Oceania Elections

2020 Election

Process

• Seats & terms: There are 9 board positions in total. Three directors are continuing: Greg Lauer, Emma Hain & Dionne Hansen. The retiring directors are Adam Steer, Alex Leith, Martin Tomko, Trisha Moriarty and John Bryant (previously retired). Additionally, Daniel Silk has resigned. Therefore, 6 seats are up for election (current directors may stand for re-election). The election period for new directors is two years.
• Nominations: Any member may nominate a member (including themselves) to stand for election. Nominations should state the candidate's name, their usual place of residence (town/city/country), and a brief statement on why that person would make a good director. Please send nominations to elections@osgeo-oceania.org.
• Candidate statements: Candidates will be invited to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo Oceania, what they would like to change, improve, or introduce, and what role they would like to play on the board, in 150 words or less. This is designed to give members some insight into who they are voting for, and provides some accountability. Candidate names and their statements will be posted below.
• Voting: OSGeo Oceania members are eligible to vote. The election will be run electronically using an independent system (ElectionBuddy), and will run for one week. Members will be notified by email when voting is open, and provided with instructions on how to cast their ballot. Members' votes are secret - nobody can see who you vote for. At the end of the election, the winning candidates will be announced on the Oceania mailing list. Vote tallies will be kept private.

Timeline

See https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ehLJ4nGNpUiJyQGVdvRDks6ppjKc5dro-kAHupsudrc for details

2020 Candidates

Note: not all candidates have accepted their nomination at this stage.

Edwin Liava'a

(Tonga & Brisbane, Australia)

• Candidate statement: 20+ years career working in the Pacific Islands region providing contextualised solutions and capacity building in information systems and communication technologies. I have worked in the past for Pacific regional and international development organisations such the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and the Pacific Community (SPC). I bring a wealth of local knowledge from working in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu and Kiribati. I am also familiar with the people, the cultural challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the region.
  My passion is driven by harnessing inter-cultural competencies. These competences go well beyond technical knowledge and leadership, because each Pacific Island has a unique local context.
  An advocate of foss4g, hashgraph, blockchain and satellite technology for providing internet connectivity to the under-served communities.
• Nomination statement: Edwin has been a passionate advocate for the open geospatial community in the Pacific for many years, starting the Pacific Islands OSGeo Chapter in 2012. He's volunteered on a number of OSGeo Oceania committees and working groups, including the FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2020 organising committee and the Travel Grant Program working group. Last year, he was a keynote speaker at the Wellington conference, and more recently, has taken the lead on setting up and managing the 2020 conference website. He's done much to demonstrate his dedication to this community, and would be an effective voice from the Pacific, which to date has been missing from the board.

Nemaia Koto

(Suva, Fiji)

• Candidate statement: The open source geospatial world is relatively new to me having only been an end user for the past 8 years. This changed last year when I volunteered to be part of the amazing team that helped organize the 2020 FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference and was fortunately exposed to the community of OSGeo Oceania. Transparency, accountability and community collaboration are values that I found to be the pulling force towards wanting to be part of this community. Injecting those same values into our small but eager local and regional geospatial community would be my main focus if I were to be part of the OSGeo Oceania board.
• Nomination statement: Nemaia was an early volunteer on the FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2020 organising team, and quickly stood out as someone who would consistently do the hard work required, taking an active role in the conference communications. When Vasiti Soko's work commitments required her to step back from her role as co-chair of the conference, she put Nemaia forward to fill the role, recognising his dedication and passion for this event and community. Nemaia has proven himself as a sensitive leader and a strong advocate for open geospatial in the Pacific, and would be a valuable asset to the organisation.

Elisa Puccioni

(Wellington, NZ)

• Candidate statement: I joined the OS Geo community in 2019 and immediately felt at home. I strongly believe that GIS should be available to all, as it has become more and more an integral part of our daily life. This is why I have been advocating the use of QGIS and other OS solutions for years. Helping as QGIS trainer at the Indigenous Mapping conferences has also shown me how important the support of a dedicated community is for new users. For these reasons, I’m contributing with my experience and a lot of enthusiasm to the Travelling Grant Program and the Communication group, trying to reach out and support new members. I would love to bring my passion and ingenuity to the board in order to help grow this open, inclusive, and diverse community.
• Nomination statement: Elisa joined the open geospatial community relatively recently, having adopted QGIS in her professional life a few years ago, and as such, represents an important segment of our community. She embraced the community spirit quickly, and has shown a keen interest in sharing that spirit, writing a blog post about her experience at FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2019 in Wellington (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-first-experience-foss4g-oceania-conference-elisa-puccioni). She was an active member of the 2020 Travel Grant Program working group until it was suspended due to COVID, and has contributed to the Aotearoa Indigenous Mapping Wananga as a QGIS trainer. She would bring a positive and productive approach to this organisation.

