Election 2021 Candidate Manifestos

A space for the candidates for election to the Board to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo, what they would like to change, improve or introduce and what role they would like to play on the board.

You are welcome to follow the template, and add further relevant info as you need:

Adam Steer - Australian in Norway (OSGeo profile)

About me

At work I am a polar researcher based in Tromsø, northern Norway - the latest iteration of a 'mosaic career' spanning research, research support, independent consulting, guiding, fixing bicycles and more! My geospatial training was in surveying and geomatics, applied to the frozen ocean at both ends of our planet using airborne and on-ground measurements. I also have a BSc in psychology and a multidisciplinary bachelor of Antarctic Studies. I've used open geospatial tools across research, business, and just making maps for fun. As part of my open geospatial software life I have worked hard to generate a culture of giving back, for example if we build a business tool based on open software, improvments are shared with the community (rather than branched into 'business specific' tools).

At home I am an adventurer at heart and parent to two boys. In general I would like to spend a lot more time getting lost in the mountains!

My vision

I want to help maintain a community which goes out of its way to let people in, and try to help members of the community become and stay engaged. More or less ask 'how can we help?' - and more importantly, 'how can we help without becoming just another overhead in your life?'. We live in interesting times and face a lot of challenges which we can't really predict well or prepare for. So my vision is to help this community in uncertain times, maybe think more about sustainability than growth.

What you have done within the community in the past

• FOSS4G international attendee / speaker / workshop presenter in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
• part of the team which restarted FOSS4G conferences in 2018 with FOSS4G SotM Oceania
• part of the team founding OSGeo Oceania, founding director and member
• elected director of OSGeo Oceania
• small contributions to PDAL, OpenDroneMap
• advocate for open source tools and open mindsets in research, business and government
• charter member of OSGeo since 2018

What your interests are in terms of the board

In line with my vision - work to maintain a community which goes out of their way to let people in, and work on ways to help the community stay sustainable in terms of volunteer effort, financial support, and its environmental and ethical viewpoints.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

I want to get a better sense of OSGeo overall before suggesting changes. I would like to keep guiding OSGeo along paths toward inclusivity and environmental responsibility, but that isn't really new - there is plenty of precedent there.

What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any)

I feel at this point being an ordinary board member is the best fit. I have a lot to learn!

Vicky Vergara, Mexico (OSGeo profile)

About me

I haven't changed much from the last times I wrote a manifesto (2019) (2017)

I remember the time in 5th grade that I was in Cleveland, Ohio. But around a month after me arriving we were asked to make an essay of were we lived, And here is what is what I remember of it.

I live at a house.
A house is on a road. I live in that road.
A house is on a road on a city, I live on that city.
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality, I live on that municipality.
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state, I live on that state.
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country, I live on that country.
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent, I live on that continent.
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent on a world, I live on that world.
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent on a world on a solar system, I live on that solar system.
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent on a world on a solar system on a galaxy, I live on that galaxy.
A house is on a road on a city on a municipality on a state on a country on a continent on a world on a solar system on a galaxy on the universe, I live on that universe.

The only change from the 9 year old me and the now me is, I would only add at the end of each sentence "and I like to take care of it"

My vision

So this time I decided to transcribe a poem from Fernando Pessoa, "A Little Larger Than the Entire Universe: Selected Poems". I think it shows my vision.

"VII
From my village I see as much of the universe as can be seen
from the earth,
And so my village is as large as any town,
For I am the size of what I see
And not the size of my height . . .

In the cities life is smaller
Than here in my house on top of this hill.
The big buildings of cities lock up the view,
They hide the horizon, pulling our gaze far away from the
open sky.
They make us small, for they take away all the vastness our
eyes can see,
And they make us poor, for our only wealth is seeing."

