Marketing Pipeline

OSGeo has access to a number of marketing pipelines. This page identifies what these pipelines are, which then enables us to define artefacts required from each project to effectively make use the pipeline.

Refer to this Pipeline overview for a description of a marketing pipeline and why it is valuable.

OSGeo Live
The OSGeo Live DVD and Virtual Machine bundles up a stack of the best GeoSpatial Open Source Software on an Ubuntu/Linux DVD. It is handed out at conferences, used as the basis for OSGeo training, and handed out by projects and companies wishing to promote their software to new users. All OSGeo applications (excluding libraries) should be available on the LiveDVD.

The OSGeo Live's primary focus is on providing an easy, user friendly introduction in GeoSpatial Open Source Software, from complete newbie trialing GeoSpatial Open Source for the first time, through to tertiary education students. To achieve this, the focus on the DVD is on:
 * Quality
 * Stable Software
 * Simplicity in initial introductions, which may be expanded into more detailed concepts
 * Consistancy between documentation and applications as much as possible
 * Currency: simplify project maintenance requirements so that documents are continually updated
 * Periodic: Released every 6 months, aligned with the Ubuntu release cycle and the FOSS4G annual conference

OSGeo Live requires the following artifacts for each project:

Available from version 3.0, after FOSS4G 2009:
 * Install script
 * Application Definition
 * Application Overview
 * Logo
 * Test Description
 * Test Results
 * Windows installers (for some packages)
 * Grouping (to enable categorisation in pull down lists)

To be introduced from version 4.0 for foss4g 2010:
 * Application Quick Start
 * Lightening Overview presentation

To start to be introduced from version 4.0 for foss4g 2010, and expanded in future versions:
 * Grouping Explanation Overview:
 * Explain what projects in a grouping do.(eg Web Services, Mobile, etc)
 * Provide a paragraph or two for each relevant standard covered by the grouping
 * Technology Comparison

Future releases:
 * Introduce user and reference documentation. Ideally this should be consistant across projects, but it will likely be a number of years before such consistancy is achieved, and it may not be considered desirable.
 * Introduce training material for each project. This should be traced to international learning goals.

UbuntuGIS / DebianGIS
Ubuntu and Debian are popular, widely deployed, linux distributions with a simple system for users to install new applications. The bundling and testing required for debian packages is non-trivial, but reach is great. Also, packages bundled into debian are automatically rolled into ubuntu, and it is then relatively simple to roll into the liveDVD which is Ubuntu based.

Artifacts required for each project:
 * A bundled package

Web Presence
Each project should already have a web page.

The OSGeo Live project also has a consistent list of project definitions and descriptions. This will likely also soon include project comparison information which will provide good material for selecting technologies.

Conference Booth
Since OSGeo inception, OSGeo boothes have been a regular feature at many international and local conferences, manned by local OSGeo volunteers. A standard exhibition pack, outlined at Exhibition_Pack, provides the volunteers with the tools to promote OSGeo packages.

The following artifacts are required from each project:
 * contributions for the OSGeo Live DVD
 * Application Overview, as a colour PDF, printed on paper.

Presentations / Webinars
OSGeo evangelists regularly provide OSGeo presentations at conferences. Conference attendees regularly give a report back to their workplace outlining what their learned at the conference. Many presentations have been recorded as videos, and there is talk of an OSGeo webinar series. What we are looking for here are base OSGeo presentations which can be easily presented by multiple OSGeo evantualists.

OSGeo-Live Lightening talk
A Lightening Presentation which provides a lightening overview of the (approx 40) packages on the OSGeo Live DVD/Virtual Machine, with one slide/package. Each slide to take 30 to 60 seconds to present.

Project Specific Presentation
A 20 min presentation for each specific project.

Technology Comparisons
Technology Comparisons between similar projects ease the technology selection process for new users wishing to determine which technology is right for them.

Case Studies
Systems architects and project directors reduce project risk by reviewing previous implementations of technologies they are considering. Hence, case studies which describe how Open Source Geospatial has been used in previous project are very valuable.

Training
Companies who deploy GeoSpatial Open Source, need to train their staff in how to use applications.

Universities, High Schools and other education institutions train people in GeoSpatial technologies and would greatly benefit from being able to incorporate Geospatial Open Source into their training curriculum.