Edoardo Neerhut

(Melbourne, Australia)

• Candidate statement: I first got involved in the Oceania geospatial community when I returned to Australia in 2016. Since then I have been in awe of the people supporting it and the countless applications of open source geospatial software. OpenStreetMap and QGIS are particularly prominent in my professional and personal lives.
  I have done my best to support the community by establishing a Maptime Melbourne chapter, working on the committees for the 2018 and 2019 FOSS4G SotM Oceania conferences, and more recently by helping to organise the Melbourne Hub for the 2020 conference. I was also a founding Director of OSGeo Oceania and support the OpenStreetMap and Membership working groups.
  As a board member I would support the incredible local communities of our region, giving them the platform and resources to hold more events. I also see huge potential in working groups and would seek to get more people participating.
• Nomination statement: Edoardo has been a major contributor to this community for a long time, taking lead roles in communications and sponsorship at FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2018 & 2019, serving on the board of OSGeo Oceania in 2019, chairing the Membership working group over the last year, and helping to lay the groundwork for the regional chapter of the OpenStreetMap Foundation. He's played a big role in organising the Melbourne Hub of FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2020 (while in lockdown!). He has always shown himself to be a positive and collaborative influence, and carefully listens to all points of view before acting. He clearly has the best interests of this community at heart, understands the importance of transparency in an open community, and is a natural leader.

Jonah Sullivan

(Canberra, Australia)

• Candidate statement: I have enjoyed taking an active role in OSGeo Oceania since its inception, starting by joining the FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2018 conference committee, and most recently co-chairing the FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2020 conference committee. I served on the OSGeo Oceania board in 2019 and I look forward to the opportunity to assist the open-source open-access community again in 2020.
• Nomination statement: Jonah stepped up to chair FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2020, and when COVID threatened to force the cancellation of the event, he was the originator of the inspired idea to run it as a hybrid in-person/online event, which has successfully activated local communities across the region. In an extremely difficult year, he's calmly kept the event on track, keeping a volunteer committee engaged and working in harmony. Jonah was on the Travel Grant Program working group in 2018 and 2019, and has already served on this board of directors in 2019, so his knowledge and experience will help him "hit the ground running" if he is elected.

Carrol Chan

(Suva, Fiji)

• Candidate statement: I am a proud Pacific Islander who has developed desire to actively and meaningfully contribute to building an inclusive and driven Geospatial community here in Oceania. As an early career professional, my love for FOSS4G deepened when I understood the value it brings as a sustainable solution that encourages ownership and inclusivity across PICTs. I have spent 3 years as a regional civil servant building geospatial capacity and actively volunteering for the Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council. Through this experience I believe there is more work to be done across the vast Pacific Ocean and if elected, I would like to bridge the gap between OSGeo Oceania and my Pacific Vuvale (family) working to encourage participation, transparency, progression and ownership,especially with the younger generation who one day will drive our industry forward.
• Nomination statement: Carrol has been involved in FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2020, both as part of the organising committee, and as part of the Suva Hub, which is on track to be a major success. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the open geospatial community in Fiji and the Pacific, in a professional and volunteer capacity. She has been a committee member of the Pacific GIS & Remote Sensing Council since 2017, playing an active role in their annual conference, so she brings very relevant experience. As a relatively early career professional and recent graduate, she can also bring an important perspective from a very important segment of our community.

Ewen Hill

(Melbourne, Australia)

