FOSS4G2013 Reflections by the LOC - Revision history

Jmckenna at 19:36, 2 February 2015

2015-02-02T19:36:12Z

Stevenfeldman: /* General overview */

2013-11-28T19:57:47Z

General overview

Stevenfeldman: /* General overview */

2013-11-28T18:41:54Z

General overview

Wiki-Jmorley: /* Entertainment */

2013-11-26T13:20:21Z

Entertainment

Wiki-Jmorley: /* AGI GeoCommunity */

2013-11-26T13:11:32Z

AGI GeoCommunity

Wiki-Jmorley: /* what didn't work */

2013-11-26T13:10:26Z

what didn't work

Wiki-Kennethfield at 18:17, 25 November 2013

2013-11-25T18:17:35Z

Wiki-Kennethfield at 18:15, 25 November 2013

2013-11-25T18:15:58Z

Wiki-Kennethfield at 18:12, 25 November 2013

2013-11-25T18:12:56Z

Wiki-Barryrowlingson: /* Website */

2013-11-25T15:08:49Z

Website

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:36, 2 February 2015
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	[[Category: FOSS4G2013]]		[[Category: FOSS4G2013]]
	[[Category: Events]]		[[Category: Events]]
		+	[[Category:FOSS4GLessonsLearned]]

@@ Line 689: / Line 689: @@
 The map gallery was built to be an interactive web page with thumbnails that users could click to go to the live map or view the PDF.  We also had a few videos submitted which we were able to accommodate. A number of competition categories were created to focus on certain map and design features. Entrants were invited to select their preferred category of entry should they have one.
-The gallery went live just prior to the conference and generated a good amount of traffic throughout. It provided a really good showcase for the sort of work being produced by the community.
+The gallery went live just prior to the conference and generated a good amount of traffic throughout. It provided a really good showcase for the sort of work being produced by the community. See [http://2013.foss4g.org/conf/gallery/ Opening up the Map]
 For the gallery to work in the physical setting of the conference itself we required display capabilities. Three large plasma screens on stands were used as well as the loan of the iPad 'wall' from UCL CASA. We built a 6 minute video of entries to run in a loop on the plasma screens and including web URLs encouraging people to visit the site and vote for their favorite map. The iPad wall was configured to loop through entries across 16 iPad screens in a matrix.  The displays took very little space but became a focal point.

@@ Line 695: / Line 695: @@
 Prizes (engraved globes) were donated by the International Cartographic Association and the gallery itself was supported by the British Cartographic Society. This brought a sense of importance and collaboration to the event...maps were judged by a team led by Kenneth Field comprising members of the ICA Commission on Map Design.  The map categories, then, were judged by acknowledged and respected cartographers. Categories were judged the week before the event. This left only the 'People's Choice award as voted for by people visiting the web site and voting.
-There were some truly terrific maps entered. Some great work won awards. We got picked up by Wired magazine who promoted the gallery during the event.
+There were some truly terrific maps entered. Some great work won awards. We got picked up by [http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/09/foss4g-map-contest/ Wired magazine] who promoted the gallery during the event.
 == what worked ==

@@ Line 771: / Line 771: @@
 * '''Ice-Breaker''' : Delegates had to register separately for this event on the Wednesday evening. It revolved around a sit-down meal in the Auditorium. During the meal delegates were invited to create their own Robin Hood hats. Author and presenter Mike Parker was giving both a dinner talk and presenting a “pub-quiz” (created by LOC members) with a geographic theme and prizes.  There were many delegates that remained until late, including quite a lot that did not attend the Icebreaker. The EMCC bar actually ran out of beer!
-* '''Gala Night''' : The Thursday night party was included in the delegate registration. There was a Fork Buffet with four themed sections (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish food) spread around the main conference areas. After that there were acts in the Geocamp: Steve and Helen from Festival of The Spoken Nerd, followed by local pianist Chris Conway and his band. Drinks were served from the EMCC bar.
+* '''Gala Night''' : The Thursday night party was included in the delegate registration. There was a Fork Buffet with four themed sections (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish food) spread around the main conference areas including themed tableaus for each country, created by De Vere at their own behest. After that there were acts in the Geocamp: Steve and Helen from Festival of The Spoken Nerd, followed by local pianist Chris Conway and his band. Drinks were served from the EMCC bar.
 * There was no "official" entertainment on '''Friday Night''' : We provided links to the bars and restaurants on the Nottingham Experience site. The EMCC bar and the Geocamp were open and used by a good amount of people. Late in the evening an informal viewing of the "Blues Brothers" movie attracted a fair amount of delegates in the Geocamp.
 * Saturday Night’s '''Closing Party''' : This was a (registered) evening in the GeoCamp with speciality beer tasting, pizza and improv comedy.
@@ Line 797: / Line 799: @@
 * Arrange for more seating places for dinner.
 * Clarify beforehand (ideally in [[Rfp|RfP]]) whether events shall be included in the conference fee.
 = Volunteering =

@@ Line 293: / Line 293: @@
 As discussed in the [[#Concept]] section above, we ran FOSS4G back-to-back with the AGI's GeoCommunity conference (which had a separate conference team but with cross-over members with the FOSS4G LOC). The venue booking was made so that GeoCom could run from an icebreaker on Monday evening to a closing plenary on Wednesday afternoon. In that time period, GeoCom had the use of the EMCC building. The FOSS4G workshops were in the Sir Clive Granger building and the hackathon in the marquee. FOSS4G registration was carried out in the marquee on Tuesday and Wednesday before transferring to the main desks in the EMCC for the main conference.
-Marquee users needed access to toilet facilities. It was agreed between the two conference teams that a relaxed attitude would be taken to access to GeoCom - FOSS4G delegates from the hackathon could come into the EMCC through the link-way to the marquee to access the toilets, and none would mind if they lingered to find out more about GeoCom and its community. Nor would we mind GeoCom delegates coming down to find out more about FOSS4G and the hackathon particularly.
+Marquee users needed access to toilet facilities. It was agreed between the two conference teams that a relaxed attitude would be taken to access to GeoCom - FOSS4G delegates from the hackathon could come into the EMCC through the link-way to the marquee to access the toilets, and noone would mind if they lingered to find out more about GeoCom and its community. Nor would we mind GeoCom delegates coming down to find out more about FOSS4G and the hackathon particularly.
 GeoCom hosts a party on its middle evening (Tuesday) that early arrivals for FOSS4G could buy tickets for, or come along to after the food had been served. This was particularly valuable for hackathon or workshop attendees.

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:10, 26 November 2013
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	The experimental nature of the ideas still had the potential to explode in our faces right up to the event. With hindsight, we could have done more to build and test different approaches earlier to have a greater sense of confidence in the approach. We were somewhat lucky the way it all turned out. I wouldn't want to do it that way again...but that said, now we know it works!		The experimental nature of the ideas still had the potential to explode in our faces right up to the event. With hindsight, we could have done more to build and test different approaches earlier to have a greater sense of confidence in the approach. We were somewhat lucky the way it all turned out. I wouldn't want to do it that way again...but that said, now we know it works!
		+
		+	It was unfortunate that many of the entrants who had been at the conference were not present by the time the prizes were awarded in the closing session.

	== what we would do differently ==		== what we would do differently ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:17, 25 November 2013
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	The experimental nature of the ideas still had the potential to explode in our faces right up to the event. With hindsight, we could have done more to build and test different approaches earlier to have a greater sense of confidence in the approach. We were somewhat lucky the way it all turned out. I wouldn't want to do it that way again...but that said, now we know it works!		The experimental nature of the ideas still had the potential to explode in our faces right up to the event. With hindsight, we could have done more to build and test different approaches earlier to have a greater sense of confidence in the approach. We were somewhat lucky the way it all turned out. I wouldn't want to do it that way again...but that said, now we know it works!

		+	== what we would do differently ==
		+
		+	nail the technical aspects earlier in the process to give us more confidence of it coming together.

	= Website =		= Website =

@@ Line 676: / Line 676: @@
 = Opening up the map: map gallery =
 Early discussions explored a range of possibilities for the map gallery.  A traditional model comprising poster sized printed maps was not encouraged due to the logistical issues required to manage a potentially large number of maps. The lack of a large display space and boards also meant creating a physical map gallery could have proven problematic.  Similarly, initial ideas to create a book comprising the best of the submitted work was decided against due to the unknown variables that might have made such a project unworkable. These include the unknown number of entries, unknown quality of entries, unknown size, format and design of entries.
@@ Line 689: / Line 693: @@
 For the gallery to work in the physical setting of the conference itself we required display capabilities. Three large plasma screens on stands were used as well as the loan of the iPad 'wall' from UCL CASA. We built a 6 minute video of entries to run in a loop on the plasma screens and including web URLs encouraging people to visit the site and vote for their favorite map. The iPad wall was configured to loop through entries across 16 iPad screens in a matrix.  The displays took very little space but became a focal point.
-Prizes (engraved globes) were donated by the International Cartographic Association and the gallery itself was supported by the British Cartographic Society. This brought a sense of importance and collaboration to the event...maps were judged by a team led by Kenneth Field comprising members of the ICA Commission on Map Design.  The map categories, then, were judged by acknowledged and respected cartographers.
+Prizes (engraved globes) were donated by the International Cartographic Association and the gallery itself was supported by the British Cartographic Society. This brought a sense of importance and collaboration to the event...maps were judged by a team led by Kenneth Field comprising members of the ICA Commission on Map Design.  The map categories, then, were judged by acknowledged and respected cartographers. Categories were judged the week before the event. This left only the 'People's Choice award as voted for by people visiting the web site and voting.
 There were some truly terrific maps entered. Some great work won awards. We got picked up by Wired magazine who promoted the gallery during the event.
@@ Line 698: / Line 702: @@
 The work Barry Rowlingson put in to build the online and configure the iPad wall should not be underestimated. His efforts were key to the success and demonstrate the need for people with Barry's expertise and commitment in this type of endeavor.
 We received many plaudits from people regarding the approach and quality of the gallery. This convinces me that future galleries should look at this model to build on for their own. Paper maps are not dead...but paper-based map galleries may very well be!

