PDX-OSGEO

Welcome to the PDX-OSGEO Local Chapter!

News

 * Details on 2011 Open Source GIS unconference


 * Progress on OSGEO Local Chapter recognition

Introduction
PDX-OSGEO is a proposed Local Chapter of OSGEO. PDX-OSGEO has a cachement area equal to the PDX airport, Oregon and SW Washington (Vancouver, WA / Clark County, WA). Monthly meetings are held in Portland.

History
PDX-OSGEO has been around and meeting in one form or another since before February 2009 under various names. Since September 2010, we have been recognized as an Oregon-URISA Special Interest Group (SIG). Since 2010, the local chapter has coordinated an open source unconference with ORURISA and GIS In Action. There are also deep roots with our sister OSGEO Local Chapter, CUGOS.

Mission
The OSGeo PDX-OSGEO Chapter strives to promote the local use of Open Source Geospatial software, particularly new users in the Oregon/SW Washington area. The group hosts monthly meetings providing presentation, discussion, and educational opportunities and focuses on materializing an annual Open Source GIS unconference.

Objectives
Monthly Meetings, usually totaling 10/year:
 * Presentations (Application and Technical)
 * Chapter business
 * Social gathering

Regional Events:
 * Open Source GIS unconference
 * Conference participation

Communication:
 * Mailing List
 * Wiki Development
 * Monthly meetings

Legal Status:
 * No real independent legal structure.
 * No real capacity to independently hold funds in other than ad hoc informal manner.
 * Affiliations with OSGEO and ORURISA help us with some of the tasks that require legal recognition as an independent entity.
 * There are currently no plans to seek any independent legal structure in the future.

Getting Involved
The PDX-OSGEO Local Chapter is a flexible organization, join us and help steer.

Mailing List
Please join our mailing list to make sure that you know what's going on. Sign up and participate (or just lurk for a while). You do need to answer the questions (what is your favorite map and something else I think) to the extent needed to demonstrate that you are a person and have the minimal amount of GEO knowledge to not be a random spammer. google email group

Membership
Anyone who wants to help support our mission is free to become a member. List yourself on the PDX-OSGEO Member Page and you're in!

Leadership
To the extent that we think that we need leadership, it is User:Percyd Percy. Mostly we expect everyone to step up and help on all most tasks resulting in a light load for all.

Meetings
We meet the 4th Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8:00 PM at OpenSourcery in NW Portland. No need to RSVP, all are welcome- our group ranges from the geo-curious to the überhackers. [Please arrive no more than 10 minutes early, as the developers at OpenSourcery are working up until the meeting time.] If our meetings are canceled or changed we will post this in Discussions, so please check there for the most recent information and activity.

'''I was hoping to get an OpenLayers map of where we meet, but haven't figured out how without creating a false user at that location. Here is me as a stand in.'''

OpenSourcery 1636 NW Lovejoy St. Portland, OR 97209


 * Agendas
 * Minutes

How To Write WIKI
Check out WikiPedia, where else. This is a great resource for many wiki writing tips
 * How to Write Wiki

Page Naming Conventions
'''This is pulled from the Ottawa chapter page. Is it still relvant, do we want to do PDX_?'''

Since the whole wiki uses a flat file structure instead of a directory structure there is a need to organize the pages relavant to our chapter's activities. To get this wiki area started I chose a simple page structure format

PREFIX: To keep the site clean and to make it easier to locate all WIKI pages connected with the Ottawa Chapter please note the appropriate prefix. Use this prefix when creating new pages.

Prefix= Ottawa_Chapter

The logic:
 * Ottawa_Chapter_(Project Area)_(Topic)_(Sub Topic)

Examples:
 * Ottawa_Chapter_OSGEO_meetings_072106
 * Ottawa_Chapter_GRASS_Datasets

Additionally you might want to consider adding to all pages tagging them for the Wiki Categories. Then add that category to the and have a category of categories. Or just go have some more beer.

unconference
The annual Open Source GIS unconference coordinated in conjunction with GIS In Action is our premiere event.

Needs
We need an OSGEO Exhibition_Pack for conference booths. We can try borrowing CUGOS's.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to various OSGEO local chapters and other wiki contributors whose work we borrowed and particularly CUGOS.