Conference Committee

The Conference Committee is the official committee of OSGeo responsible for operating the annual FOSS4G conferences.

= Noteworthy Documents =


 * FOSS4G Handbook (provides guidance to future FOSS4G and related events, based upon the collective wisdom gained during prior events)
 * Conference Committee email list
 * OSGeo Conference Committee main page (includes RFP, proposals, and archived files from past conferences)
 * Past conference reports are detailed at Past FOSS4G Reports
 * Conference website management
 * Motion to form Conference Committee
 * Conference Committee Budget 2017 (draft)

= Goals = The conference committee have the responsibility to:
 * Run the selection process and voting for the global FOSS4G
 * Vote on conference related proposals submitted to the committee
 * Retain the collected wisdom for FOSS4G and related events
 * Advise the board, Local Organising Committees (LOC), and related events organisors, ideally referencing the FOSS4G Handbook
 * Ensure OSGeo foundation principles are applied to global FOSS4G conferences
 * Manage the FOSS4G Travel Grant Programme for FOSS4G and regional events

See also: 2016 priorities are summarised in Conference Committee 2016 Priorities

=Housekeeping Procedures= The Conference Committee uses the following procedures to make decisions.

Decisions
consideration for new selection methods


 * 1) Anyone may contribute to conference committee discussions. All votes will be noted, but only conference committee member votes count toward decisions.
 * 2) Voting will use convention of:
 * 3) * +1 : For
 * 4) * +0: Mildly for
 * 0: Indifferent
 * 1) * -0: Mildly against
 * 2) * -1 : Strongly against. This is expected to be accompanied by a reason and alternative proposal.
 * 3) Everyday topics will be decided by an open vote of all members in a clearly designated separate mail thread over a minimum of 2 business days with a minimum participation of 3 votes.
 * 4) For major decisions, such as conference venue selection, a minimum of one week shall be allocated to try and ensure at least 50% voter participation.
 * 5) The committee aims for consensus, and will specifically attempt to address all -1 votes, but will revert to a majority vote where necessary.
 * 6) The result will be clearly declared afterwards.
 * 7) Secret voting, when required, will use an online voting service or use an email to an independent teller appointed by CC Chair.

FOSS4G Selection

 * 1) All Letters of Intent and subsequent proposals will be posted to the list for open comment by all.
 * 2) The selection of the winning proposal is by secret vote of conference committee members.
 * 3) The OSGeo Board will be requested to ratify the conference committee’s recommendation.
 * 4) Any committee member who has a potential conflict of interest is expected to withdraw from voting. A member of the committee who is part of a bidding team, intends to become part of the LOC or is employed by a company playing an active part in a bid should exclude themselves from voting in the selection process. In the event of a disagreement regarding a potential conflict of interest the committee chair has the authority to make a decision.

Changes in RfP Document for 2021

 * At least at the letters-of-intent stage there should always be a voting option of "None of the above". Otherwise there's no point in having a vote if there's only one letter, also this allows for the (unlikely) event of all letters being rubbish.
 * Bids should be scored based on various pre-defined criterion. Current voting by the committee seems to include a "where I want to go on holiday" component which has no place in a process like this. This is in keeping with the "openness" goal of OSGeo as compared to the current Star Chamber-like voting.
 * Further to the above, a list of objective mandatory criterion can be specified as required. I.e. "Venue must be able to host X people", "must be at least Y tracks", "Must be accessible via both local and national public transport", etc.

FOSS4G Travel Grant Programme
The FOSS4G TGP was started in 2017 with funding from the OSGeo Board and a crowd funding initiative. The Conference Committee is tasked with managing this grant programme for the Global FOSS4G and for any Regional FOSS4G's that request assistance


 * 2017
 * 2018

Setting up a FOSS4G TGP
Some guidance notes are available in the FOSS4G Travel Grant Programme Cookbook

Membership

 * 1) To ensure voting control for key decisions remains with experienced people, the committee aims for more than 50% of members to be chairs (or vice chairs) of past FOSS4G global events. The chair of the most recent FOSS4G event will automatically be invited to become a member but still requires a motion and vote.
 * 2) The conference committee aims to retain a chair or vice-chair from the 5 most recent global FOSS4G conferences.
 * 3) The remaining membership, less than 50% of members, is open, ideally attracting chairs or LOC members from past Global or Regional FOSS4G or related conferences.
 * 4) Each year, prior to releasing the Global FOSS4G RfP, the membership list shall be re-visited.
 * 5) Existing members shall be asked whether they wish to continue on the committee. If a member doesn't respond, after a number of attempts to contact them, they shall be retired.
 * 6) Interested people may be suggested, or request to be voted onto the conference committee.
 * 7) If less than 50% of membership would be past global FOSS4G chair/vice chairs, then non global FOSS4G chair/vice chair positions shall be up for re-election.
 * 8) Election of conference committee members is by secret vote by the existing conference committee and board members who are not already members of the conference committee. Voters will vote Yes/No/Abstain for each candidate. Voters may select "Yes" for up to the number of positions available.
 * 9) Votes will be secret either using an online voting system or by email to a designated teller who is not a voter. The mechanism will be selected by the committee chair.