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:12, 25 November 2013
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	The final stages of publication were not agreed upon clearly enough with the OSGeo Journal. We should have made clear agreements with the journal's editors as to who does what: This has resulted in a delay of publication that could have been avoided.		The final stages of publication were not agreed upon clearly enough with the OSGeo Journal. We should have made clear agreements with the journal's editors as to who does what: This has resulted in a delay of publication that could have been avoided.
		+
		+	= Opening up the map: map gallery =
		+
		+	Early discussions explored a range of possibilities for the map gallery. A traditional model comprising poster sized printed maps was not encouraged due to the logistical issues required to manage a potentially large number of maps. The lack of a large display space and boards also meant creating a physical map gallery could have proven problematic. Similarly, initial ideas to create a book comprising the best of the submitted work was decided against due to the unknown variables that might have made such a project unworkable. These include the unknown number of entries, unknown quality of entries, unknown size, format and design of entries.
		+
		+	As an alternative, we decided to make the map gallery entirely digital. Entries were invited in two forms, namely static maps submitted as PDFs or URLs pointing to live web maps. This catered for those who work in the print medium but who could supply a PDF instead of a physical map. It also allowed us to showcase modern mapping using cutting edge web tools. The intent here was to encourage not only 'cartographers' but anyone who made maps using whatever tools. The requirement was for some aspect of the workflow to incorporate Open Source (data, software etc) but the work did not have to be made entirely from open source projects. this, we felt, encouraged people to use the right tool for the right job.
		+
		+	The map gallery was open to all - not just attendees. It seemed odd to limit a publicly visible, virtual map gallery to just attendees. We received over 70 entries and many from non-attendees who therefore participated in the conference in a virtual sense. This brought considerable value to the gallery itself.
		+
		+	The map gallery was built to be an interactive web page with thumbnails that users could click to go to the live map or view the PDF. We also had a few videos submitted which we were able to accommodate. A number of competition categories were created to focus on certain map and design features. Entrants were invited to select their preferred category of entry should they have one.
		+
		+	The gallery went live just prior to the conference and generated a good amount of traffic throughout. It provided a really good showcase for the sort of work being produced by the community.
		+
		+	For the gallery to work in the physical setting of the conference itself we required display capabilities. Three large plasma screens on stands were used as well as the loan of the iPad 'wall' from UCL CASA. We built a 6 minute video of entries to run in a loop on the plasma screens and including web URLs encouraging people to visit the site and vote for their favorite map. The iPad wall was configured to loop through entries across 16 iPad screens in a matrix. The displays took very little space but became a focal point.
		+
		+	Prizes (engraved globes) were donated by the International Cartographic Association and the gallery itself was supported by the British Cartographic Society. This brought a sense of importance and collaboration to the event...maps were judged by a team led by Kenneth Field comprising members of the ICA Commission on Map Design. The map categories, then, were judged by acknowledged and respected cartographers.
		+
		+	There were some truly terrific maps entered. Some great work won awards. We got picked up by Wired magazine who promoted the gallery during the event.
		+
		+	== what worked ==
		+
		+	In general the whole map gallery worked terrifically well and despite it being experimental in some senses it came together technically and physically
		+
		+	The work Barry Rowlingson put in to build the online and configure the iPad wall should not be underestimated. His efforts were key to the success and demonstrate the need for people with Barry's expertise and commitment in this type of endeavor.
		+
		+	We received many plaudits from people regarding the approach and quality of the gallery. This convinces me that future galleries should look at this model to build on for their own. Paper maps are not dead...but paper-based map galleries may very well be!
		+
		+	== what didn't work ==
		+
		+	The experimental nature of the ideas still had the potential to explode in our faces right up to the event. With hindsight, we could have done more to build and test different approaches earlier to have a greater sense of confidence in the approach. We were somewhat lucky the way it all turned out. I wouldn't want to do it that way again...but that said, now we know it works!
		+

	= Website =		= Website =

@@ Line 699: / Line 699: @@
 Further Django apps were developed for the 'Pledge' pages and the Map Gallery.
-Code for the Django apps and the WP skin were pushed to a public github site.
+Code for the Django apps and the WP skin were pushed to a [https://github.com/barryrowlingson/foss4g public github site].
 Post-conference, the whole site (WP, Django, etc) will be statically mirrored so it can be served from a plain HTTP server, with reduced functionality (no searching, voting, etc),