AC1: Arnulf Christl

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikimania05/Workshop-AC1 Title: Summarizing Activities around Open Geospatial Data projects (ID AC1)

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Author[s]: Arnulf Christl.

  • Contact: arnulf.christl@ccgis.de [OTRS]
  • Contacted by: no one
  • (From: Germany | available days: )
Abstract

Hi, my name is Arnulf Christl, i work in the area of geographic information systems for more thean ten years. In 1998 i founded CCGIS, a small company specialized in providing GIS technology. In the past years we have grown to 10 members of staff. Since 2001 Peter Stamm and i hold 50% shares each an manage company and responsibilites together. The technical focus has shifted to providing and making use of web based geospatial data architectures. Since 2002 we switched to using Free and Open Source Software exclusively. In 2003 we (four small enterprises) founded the Geo-Consortium to reach a broader public, diversify curricula and organize Free Software user meetings in Germny.

I consider myself to be a versed but critical Free Software advocate and have developed great interest in Wiki style collaboration and community processes. All the same i am a typical latecomer having found out thoroughly about Wiki concepts only last year. To make up for being late i am active in promoting Wiki-style collaboration bringing these concepts into the more specialized corners of Free Software GIS technology.

As i have proposed in the wikimania-planning-l@Wikipedia.org mailing list i would like to present existing collaborative geo data projects and propose a way to make use of them from within Wikipedia. We reach large communities of GIS Software users and developers appearing at fairs, conferences and trying to take influence on European policies regarding geopspatial data dissemination.

Title: Summarizing Activities around Open Geospatial Data projects

Contents: This presentation/workshop/discussion (choose what you deem best) will provide summary information of the ongoing development in the realm of collaborative Open geospatial data projects.

Abstract: Web technology has fostered development of Free Software in many areas, one of them regarding Geographic Information Systems. Traditional GIS has evolved into web based (Geo)Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI or GDI). These service architectures provide an ideal platform for collaborative geospatial data collection and creation - something that has been missing in Wikipedia for a long time. Currently there are at least two core areas of interest: 1. Wiki style creation of geospatial data, summary of projects under way 2. Making use of and link into (Open) geospatial data projects (as source data and backdrop maps) The first point focuses on the data and software which is being created and developed by *Open* and collaborative projects outside of Wikipedia and how to make use of or integrate them. The second point gives an overview of other existing geospatial data pools and projects around the world and possibilities of how to tap into them. Geospatial data can be very heavy on hard- and software in terms of processing time, amounts of storage and cost of creation (e.g. satellite images). Although this will be a very large and controversil issue, ways have to be found on how to integrate and cooperate with these data providers regarding copyrights and policies. This presentation will probably (for lack of time) only be able to focus on the technological aspects which are s fairly easily manageable using existing Open standards and Free technology.

By summer the Geo-Consortium will have an Open and Free portal interface for collaborative geospatial data management up and running. Some first impressions can be found on the Mapbender Free Software hompage: http://www.mapbender.org

It might be interesting for people to play around with maps hands-on during the Wikimania conference. We could rig up a booth with several notebooks, desktop PCs, beamer and printer so that people can actually do something.

Feel free to contact me for further information and whether a booth might be interesting to you. Please observe that i am currently on travel a lot and might answer with a delay of a few days. If you need information in a hurry send the question to Athina Trakas directly or get me on the mobile (Athina will give you the number on request).

Best regards, Arnulf.

About the author[s]:


Status information in the templates is not up to date. Please see Internal:Speakers/Categories for final status information.

  • accept: PD, EM (this is practical enough to be interesting), SJ (good workshop)
  • reject: AB (reject for presentation - should be a workshop only)
  • status: