Spanish Chapter Report 2007

= Project Name =
 * Period covered by report: Jan-Dec 2007
 * Contact name: Jorge Sanz, Lorenzo Becchi and Víctor Olaya

This text is a short version of the bigger article written by OSGeo Spanish group for the Girona meeting.

Note of the Author: I've not placed any link as this text is going to be placed in a PDF, if that's not true or it's still interesting having links, please feel free to add them.

Community support

 * Mailing list: Our activity centre, like any other OSGeo group, is the mailing list. With this tool participants interact discussing, resolving technical doubts, promoting local events, chatting about interesting news or links and so on. Regardless their location and technical skills, anyone can ask for help about geomatics and FOSS4G software.


 * wiki: We have set up a category for Spanish contents called Español. Every content we have to write down we put it on the wiki and people is using it also to place their opinion (using talk pages). We are using it to plan and manage the Free GIS Book, the contents, the authors subscription and so on.


 * OSGeo site translation: It's very important to have an updated Spanish version of the OSGeo site, so the main pages of the web are being translated. Coordinated with the Web Committee, the translation of the most important pages of the web is completed.

Presentations

 * FOSS4G2007: Lorenzo Becchi presented the initial movements of the Local Chapter at FOSS4G in Victoria, Canada.
 * 3rd gvSIG meeting: The Local Chapter was presented to the gvSIG community in their annual meeting
 * 2nd Free GIS meeting in Girona: This is the annual meeting for Spanish FOSS4G users and developers, where this Local Chapter was formed.

Free GIS Book
This is one of the most important initiatives of the Spanish Local Chapter. With the leadership of Victor Olaya, a group of authors have organized a common effort to create a book about Geographical Information Systems from the theoretical point of view, agnostic of any specific software and covering the main areas of that discipline. This a free content project, using a Creative Commons license (2.5 CC-BY-SA) and proudly supported by OSGeo infrastructures.

Collaborative structure
We have elected a PSC and a set of rules to participate in the book. Every chapter has a main author, responsible of coordinating their contents with other authors as usual in collaborative books.

Parts
The book has six main parts, everyone with several chapters:


 * Introduction: First concepts and fundamental ideas about GIS, its history and a global overview
 * Data: Geographic data particularities, representation models, storing, data bases and quality among other topics
 * Processes: Formulae and algorithms related with geographical analysis from simple queries to network analysis or terrain models algorithms
 * SDI: The Spatial Data Infrastructures play an important role in the way we consume and produce data
 * Technology: This part presents the main types of GIS software, their characteristics and technical fundaments as well as the main representatives of any type.
 * Applications: How GIS are applyed to specific fields. How previous topics apply to any case, and how other particular elements also support that fields.

Tools
The book is being written in Spanish, using LaTeX as editing tool and OSGeo SVN repositories as a version control.

Areas for Improvement

 * We need to present OSGeo in more areas as geomatic meetings, journals and events.
 * We have to formalize the Local Chapter electing a PSC.
 * We should contact with other Spanish spoken communities related with specific projects.

Opportunities to Help

 * We need translators for:
 * OSGeo website
 * OSGeo flyers and marketing stuff
 * The Journal
 * Discuss on the mailing lists!
 * If you want to start translation into Spanish of one of the OSGeo projects, we can work as a contact with the project communities
 * Present OSGeo projects in your local community
 * Present OSGeo projects in your local community

Outlook for 2008

 * Formalize the Local Chapter
 * Improve our presence in South America
 * Continue the Free GIS Book effort
 * Keep translations