Election 2025 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:

Vicky Vergara - Mexico (OSGeo profile)

About me

I haven't changed much from the last times I wrote a manifesto:

• On 2023 I wrote about my hobbies and what I like to do during a FOSS4G.
• On 2021 I wrote about what the 9 year old me thought about where I live and how it has changed.
• On 2019 I wrote about that my laziness make me do and redo things until I figure out how to do them efficient and fast, so the next time I do them I can be lazy.
• On 2017 I wrote about how I arrived to OSGeo

My conclusion re-reading the about me in those manifestos: I like to talk and write.

Some day I would like share with you the autographs I have gathered during the FOSS4G, that is I made people talk and write :-), in all languages, for example, this year I have in Nepali, Bengali, Japanese

This time I will leave my autograph in Spanish here:

Deseo que todo en su vida personal y profesional sea de lo mejor para todos. Vicky

(Translation: I hope that everything in your personal or professional life is the best for you all.)

My vision

Summary if my Vision of OSGeo:

• OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the Flora of the world.
• OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the Fauna of the world.
• OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the Climate of the world.
• OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the People of the world.
• OSGeo Foundation is here to serve the Countries of the world.
• All OSGeo community members are PSC (Propose, Suggest and Comment)

What you have done within the community in the past

Normal life in front of the computer:

• Developing any of the pgRouting software:
  • pgRouting
  • vrpRouting
  • osm2pgrouting
  • pgRouting workshop
• Work on OSGeoLive:
  • Documentation
  • Checking the installed software
• Member of committees:
  • Code of Conduct Committee
  • System Administration Committee
  • Board Member
• Other tasks
  • Google Summer of Code mentor
  • Read and answer mails

What your interests are in terms of the board

• The right to be the best one can be.
• Promote the development and use of Open Source Software.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

Think about why things are not happening.

• Why "[abc] is NOT [xyz] OSGeo".
• Why do some projects do not start incubation?
• Why is there no local OSGeo chapter in X country?
• Why do we have mostly sponsors from North America and Europe?
• Why we only hear (and see) those, who raise their voice and shout out loud. But we miss to reach the silent majority?
• What causes the "inactivity"?
• Are we scalable?
• Why ....

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

Vice president of the Latin America Area

Jeroen Ticheler - The Netherlands (OSGeo profile)

About me

I’m Jeroen Ticheler, director and owner of (GeoCat), founder of (GeoNetwork) and current member of the board of directors of OSGeo.

I’m obsessed with helping organising and publishing (geospatial) data using free and open source software in a sustainable way. I started my career at the United Nations supporting Early Warning Systems with satellite imagery and quickly moved to also support the management of geospatial data.

Now, 25 years onwards, the GeoNetwork software we develop runs at over 85% of national geoportals in Europe (find thousands of harmonized, authoritative datasets (here) ) and is in use at all levels in governments around the world.

A bit more background on me can be found in (my OSGeo profile) and in (the description) for the 2023 elections.

My vision

For the coming two years I want to focus on change in OSGeo. For this I have written (a vision document) that is currently up for comments by the community. My goal is to Get Things Done. More specifically those things described in the vision document that have traction within the community.

What you have done within the community in the past

Besides my involvement as PSC chair in the GeoNetwork opensource project, I have been involved as Charter member from 2006 onwards, served on the OSGeo Marketing and Conference Committees, as well as on the OSGeo Board (2007-2009 and 2023-now).

In the last 10+ years my involvement has also been in the form of a sponsor to OSGeo and FOSS4G (both global, regional and local) and by organising a yearly Code Sprint in Bolsena 2007-2023.

In the run up to the vision document mentioned above, I have taken time to talk face to face with numerous people and the current board membership.

