FOSS4G2008 LightningTalks

Back to FOSS4G2008...

= Introduction = Eight speakers, five minutes each, Lightning Talks will be presented to the full conference attendance, and should be fast paced, visual, and entertaining. Please note we reserve the right to juggle the order of talks listed below to align better with topics etc. More topic ideas:
 * The role of FOSSGEO in developing nations
 * Where do proprietry and FOSS geospatial solutions meet?
 * The state of FOSSGEO today - where are we, where do we need to go?
 * FOSS4GEO in the public sector
 * Anatomy of a FOSS4GEO coder (what makes people work on FOSS4GEO software)
 * How FOSS4GEO saved my job

= Proposed Speakers =

If you would like to give a lightning talk, or would like to put forward someone to give a talk, please provide adequate contact details here:


 * Name, affiliation, email, proposed topic

= Confirmed Speakers =

(speaking order to be confirmed)

1 Steven Ottens

 * Position / person title - Steven M. Ottens - Member of the Mapbuilder PSC 
 * One sentence bio - User interaction researcher by Geodan and developer for Mapbuilder
 * One sentence talk summary - Obituary for Mapbuilder
 * URL to head shot []
 * CONFIRMED

2 Frank Warmerdam: OSGeo4W

 * Frank Warmerdam
 * Position / person title - Frank Warmerdam 
 * One sentence bio
 * A brief introduction to OSGeo4W, the "OSGeo Windows Software Stack", including a call for users and packagers.
 * URL to head shot
 * CONFIRMED

3 Dr Manie Brynard: Serving global geological data using Mapserver

 * Dr Manie Brynard, Council for Geoscience mbrynard  geoscience.org.za:
 * One sentence bio GIS Specialist and Senior Geologist at the Council for Geoscience for 12 years
 * One sentence topic -As a contribution to the global initiative to present global geology in a Google-earth like fashion the CGS has applied MapServer to serve countrywide geological data as a WMS.
 * URL to head shot []
 * CONFIRMED

4 Suha Ulgen: Geospatial at the United Nations

 * T. Suha Ulgen ( Mr.) ulgen at un.org
 * Coordinator - UN Geographic Information Working Group Secretariat (UNGIWG)
 * Talk title: "UN Geographic Information Working Group FOSS4G initiatives."
 * URL to head shot
 * CONFIRMED

5 Dr. Horst Düster : Building a FOSS geospatial solution for a Swiss state

 * Dr. Horst Düster - Departement of Geoinformation State of Solothurn (Horst.Duester AT bd.so.ch)
 * GIS - Coodinator and CGO at Public Authority since 13 Years
 * A short overview on history of the FOSS geospatial infrastructure in Solothurn
 * URL to head shot
 * CONFIRMED

6 Sindile Bidla:

 * Position / person title - Sindile Bidla - Deputy Director - Chief Directorate Spatial Planning & Information.
 * One sentence bio - Have been working with GIS for over 10years, excited about what FOSS GIS has to offer in Government and actively advocating for its use.
 * One sentence talk summary - GIS in schools programme and Quantum GIS
 * URL to head shot
 * CONFIRMED

7 Arnulf Christl, Wikinomics - The Foundation of Making Business with FOSS

 * Position / person title: Arnulf Christl, president OSGeo (arnulf AT osgeo.org)
 * One sentence bio: Spatial technician, FOSS business model advocate and promoter of standards
 * One sentence talk summary: This talk wants to make you want to read the book Wikinomics to give you deep insight into processes that change our economic and corporative landscape in unprecedented ways.
 * URL to head shot: User:Arnulf Christl
 * CONFIRMED

8 Raj Singh

 * Raj Singh - Director of Interoperability Programs (rsingh AT opengeospatial.org)
 * Raj manages standards based multi-vendor software prototyping projects. His most current work is bringing greater interoperability to the building industry.
 * This talk will describe the new Memo of Understanding between OGC and OSGeo and talk about the potential impacts on standards work.
 * head shot:
 * CONFIRMED