Volume 11: OSGeo Italian Chapter Annual Report Item

Introduction

The OSGeo Italian Chapter was founded in 2007, and currently has around 90 members and 9 OSGeo Charter Members.

The chapter is carrying out activities related to free and open source software and about open data. In particular, the chapter supports the release of geodata from public agencies under a suitable open data license.

Key Accomplishments

The chapter carried out a number of community events in 2011. These events have been a great opportunity for discussion on new advances in open source geospatial software and on national geospatial solutions. They also provided networking opportunities for developers, researchers and users.

Events

Eighth Meeting “degli Utenti Italiani di GRASS”: This was a three (3) day conference targeted to researchers and developers on the field of open source GIS, especially GRASS GIS. The event took place in Trento University and included, as usual, both workshops and presentations.

GFOSS DAY 2011: This was a two (2) day conference, targeted mainly to professionals of the public and private sector. The event was held in Foggia. In the morning on the first day, workshops were held on several open source geospatial software packages. Workshops were carried out using the OSGeo Live environment, and a brief explanation about the OSGeo Live project was given to those in attendance.

Open Data and Document Study Day: On April 13th, 2011 in Bologna, the chapter organized a Study Day (Giornata di Studio) on geospatial open data. The participants included the chapter, Emilia-Romagna Region and CSI Piemonte. They produced a set of guidelines related to geospatial open data ready for application in the Italian context. The definitions in the guidelines were borrowed from Open Knowledge Foundation’s Open Definition. The aim of the guidelines is to encourage the creation of services based on open data from public administrations. The guidelines recommend the usage of internationally recognized licenses, open formats, and raw data access.

OSMit2011: The annual OpenStreetMap Italian conference was sponsored by the chapter and two (2) chapter members were the organizers of the conference.

Member Activities

Chapter members collected donations for several open source geospatial software packages, as well as for GRASS GIS and QuantumGIS code sprints. Its members also participated in these code sprints. Chapter members are also active in other fields and associations, such as archaeology, ecology, public administration, and local Linux User Groups. These activities allow the chapter to increase the discussion and adoption of open source geospatial software outside the relatively small circle of GIS specialists.

Opportunities to Help

The chapter manages translation efforts on various FOSS software packages, including the OSGeo-Live DVD, and is a hub for packagers for various Linux distributions. Volunteers to assist with translating and packaging work are always welcome!

The GFOSS.it wiki is open to contributions and collects useful information about Italian geospatial data, as well as tips for software installation and configuration.

Outlook for 2012

The Thirteenth GRASS and GFOSS Meeting will be held on Trieste on February 15 to17, 2012.

At the annual meeting, chapter associates will elect the new Board of Directors and Chairman to be in charge during 2012-2013 term.

A qualified chapter representative will attend the Italian annual Conference of Free Software on Ancona, June 22 to 23, 2012.

The chapter plans to sponsor and attend the SmartCities event in Bologna on July 6, 2012.

The next GFOSS Day will be in Turin on November 14 to 17, 2012. For the first time this event will include the annual Open Street Map Italian conference (OSMit), thus signifying a strong integration between the OSM and open source geospatial communities.