• Candidate statement: As one of the more active OSM editors in Australia, I am encouraged by the growth of both OSM and FOSS4G tools available to the community. Consider the number of individuals, community cohorts and not-for-profits who have the ability to both consume and render geospatial information easily nowadays. What we do, impacts the world we live in.<be />If elected, I would focus on
  • Encouraging governments to both contribute and consume opensource data,
  • Increase the use of FOSS4G throughout the region by leveraging online training from our fantastic community
  • Understand how to improve usage for communities where English is not their first language.
• I will bring my knowledge gained previously
  • Data Manager/Emergency Management Officer for the Victorian Government
  • MapTime Melbourne/FOSS4G2020 organiser
  • Board member of a UK magazine
  • Large UK sports club president
  • Emergency Services volunteer (Vic, NSW, Qld)
• I do ask for your vote however more importantly, for all of us to guide and nurture. Thank you
• Nomination statement: Ewen has been a big supporter of this community for many years, presenting at the Melbourne conference in 2018, and getting involved in organising Melbourne events like Maptime Melbourne. Most recently, Ewen helped organise the Melbourne Hub of FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2020. He's a huge contributor to OpenStreetMap as a hardcore mapper, as an active participant in the community discussion on the talk-au mailing list, and by being a kind, welcoming helper to new people in the community. He has a long record of community volunteering and would bring valuable knowledge and experience to the organisation.
• Nomination statement: Ewen Hill is one of those people who contributes an enormous amount to the geospatial community while asking little in return. He has been involved in almost all geospatial events since I have been in Melbourne, and I am sure many before. Ewen is the guy who patiently shows people how to get the most out of JOSM or QGIS, working his way around the room to support anyone needing help. He's the guy that spends time putting together a map in QGIS after an OpenStreetMap event to show the results of a mapathon. He's the guy who rocks up at the venue two weeks before to make sure it has everything you need for FOSS4G SotM Oceania. I'm sure he'd bring this same selflessness and attention to detail to the board, while being a strong advocate of the open source geospatial tools we all know and love.

Kamsin Raju

(Nadi, Fiji)

• Candidate statement I was first introduced to OSGeo in 2015 as part of my curriculum at university however, FOSS4G was never made a priority throughout the duration of my degree. In fact, we barely addressed it. As a young graduate I joined an organisation; SPC, that was all for FOSS4G accessibility in the Pacific and thanks to my mentor Carrol Chan I’ve developed a passion for it. Interacting and learning from so many wonderful experts at the FOSS4G conference last year made me realise what we were missing back home – a bigger, more interactive local community supporting and advocating for free and open source data and software. While I may be young and not as experienced I believe I can help bring OSGeo and the work they do for FOSS4G to a younger group of users. Youths are the future and so is OSGeo. If elected, this platform will not only enable me to bring young people closer to FOSS4G but it will also give me a chance to represent my own islands’ interests and share experiences to build a more diverse and inclusive geospatial community.
• Nomination statement: I would like to nominate Kamsin Raju for the OSGeo Oceania board. I feel our community would greatly benefit from fresh faces and perspectives with people who have deep knowledge of their field. Kamsin's personal, academic, and professional experiences in Fiji indicate someone who is passionate about her country and improving it with open source geospatial tools. She shared some of this experience in her talk 'Challenges of Mapping Informal Settlements' at the 2019 FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference. She is currently a Resilience Officer at the United Nations Human Settlements Program. This is the kind of experience and perspective that the OSGeo Oceania board needs to become more representative of Oceania as a whole and the people who call it home.

Alex Leith

(Hobart, Tasmania)

• Candidate statement: I have been involved in all of the FOSS4G SotM Oceania conferences and in the formation and running of the OSGeo Oceania organisation. Most recently, I've taken on the Chair role, which has been challenging in these times of strangeness and uncertainty. I would like to spend another two years on the Board of OSGeo Oceania because I still have a valuable contribution to make. I'd like us to start giving back to the community, as well as bedding down our special interest group relationships. There's still work to do!
• Nomination statement: Alex has significant experience on the Board and was one of the founding directors and Conference organizers. Alex stepped up to lead the Board in the middle of a COVID disaster and has navigated through some very extenuating circumstances. His continued presence on the Board will provide continuity to the new Board.

2019 Election

Process

• Seats & terms: In 2019, all 9 seats will be up for election (current directors may stand for re-election). After the election, half of the directors (ie. 4 or 5) will volunteer or be randomly chosen to serve a 1 year term, with the remainder having a full 2 year term. Director terms will thus be staggered, and subsequent annual elections will elect half of the board for 2 year terms.
• Nominations: Any member may nominate a member (including themselves) to stand for election. Nominations should state the candidate's name, their usual place of residence (town/city/country), and a brief statement on why the person would make a good director. Please send nominations to elections@osgeo-oceania.org.
• Candidate statements: Candidates will be invited to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo Oceania, what they would like to change, improve, or introduce, and what role they would like to play on the board, in 150 words or less. This is designed to give members some insight into who they are voting for, and provides some accountability. Candidate names and their statements will be posted on this page (under the relevant year election) (old Oceania elections page to be deleted).
• Voting: OSGeo Oceania members are eligible to vote. The election will be run electronically using an independent system (ElectionBuddy), and will run for one week. Members will be notified by email when voting is open, and provided with instructions on how to cast their ballot. Members' votes are secret - nobody can see who you vote for. At the end of the election, the winning candidates will be announced on the Oceania mailing list. Vote tallies will be kept private.