What you have done within the community in the past

I am still on pgRouting and OSGeoLive, but now I am also on MobilityDB. I am still at the System administration committee (SAC) mainly taking care of mails and the website. I haven't stopped been a mentor on OSGeo-GSoc program but recently I also participated on the UN-challenge as a mentor. I started to attend the monthly UN-GIS meetings.

What your interests are in terms of the board

1. In general: promote the use and development of Free and Open Source Software
2. In particular: promote the use and development of the OSGeo projects, OSGeo incubation and OSGeo community Free Open Source Software.
3. In detail: Give people (GIS) tools for making a living.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

As a member of the board, the first thing is not what I want to change or introduce, is what the community wants. I feel that our task is to listen to ideas, objectives, reasons and make things happen.

What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any)

I would like to remain as the vice-president in the Latin America Area.

Tina Cormier, United States (OSGeo profile)

About me

I am a remote sensing data scientist with over 15 years in the industry. I have dedicated my career to using EO and AI to advance our collective understanding of and facilitate decision-making on impactful environmental and societal issues. Open source software is central to the work that I do, and as a small token of my gratitude, I take every opportunity I can to evangelize open source software, data, standards, and science. Sharing my open source experience has always been a part of my work; I have taught workshops in countries all over the world, from Peru to Nepal, as well as in my home country, the USA. Workshop topics have ranged from programming in R and using QGIS, to processing lidar with open source tools.

I was first introduced to open source while working at the Woods Hole Research Center (now the Woodwell Climate Research Center) and shortly after that, I attended my first FOSS4GNA conference - the rest is history! My favorite FOSS4G was Boston, where I gave 4 talks and taught a workshop - tiring, but so worth it!

If elected, I look forward to giving back to the community upon whose shoulders I have built my career. I would continue to promote open source, but through more official channels, and I would support the foundation however else I could. I am also excited to reach out to my networks in both the private and non-profit sectors to garner support (financial and code contributions) for OSGeo and the important work it does.

Open Source favorites (OSGeo projects and beyond): QGIS, Postgres/PostGIS, R (my first language!), Python

On the personal side: I am originally from Massachusetts and now live in Midcoast Maine where my husband and I are building a small farm. We have bees, horses, dogs, and cats, and each spring we tap our maple trees for syrup - these critters and activities provide a nice contrast to our busy work lives in tech.

My vision

My vision is that OSGeo remains a strong, important, inclusive, and reliable player in the tech space, providing FOSS4G users and developers with information, support, opportunity, and community.

What you have done within the community in the past

• FOSS4G 2021 Argentina Local Organizing Committee Volunteer - general call for papers team
• OSGeo Charter Member since 2017
• Speaker and Workshop Instructor at multiple FOSS4G conferences
• Active in OSGeo US - most recently, was a member of the US Chapter leadership conference steering committee
• Active FOSS evangelist and communicator even outside of FOSS4G conferences - frequent talks at other conferences and to various groups (e.g., Harvard Center for Geographic Analysis, University of Maryland Geographical Sciences Seminar, Maptime Cape Cod, Maptime Maine, RStudio etc.)

What your interests are in terms of the board

My interest in joining the OSGeo board is mainly to serve as a voice for the free and open source community. As a user of open source software and tools, I don’t typically contribute code, but what I can do is foster awareness, adoption, and participation within the geospatial community. I would also serve as a voice of the user within the board, bringing the perspective of the typical user successes and challenges.

I can be most impactful within the private and non-profit sectors, where I have years of experience and professional networks. There are a few other areas where I’d be excited to contribute as well: educational initiatives, partnerships with other open source software projects, and bringing FOSS to under-served communities.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

If elected, I’d like to spend my first few months getting acquainted with the board and understanding the Foundation on a deeper level before proposing any changes. One area where I’d like to help, though, is in continuing to expand upon the good work happening between OSGeo and other open source projects - we are all on the same team and are stronger together.

What role you would wish to fulfill on the board (if any)

I would be open to discussing how my skills might be best put to use to help the board.