This is a draft page and does not represent regular OSGeo policy. Once stabilized it will be proposed for approval by the Board.

Introduction

There are many more opportunities to make high level representation of OSGeo at events around the world than can be done by a colunteer board of directors and limited number of officers. Additionally the need for people authorized to act on behalf of OSGeo is growing, for example to communicate with other organizations. To be able to better address these needs the Board suggests to create the OSGeo Ambassador role. OSGeo Ambassadors officially represent OSGeo at events, help to coordinate associations with other organizations and helps to stand up Memoranda of Understanding. In return OSGeo can provide limited resources to reimburse travel and accommodation costs.

Needs

Copied from a mail sent by Cameron Shorter to Discuss

Conference organisors, who have a primary goal of attracting attendees, look for authoritative figureheads to talk at conferences. They are expected to have a deep insight into a specific domain, such as OSGeo. They should also speak well, even better if they are entertaining.
OSGeo is a sexy topic has many conferences, and there are hundreds, if not thousands of conferences around the world which would like to see an OSGeo presence.
OSGeo is fortunate to draw membership from around the world, including boasting a number of very healthy local chapters. As such, we are likely to have potential ambassadors in most counties. (We might be a bit short in Antarctica)
There are times when negotiating MOUs or similar with other countries, it would be useful to have someone local speak with authority on behalf of OSGeo.
Note that there are conflicting interests here of wanting to open up the role for anyone who volunteers, versus maintaining a selectiveness and prestige for the role which is the key selection criteria for conferences asking for an ambassador.

Process

Who is eligible to become an OSGeo Ambassador and how to apply.

TBD

Other Resources

Links to other organizations running a simliar process.

http://www.ogcnetwork.net/node/1585

OSGeo Ambassador categories

Ambassadors are people who have volunteered to talk on behalf of the OSGeo foundation.Ambassadors are listed under the following headings, which is indicative of their experience within OSGeo communities:

OSGeo Board Members
Ex OSGeo Board Members: These are the elite of the OSGeo community. We only have 8 active board members in the world, which have been peer selected based upon their outstanding leadership in the greater OSGeo community.

OSGeo Charter Members: Charter membership is obtained through a strongly contested selective process. Members tend to be developers and leaders in one or more OSGeo projects, and/or OSGeo business leaders, and have a deep understanding in many of the OSGeo projects and principles of Open Source.

Voted position in an OSGeo community: These people hold a position of responsibility within one of the OSGeo sub-communities. This may be a chair of an OSGeo Regional Chapter, or as a member of a project's Project Steering Committee.

OSGeo Community Members: These people are actively involved in one or more OSGeo communities, acting as a developer, user or supporter of OSGeo software.

Ambassadors are people who have volunteered to talk on behalf of the OSGeo foundation.Ambassadors are listed under the following headings, which is indicative of their experience within OSGeo communities:

OSGeo Ambassadors