What your interests are in terms of the board

As a member of the board I can help to make OSGeo future proof. This requires several concrete actions and needs our community to step up to the tasks to make that happen. As a community member with a long history, I'm convinced I can bring ideas to the table and move them forward.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

Yes, many. But the main ones would be:

1. Numbered list item to make OSGeo financially solid so it can support its mission: To foster global adoption of open geospatial technology by being an inclusive software foundation devoted to an open philosophy and participatory community driven development.
2. make sure there are new options for paid/supporting membership and for sponsoring that are attractive for both the community, sponsors, OSGeo and FOSS4G conference organisers.
3. make sure there is a European legal entity of OSGeo that can serve its European membership, Local Chapters and the global OSGeo mission.

Furthermore one of the things that absolutely has my attention is responsible entrepreneurship. OSGeo needs to be a well balanced community of people from all parts of society, including volunteers, students and scientists, public servants and businesses.

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

The role of president or vice president.

Marco Bernasocchi, Switzerland (OSGeo profile)

About me

I am an open-source advocate, consultant, teacher, and developer. My background is in geography with a specialization in geographic information science. I live in Switzerland in a small Romansh speaking mountain village where I love scrambling around the mountains to enjoy the feeling of freedom it gives me. I’m a very communicative person, I fluently speak Italian, German, French English, and Spanish and love travelling.

I'm the QGIS.org Chair, serve on the OSGeo board as VP Europe and work as CEO of OPENGIS.ch which I founded in 2011. Since 2014 I share the company ownership with Matthias Kuhn. At OPENGIS.ch LLC we develop, train and consult our client on any aspect related to QGIS, QField, PostGIS and WebGIS technologies.

I first came in contact with the OSGEO world during my BSc when the University of Zurich was teaching us proprietary products and I started looking around for Open Source alternatives and started using QuantumGIS “Simon (0.6)”. In 2008, when starting my MSc, I made the definitive switch to Ubuntu and I started working more and more with QuantumGIS Metis (0.11) and ended developing some plugins and part of Globe as my Masters' thesis.

Since then my whole work has pivoted around QGIS and enabling people and companies to embrace opensource for their GIS needs.

My vision

Serving as a pragmatic community conciliator - collecting thoughts from people with differing opinions and trying to find the high road through difficult issues I want to focus my and the community's energies on being inclusive and forward-thinking.

I see FOSS as a very socially responsible way to develop software, but even more, I see the immense technological advantage that writing open-source code brings. This is why I always strive to allow both pragmatic and ideological views to respectfully coexist and enrich each other.

What you have done within the community in the past

• OSGeo Board member since 2021 (VP Europe)
• QGIS contributor since 2011
• QGIS.org Chair since 2020
• QGIS.org Vice-Chair 2018-2020
• QField (originally QGIS for android) creator
• FOSS4G Session Leader, various FOSS4G Talks and workshops
• Charter Member since 2018
• Google Summer of Code 2012: Mentor
• Google Summer of Code 2011: Student Developer

What your interests are in terms of the board

One of my main motivations to be part of the board is to help OSGeo keep its incredible growth rate by being even more attractive to new community members, sponsors and large/corporate users. To achieve this, to me the key is maintaining the right balance between sustainable processes and helping interesting and motivating grassroots projects.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

As still fairly technical driven person, I like to understand the inner workings of things and projects before commenting on changes :)

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

I am open to any role based on how I could best serve the board.

Matthew Hanson - United States (OSGeo profile)

About me

I’m Matthew Hanson. I first attended FOSS4G in 2011 and have since participated in 10 international FOSS4G and 8 FOSS4G North America conferences. That first FOSS4G changed the course of my career, and made it clear this was the community and work I wanted to be part of.

I work in Earth observation and geospatial software, focusing on cloud‑native architectures, open standards, and open‑source tooling. I’m best known for my work on STAC and related efforts, and for talks and writing aimed at making interoperable geospatial systems more accessible. I currently work at Element 84 at the intersection of open source, commercial Earth observation, and operational systems.

My vision

I see OSGeo as a truly international foundation that brings together open‑source geospatial communities that have, over time, diverged across projects, regions, and domains. OSGeo has a unique role to play in helping these communities reconnect, share practices, and recognize their common ground.