Current Members

 * 1)  Eli Adam - member since January 2015 (1 of 4 co-chairs of Global FOSS4G 2014)
 * 2)  Till Adams  - member since September 2016 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2016)
 * 3)  Peter Batty - member since 2011 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2011)
 * 4)  David Bitner (chair of the 2013 FOSS4GNA)
 * 5)  Maria Brovelli - member since March 2016 (Chair FOSS4G Europe 2015)
 * 6)  Vasile Craciunescu  - Co-Chair - member since July 2013 (chair of FOSS4G Central and Eastern Europe 2013)
 * 7) David Fawcett (Programme Team FOSS4GNA 2013)
 * 8)  Steven Feldman - member since October 2013 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2013)
 * 9) Gavin Fleming - (chair of Global FOSS4G 2008)
 * 10) Darrell Fuhriman (chair of Global FOSS4G 2014)
 * 11) Claude Philipona - (chair of Global FOSS4G 2006)
 * 12)  Venkatesh Raghavan - member since Oct. 2006 (Chair FOSS4G-2004, FOSS4G-Asia 2014)
 * 13)  Paul Ramsey - Chair of global FOSS4G 2007
 * 14)  Sanghee Shin - member since 2015 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2015)
 * 15)  Guido Stein - member since February 2018 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2017)
 * 16)  Michael Terner - member since February 2018 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2017)
 * 17) Msilikale Msilanga - Co-Chair - member since September 2018 (co-chair of Global FOSS4G 2018)
 * 18) Mark Iliffe - member since September 2018 (co-chair of Global FOSS4G 2018)
 * Motion for co-chairs

Past Members

 * 1) Lorenzo Becchi
 * 2) Allan Doyle
 * 3) Olivier Ertz
 * 4) Alain Grignon
 * 5) Luc Maurer
 * 6) Daniel Rappo
 * 7) Dave Patton
 * 8) Rafael Medeiros Sperb
 * 9) Jeff McKenna
 * 10) Arnulf Christl
 * 11) Markus Neteler
 * 12) Steve Lime
 * 13) Frank Warmerdam
 * 14)  Dave McIlhagga (resigned August 2016)
 * 15)  Jeroen Ticheler (resigned September 2016)
 * 16)  Thierry Badard (resigned September 2016)
 * 17)  Helena Mitasova (resigned September 2016)
 * 18)  Cameron Shorter - member from 2009 to Oct 2017 (chair of Global FOSS4G 2009)
 * 19)  Jachym Cepicky - (resigned August 2019)

= Meetings =


 * Meetings occur in IRC in the #foss4g channel (on irc.freenode.net) or by other means organized on the email list. Meetings are infrequent.
 * As of 2016 the Conference Committee Meetings page was not being maintained any more.

=2021 Pages=


 * 2021 RFP schedue

=2020 Pages=


 * 2020 RFP schedue

=2019 Pages=


 * 2019 RFP schedule

=2018 Pages=


 * 2018 RFP schedule
 * Conference Committee Face to Face meeting in Bonn, 2016

= 2017 Pages =


 * 2017 RFP schedule
 * 2017 Travel Grant Programme

= 2016 Pages =


 * 2016 RFP schedule

= 2015 Pages =


 * FOSS4G 2015 Bid Process

= 2014 Pages =


 * FOSS4G 2014 Bid Process
 * FOSS4G 2014
 * FOSS4G Europe 2014

= 2013 Pages =


 * Main page: FOSS4G_2013
 * 2013 Proposal
 * Reflections on the event by the LOC (includes lessons learnt and supersedes the old Lessons Learned page): FOSS4G2013_Reflections_by_the_LOC

= 2012 Pages = Main page: FOSS4G 2012
 * RFP (OpenOffice, pdf)
 * budget template (OpenOffice)
 * Important dates:
 * Letters of Intent (Stage 1) due: 2011-06-30 (23:00 UTC)
 * Stage 1 question period: 2011-06-30 to 2011-07-07
 * Stage 1 decision: 2011-07-07
 * Proposals (Stage 2) due: 2011-08-01 (23:00 UTC)
 * Stage 2 question period: 2011-08-01 to 2011-08-05
 * Final decision: 2011-08-05

= 2011 Pages =


 * RFP and Letters of Intent
 * 2011 Bid Process
 * Initial thoughts on 2011 required changes

= 2010 Pages =


 * RFP and Proposals
 * Bid Questions
 * Voting Process

= 2009 Pages =


 * FOSS4G 2009 Governance
 * All FOSS4G 2009 pages.

= 2008 Pages =


 * RFP and Proposals
 * Voting Process
 * FOSS4G 2008 Governance
 * FOSS4GLOC matters
 * Workshop and lab evaluations

= 2007 Pages =


 * Pages in category "FOSS4G2007"
 * FOSS4G2007 - wiki page
 * http://www.foss4g2007.org/ - Conference Site
 * Proposals and RFP
 * requirements Wiki page
 * Naming results
 * Victoria 2007 Proposal
 * FOSS4G 2007 Governance
 * FOSS4G2007 Lessons Learned

= 2006 Pages =


 * Pages in category "FOSS4G2006"
 * http://www.foss4g2006.org/ - Conference Site
 * FOSS4G2006 information

= Event Policy Pages =


 * OSGeo Event policy (in review)
 * Board notes regarding event policy
 * OSGeo Code of Conduct