Timeline

Date	Item
2019-11-29	open director nominations
2019-12-06	close director nominations
2019-12-13	deadline for candidate statements
2019-12-13	voting opens
2019-12-20	voting closes at 11:45pm AWST
2019-12-21	results will be posted on the Oceania mailing list

2019 Candidates

• John Bryant
  • I have a deep passion for this community, and want to see it thrive. I've been heavily involved in the organisation of the 2018 & 2019 conferences, and in the creation of OSGeo Oceania, so I have detailed knowledge of the history & founding principles of this organisation. I'm committed to the principle of empowering other people to step up and take leadership roles in the management of the organisation, whether they are directors or otherwise, and feel I can play a key role in helping to make this happen. Finally, I have thought deeply about where I think this organisation should go in 2020 and beyond, and would be motivated to work in collaboration with others to realise this vision.
• Jan Ducnuigeen
  • As a participant in FOSS4G conferences in North America and Australia, I was always impressed with the connections people build across countries. I was on the organizing committee of the 2019 FOSS4G Oceania conference, and have been inspired to further sustain the organisation and bring together a diversity of ideas and people. The conferences in 2018 and 2019 have been an ideal way for reaching out to the furthest reaches of Oceania and building a stronger geospatial community, and I look forward to supporting these efforts.
• Dionne Hansen
  • I have been volunteering for the OSGeo Oceania community for nearly a year as a lead on the FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2019 organising committee. The values of the free and open source resonate deeply with me and I want to do my part to foster and grow the community for the future. My goal, if elected to the governing board, is to promote and raise the profile of the community and to reach out to communities who haven’t yet been exposed to open source tools. I have a lot of energy and enthusiasm to give to this board and a drive to run with great long term ideas that will enable the sustained growth of the OSGeo Oceania community.
• Martin Tomko
  • I have been a founding member and volunteer for OSGEO Oceania since the initial discussions that led to FOSS4G SOTM Oceania 2018, which I have helped co-organise and host at the University of Melbourne.
    I have a long-standing involvement with FOSS4G and OSM, from early deployments of Mapserver back in 2002, through heavy use and (minor) contributions to Geotools back in my Java days, through to the design of large projects using FOSS4G ( the AURIN Portal). I teach and conduct research with and on an exclusively FOSS4G stack, with a heavy focus on OSM projects.
    In OSGEO Oceania, I would focus on contributing to maintaining and building strong links with the academic community, which is in my eyes vital to maintain a supply of fresh and diverse members to the FOSS4G community (the training and education pipeline), and as a major contributor to new capabilities, via research.
• Greg Lauer
  • I am a current OSGEO Oceania board member. I was part of team that was involved in the creation of OSGeo Oceania and a member of the 2018 and 2019 Conference organizing committees (and quite likely assisting on the FOSS4G SotM Oceania Conference 2020 in Fiji.). OSGeo Oceania is in its infancy and there is still a lot of work to be done by the directors/membership and I look forward to continuing being a part of board to further OSGEO Oceania vision and goals.
    I am passionate about all things Open Geo especially in working with our friends in the Pacific with regards to mentoring and capacity building. I am also very keen to encourage more Pacific Island residents to become members and/or Directors.
• Alex Leith
  • I have been volunteering with OSGeo Oceania and the previous committees for around two years now, and I would like to continue to add to our young organisation's structure and processes. I'm not ready to move on yet, I still have lots to give. I'm currently serving as the Treasurer on the inaugural Board, and have relevant prior experience including three years on the SSSI Board.
• Daniel Silk
  • After organising the social program, catering and merch for our conference in 2018, and then chairing FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2019, I have a lot of insight on event organisation and community engagement to build upon and share. In 2020, I'd like to broaden the events on offer for our community by exploring the possibilities for smaller, focused miniconfs and code sprints. I'm keen to enable other community members by mentoring, and documenting the journey so far. I like getting stuck in and making things happen, and am enthusiastic about contributing to the board in 2020.
• Adam Steer
  • I'm standing for election to the board of OSGeo Oceania because I believe I can help the organisation move forward with audacity! We are creating a scaffolding which supports deep geospatial engineering practice; teaching / training / outreach; and environmental / social responsibility from multiple viewpoints across a broad region - which requires a lot of stepping outside our usual models and approaches. I’m a charter member of OSGeo and active in the Women in Geospatial mentoring programme. I’ve worked on OSGeo Oceania and the FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference series since the start in late 2017, as the sponsorship lead in 2018 and driving our carbon offsetting initiative in 2019. Along the way I helped create the Good Mojo programme and include children and parents in conferences. I want to continue this work toward a vibrant, creative and sustainable community.
• Emma Hain
  • Like Vicky Vergara, I like to spend hours trying how to do things efficiently, people think it is laziness, but I reckon if we can sort those things out, we can move onto other things of importance. I am an end user who with the sloth characteristics is trying to move into dev side. Heaps of ideas, but no technical dev skills. I first started getting into OS via QGIS around 2016 and nothing has made more sense, ever. I am starting to get more involved in FOSS4G over the last 2 years by sitting on the committee for the Oceania conference. My keen area of interests includes the Economy of OS and how to empower users from educational, community to corporate. I bring to the community experience gained from working in event and sports management (Rugby Union and the Olympics) in both coordination and participation areas.

• Jonah Sullivan
  • I have a strong interest in the Free Open Source Software theme. I’ve become increasingly involved in these communities, as evidenced by my membership on the Local Organising Committee for the first FOSS4G SotM Oceania Conference in 2018, and my subsequent membership on the OSGeo Oceania board in 2019.
    I am also active locally, as organiser of the monthly meetings of the Canberra Python User Group since 2017, and the GIS Community of Practice at my workplace.
    I have also played a role in coordinating the Local Organising Committee from across the South Pacific that was awarded the opportunity to host the FOSS4G SotM Oceania Conference 2020 in Fiji.
• Kerry Smyth
  • I am a firm believer in the value of OS for education, business and entrepreneurial pursuits. By fostering the growth of the geospatial open source & open data community in Oceania, we are delivering a means for innovation and business opportunities in our region. I am motivated by this generosity of spirit that donates to the greater good.
    My ability to undertake the responsibilities of OS Geo Oceania Board Director is demonstrated by:
    • being instrumental in the 2018 agreement with SSSI that facilitated financial capacity for the inaugural FOSS4G & SotM Conference in Melbourne;
    • commitment as foundation Board Director for OSGeo Oceania;
    • being Convener of the WA Surveying & Spatial Sciences Conference for 4 consecutive years (2014-17);
    • 5 years’ experience as Director of SSSI (2014-19);
    • Past senior positions in WA State Government agencies as a cartographer and GIS program director, currently work as a spatial ambassador through my consultancy Spatialize.
  • I hope you see value in the diversity and experience that I bring to the leadership team. Your vote for me will make a difference.
• Trisha Moriarty
  • I have been actively involved with the open source community for the last couple years, initially as part of the organising committee for the 2018 FOSS4G SotM conference in Melbourne, including taking on the role of workshop lead, and then later assisting with the genesis of the Oceania chapter.
    I am inspired by the transformational role open source software and open data plays in our society at all levels, bridging the digital divide and have a deep appreciation for the community that makes this possible. I would like the opportunity to continue to contribute through building a sustainable, principled and purpose-driven organisation that provides for the community and its members.
    My experience as a data and systems manager for government, GIS user, cartographer and outreach coordinator, provides me a broad perspective and appreciation of the work that the open source community does and where OSGeo Oceania can be most effective.
• Alan Cheung
  • I have been an active user and promoter of FOSS, including FOSS4G for many years. Through the years I have successfully constructed and taught geospatial courses using FOSS4G in universities and work environments. In my current job in the government, I active pursue and promote the usage of open source software for all purposes. Together with my colleagues, we also manage to release government funded geospatial data in Creative Commons license for public consumption.
    Oceania is a diverse area in terms of demography, expectations and priorities. I believe the variety of experiences I possess, including organizing events in challenged environments and negotiating barriers in different circumstances (technical, political, ethnical) would be valuable in OSGeo Oceania. Especially in shaping communities and working groups from diverse audience.
• Celina Agaton
  • I’ve been supporting the open source community since 2008, where I helped raise awareness on the benefits of free and open source software and open data through events and workshops to 7,000 NGOs in Ontario. My journey with OpenStreetMap began in 2010 after the Haiti earthquake. My work has since been centered on working together with communities to understand their long term needs and connecting them to long term, strategic partnerships with funders. I’ve been based in the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan to develop methods of community resilience with mapping, open data and cross sector coordination. My work now takes me further into the Pacific region, where I hope to help steward more inclusive and resilient development in the region.