I also believe OSGeo can help welcome people who are already using and contributing to open‑source geospatial software, but do not yet see themselves as part of the OSGeo community. By acting as a neutral, inclusive convening space, OSGeo can strengthen collaboration, elevate shared standards and values, and help the community adapt to a rapidly evolving geospatial ecosystem.

What you have done within the community in the past

My work has focused on standards, interoperability, and community education. I am a core contributor and long‑term advocate for STAC and have served on the STAC Steering Committee since its inception. I am also a member of the editorial board of the Cloud‑Native Geospatial Forum.

I regularly speak at FOSS4G (global and North America) and related events, and write about cloud‑native geospatial systems and open standards. Much of my work bridges open‑source projects, public agencies, and commercial satellite data providers to enable practical adoption and interoperability.

What your interests are in terms of the board

As a board member, I am interested in strengthening OSGeo’s international presence and supporting collaboration across the community. In particular, I want to help bring together open‑source geospatial communities that have grown apart, and help welcome practitioners who are already part of the ecosystem but may not yet identify with OSGeo.

I am also interested in how OSGeo can continue to evolve alongside emerging developer communities and modern software development practices, including the impact of cloud-native development and AI-assisted coding on how open-source projects are built, discovered, and sustained. I see OSGeo as a natural place to convene thoughtful, inclusive conversations around these changes.

Finally, I am interested in strengthening coordination between global and regional FOSS4G conferences, so that regional events and the global conference reinforce each other and contribute to a healthy, connected international community.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

If elected, I would like to help OSGeo strengthen connections across its diverse projects and communities, including those that operate somewhat independently today. I would also like to focus on outreach to practitioners who already rely on open‑source geospatial software but are not yet engaged with OSGeo, and encourage more cross‑project dialogue to reduce fragmentation.

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

As a first‑time board member, my focus would be on contributing, learning, and supporting the existing board and its leadership. I respect the work of current board members and am open to serving in whatever role best supports the board and the broader OSGeo community.

Rajat Shinde - India (Currently, residing in the US) (OSGeo profile)

About me

I’m Rajat Shinde, a computer scientist and GIS practitioner from India, currently based in the United States, working with the NASA Office of Data Science and Informatics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. I hold a Ph.D. in Geographical Information Systems and have worked across academia and industry on geospatial data science, AI, and Earth observation applications.

I first joined the OSGeo community at FOSS4G in 2017. I was elected to the OSGeo Board in 2021 and re-elected in 2023. I focus on bridging communities through collaborations with OGC, IEEE (including IEEE GRSS), and MLCommons, and on strengthening contributor pathways via student programs. I serve as a Project Steering Committee (PSC) member for pgRouting and ZOO-Project, and I have been a long-term Google Summer of Code mentor and organization administrator.

My vision

My vision is to make OSGeo easier to join and easier to stay in, suggesting clear pathways to new members for contributing and growing into long-term community leaders.

I also want to strengthen a progressive, globally representative FOSS4G ecosystem that collaborates with other open-source communities to advance open standards and interoperability. I will continue supporting OSGeo India and GeoBharat to expand participation and sustained contributions in India along with other regional GIS initiatives.

What you have done within the community in the past

• OSGeo Board: Vice President (2023–2025); elected Board member (2021, re-elected 2023)
• FOSS4G-Asia Program Committee 2026
• Standards + collaboration: OSGeo Standards Committee representative at OGC Geo-Huntsville 2023; OSGeo–OGC–ASF joint code sprint participant
• FOSS4G: FOSS4G 2021 session leader; FOSS4G Asia workshop contributor/speaker
• Project governance: PSC member (ZOO-Project, pgRouting)
• Education + outreach: UN OSGeo Education Challenge 2021 mentor (pgRouting track); engaged with UN OpenGIS and UN GeoAI WGs
• OSGeo Initiatives: GSoC student (2017), mentor (2018–present), org admin (2020–present); Google Code-in mentor (2019)
• Community resources: Contributor to the Cloud-native Geospatial Guide
• GeoAI interoperability: Leading projects with other open source communities such as MLCommons and IEEE
• Open source quality: JOSS manuscript reviewer (geospatial/geoscience software)

What your interests are in terms of the board

• To strengthen OSGeo’s external collaborations and long-term sustainability. I want to bring in more partnerships, MoUs, and sponsorships—aligned with OSGeo values—to better support projects, events, and community programs, with a specific focus on expanding relationships across Asia (including India, Japan, Nepal, and other regional hubs).

