Hi Dirk,
To be honest, I am a bit ambiguous about this. Recently I've seen several cross-border Open Source Geo (and OpenStreetMap) development: people from Holland visiting Belgian events, and people from Leuven, Mechelen and Antwerp crossing the border northbound. I encourage that very much, especially since it distinguishes us from the classical (mainly closed source) community. However, I can also understand the willingness to form a local (bi- or even tri-lingual?) Belgian OSGeo-chapter. I hope you can discuss this in the meeting to be held in Brussels. I might even come over to Brussels. Not especially to persuade you to join us in a Dutch-speaking local chapter ;-) But mainly to discuss how we can co-operate to keep the best of both worlds: a local base, but still the willingness to look across (state-)borders. After all, for that same reason 9 people from Holland took part at the recent German-speaking FOSSGIS-conference in Münster ;-) Keep us through this list informed when the Brussels meeting will be held! Greetings from "above the Moerdijk", Gert-Jan Chair of the dutch(-speaking) local chapter OSGeo.nl -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org] Namens Jeff McKenna Verzonden: dinsdag 17 maart 2015 13:44 Aan: discuss@lists.osgeo.org Onderwerp: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] OSGeo in Belgium Hi Dirk, Wonderful idea, please include me in your updates for this chapter, as I like to follow along the progress. Would this possible chapter be looking at getting involved in something like the "Open Belgium" conference[1], with a geospatial track? [1] http://2015.openbelgium.be/ -jeff On 2015-03-17 6:47 AM, Dirk Frigne wrote: > Dear list, > > Following some contacts I had since FOSDEM 2015, I think there is some > opportunity to start with a local chapter in Belgium. > There is already the .nl (dutch speaking chapter)[1] and the .fr > (french speaking chapter)[2], but a local chapter has other benifits > (bringing OSGeo closer to the local people). > > We want to organize a physical meeting with the local OSGeo people in > Belgium to see if there is enough critical mass and interest to start > with a local chapter. > > I also talked with Pieter Colpaert[3] in cc, active in the open > knowledge foundation in Belgium. As they have already a legal non > profit structure, where also the local chapter of OSM Belgium [4] has > a place, we cooperate with this organisation and become also a working > group under the umbrella of the open knowledge foundation. > > So 2 questions to the community: > > 1. Do you agree with the fact that we investigate how we can join > forces with the open knowledge foundation Belgium to start up the > Belgium chapter of OSGeo > > 2. Who is interested to Join a physical meeting in Brussels to find > out if there is support for a OSGeo Belgium Chapter? > For this second question, you may mail me directly, so we don't over > post this list. > I'll send out a doodle end of the week to the list, but will also > include everybody showing interest. > > thanks in advance for your reaction, > Dirk > > > [1] http://osgeo.nl/ > [2] http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Francophone > [3] http://www.openknowledge.be/ > [4] http://osm.be/ > _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss