Board Meeting 2020-07-29

This board meeting is scheduled Wednesday 29 July 2020 at 16:00 UTC through Jitsi, a record of motions is preserved on loomio and actions on osgeo todo issue tracker.

Agenda

Current items

1. roll call
   • appoint meeting chair, meeting scribe/secretary
2. Feedback from FOSS4GUK 2020 [1]
3. Feedback from FOSS4G Calgary 2020 LOC [2]
4. Discussion on content for Call for Proposals for FOSS4G 2022

Minutes

• Presiding: Angelos
• Scribing: Astrid
• Attending: Tom, Angelos, Codrina, Astrid, Helena, Vicky
• Guests: Malena Libman, John Neufeld, Steven Feldman, Eli Adam, Luca Delucchi

Feedback FOSS4G UK / FOSS4G 2020

• Definitely possible to do an online international event.
• Is there going to be an international event again?
• Are people willing to travel in the next few years?
• Local events can happen along with an international event
• FOSS4G is a huge event and needs lot of time to organize
• Providing a person from OSGeo that continuously assists FOSS4G f.e. Sponsors / something like an ambassador / helps with sponsors
• Idea to hire someone to organize the FOSS4G for some years
• How will we go on on 2021 and 2022?

FOSS4G 2021 Argentina

• Report from Malena
• At the moment they have the plan for the face-to-face conference with maybe 800 people
• At the moment it would would cost the same to cancel now or in march
• They have a backup plan and could decide to plan an online conference
• 2021 would like to start soon with the sponsorship program and selling of tickets
• Break even is only possible due to sponsorship not from the tickets
• 2021 LOC needs to have an agreement with OSGeo about potential losses.
• Board should be clear what OSGeo can offer the LOC for 2021 and in the future
• 2021 will go on forward either face-to-face or with an online event
• Codrina: suggestion to plan the virtual event now
• Network connection is not good in Argentinia - con for a hybrid event
• Maria: optimistic that a vaccine could be there in 2021
• What factors for february 2021 to decide
  • Cancelling is not considered
  • In person or online depending on a vaccine / on save travelling
• Regularly meeting with LOC
• Not enough board members at this meeting so no motion
• 2021 will take place either f2f or remote
• If remote, the losses should get covered with the tickets/sponsors for the online events
• When decision in march 2021 maybe better negotiation with the event owner for a cheaper price
• Several persons mentioned that it is not realistic to have a f2f meeting next year, looḱs like the pandemic will still be there
• John on chat:
  • Air Travel Forecast from the International Air Transport Association https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2020-07-28-02/ Global passenger traffic (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) will not return to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2024, a year later than previously projected. The recovery in short haul travel is still expected to happen faster than for long haul travel. Recovery to pre-COVID-19 levels, however, will also slide by a year from 2022 to 2023. For 2020, global passenger numbers (enplanements) are expected to decline by 55% compared to 2019, worsened from the April forecast of 46%

FOSS4G topics for the Board

• Request by StevenF: Board should make a decision how FOSS4G can be run in the next years.
• OSGeo has not the money to backup huge losses like in Calgary or even higher every year. Board decision to provide a healthy OSGeo for the future
• Sponsoring
  • https://www.northstarmeetingsgroup.com/Planning-Tips-and-Trends/Event-Planning/Event-Sponsorships/Fresh-Sponsorship-Ideas-for-Virtual-Events
• Idea Steven: Sponsoring should get collected by OSGeo with the opportunity to get visibility at FOSS4Gs
• OSGeo should hold the brand FOSS4G (suggestion of Steven Feldman)
• What is the meaning of the conference committee?

FOSS4G 2022

• Luca: italian team would like to apply
• They are planning already
• Idea to Join all the geospatial conferences (QGIS, GeoNode, Geochicas, OSM …) - organize altogether
• F2f or online
• Improvements from OSGeo are needed
• No clear idea about the budget
• Venue with food and video, maybe negotiate the price
• University was already asked for code sprint, workshops
• If OSGeo would decide do make 2022 only online, Italian team could apply for 2023 or 2024