• Finally, as GIS evolves rapidly (cloud-native, data/AI-driven, reproducibility, and open standards), I want OSGeo to continue serving as the foundation for spreading responsible and trustworthy FOSS4G practices through deeper collaboration with adjacent open-source communities and standards bodies. As OSGeo approaches its 20-year milestone in 2026, this will help in defining a roadmap towards stronger OSGeo family.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

I would like to strengthen on two points-

• Stronger links between regional and global FOSS4G: lightweight coordination and shared practices so regional events gain visibility/support, and global activities reflect regional priorities.
• More joint work with peer communities: expand cross-community collaborations (e.g., OSGeo–OGC joint code sprints and standards-aligned activities) to strengthen interoperable, responsible FOSS4G.

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

I am open to any role deemed fit by the board.

Ariel Anthieni - Argentina (OSGeo profile)

About me

Today is my second time writing this manifesto, to introduce you to the Board, with my two years of learning many, challenges were presented to me, such as language and opportunities to collaborate with the global and regional community.

I started, as a curiosity in 2007 when I started the SDI of the province of Santa Fe in Argentina, where I was born, where everything was new for me, in 2012 with others we founded Geoinquietos, in Buenos Aires, where it became my home, and from then on we said, thanks to the support of the OSGeo community, I organized FOSS4G in Argentina, in 2016 I chaired the FOSS4G Argentina, and participated in the organization of the 2017 and 2019 editions. I was also part of the organization of SOTM Argentina 2017 and SOTM LATAM 2018. In 2018, I was part of the foundation of the Geolibres Association (https://geolibres.org.ar/), which supports the geospatial communities of Argentina (Geolibres Argentina, Openstreetmap Argentina, QGIS Argentina). Our first great challenge was to organize the International FOSS4G 2021 Buenos Aires and then supporting the region and so that free software is increasingly used, accompanying the creation of the local OSGeo chapter in Brazil and the organization of the International FOSS4G 2024 Belém, coordinating the LOC along with the chairs, which marked the integration of OsGeo in other regions of the world. Also over the last few years I had the great opportunity to participate in the International and Regional FOSS4G, as well as Code Sprint and SOTM events.

In Latin America, together with ECLAC, we were able to design, develop and implement Open source solutions for statistical institutes in more than 12 countries, for the construction of SDIs and to generate the technological solution of the SDI Americas for the entire American continent.

Apart from this, I am the CEO of (Kan Territory & IT), where we specialize in creating open source tools for cities, companies, institutions for the integration of geospatial, statistical and alphanumeric data, enhancing their solutions.

He is also actively involved in UN, UNGGIM and the UN Open GIS Initiative.

• • Representation and current positions**
• Chair of the OSGeo UN Committee
• Co-Chair UN Open GIS
• OSGeo representative in the UNGGIM network of Geospatial Societies
• President of Geolibres Argentina
• CEO of Territorio Kan & TI

• • Communities in which I participate**
• IDERA – IDE of Argentina
• UN OPEN GIS
• OSM LATAM
• QGISArgentina
• OSM Argentina
• Geolibres Argentina
• UNGGIM
• OSGeo UN Committee

My vision

My vision is very simple, to be able to achieve the use of open source in every corner of the planet, integrating and growing local communities to be able to achieve greater insertion in people's lives, improving their quality of life. and that it is not a limit on language, technology or knowledge transfer. Also raise awareness for the evolution of a sustainable Foundation over time so that it can continue supporting the projects that are incubated and new projects.

