfarmer.com/?p=560

Bug Hunt
In addition, a bug hunt was held in Moscow in December 2009:
 * A group of 14 users spent about three hours testing QGIS and another three is discussion of various topics
 * Around 90 reproducible bugs were found during period right before the bug hunt and during the event
 * More than a half of them were considered valid and reported

Google Summer of Code
Under the OSGeo umbrella, QGIS participated in the Summer of Code resulting in improved feature labeling that was incorporated into the latest releases.

Areas for Improvement

 * QGIS has been continually improving its development process.
 * The project continues to look for talent in the areas of coding, translation, documentation, and content management
 * Release testing can be improved to ensure that QGIS is of the highest quality possible
 * Management of user-contributed plugins needs to be improved to ensure long-term maintenance

Opportunities to Help
Release testers are needed to develop a test plan and do comprehensive testing of all features prior to a release.

Outlook for 2010
QGIS continues to evolve at a phenomenal rate. In 2010 we expect to see even more Python plugins that expand and enhance the capability of the core software. Work on version 1.5 is well underway and the project is staged to have another successful year full of quality releases.