What you have done within the community in the past

• OSGeo representative in the UNGGIM 2022 Geospatial Societies network - current
• President of the OSGeo 2024 UN Committee - current
• Collaborator in the State of the LATAM Map 2025
• VP LATAM of OSGeo 2024
• Member of the OSGeo Board of Directors 2023-2024
• Coordinator of FOSS4G 2024 Belém (International)
• Collaborator in FOSS4G-AR 2017 and 2019
• Chair of FOSS4G-AR 2016
• Coordinator of FOSS4G Buenos Aires 2021 (International)
• Founding Member of Ge@inquietos Argentina
• Founder and current President of Geolibres Argentina
• Responsible for the Local Chapter OSM Argentina and QGIS Argentina
• Member of the SDI of Argentina since 2012

What your interests are in terms of the board

To be able to generate greater insertion of the regions that do not currently participate with the creation of local chapters in the countries that are missing. Achieve the sustainability of the foundation, seeing the possibility of obtaining a sponsor for open source in general, and from different regions. Continue supporting integration with the governments of the UN member countries and that language is not a limitation to integration.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

I would like to introduce more options so that open source developers from regions such as Latin America can easily access it, finish finalizing the local chapter of Colombia and strengthen links with the UN and its member countries through agreements and possible sponsorship. Then continue building with everything that has been achieved year after year to make the foundation increasingly more sustainable.

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

I would like to be Vice President for Latin America, to be able to reach more countries and communities.

Codrina Maria Ilie, Romania (OSGeo profile)

About me

I am still a technical geographer, an open source GIS/RS power user, actively working in developing geospatial data services at (Terrasigna)[1], a Romanian based SME. Apart from extracting knowledge from geospatial and Earth Observation data, in the last years I’ve also been heavily involved in the design, development, implementation and outreach activities of the FOSS4G Observatory https://www.oss4geo.org/, with support from the European Space Agency. I consistently use open source in my day-to-day work, just as I guide my decisions on the values and principles of the open source world.

My vision

The vision outlined in my previous nominations in the board elections has not changed, it has only grown more consistently. OSGeo has forged in the last two decades, under its umbrella, a strong community, with a stable core lead by a transparent governance, a community not only based on professional skills and interests, but also in terms of fundamental guiding values and views upon the world. And in today’s world, increasingly agitated and with strongly alienated communities, the Foundation is a place of stability, of kindness, a place of respectful disagreements, a place of support and growth, professional and personal. My vision is that this bubble must extend as far and wide as possible, because I believe that only with decency and gentleness we can, together, surpass all obstacles, professional or non-professional.

What you have done within the community in the past

In the last 2 years, I have continued to serve the geospatial community as an OSGeo board member, working systematically in consolidating OSGeo's presence within Europe, by representing the Foundation with various occasions, initiated by European organisations, such as the European Commission and the European Space Agency. In my previous mandates, I have actively worked to secure the formalisation of the partnership between OSGeo and the European Space Agency through a Memorandum of Intent and afterwards I have been working to enhance the collaboration between OSGeo and ESA. And I believe this work must be throughly continued. I am also an active member of the Romanian geospatial community - the OSGeo Local Chapter - that I have been part of since 2008 and which I am honoured to serve as vice-president since 2015.

What your interests are in terms of the board

The years that have passed and the experiences and knowledge they brought, only strengthen the idea with which I started in 2019.  OSGeo, through its mission and values, thought its governance model can and should play a leading role in coordinating the progress of the geospatial domain, systematically and institutional-wise. I do plan to continue the work started in 2019, to promote the vision and values of OSGeo as well as its powerful geospatial software solutions within the European institutional and commercial space. But the last years taught me another important aspect. The financial stability of the OSGeo Foundation is a crucial aspect and should be consistently and heavily guarded. In a new mandate, I will invest significant more efforts into the protection and growth of the OSGeo finances, with a keen eye on potential support from European institutions.

Any things that you would like to change or introduce

As in previous years, I trust that engaging young people within the OSGeo community should be a primary focus.

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

I am happy with any role assigned.