Hello marketing -
I am preparing some materials related to #torchGeo .. stumbled upon some Estonia info.. also all things Open Source.
In one US Federal github repo, I see references to the Open Source Initiative https://opensource.org
They assert
* The OSI is the authority that defines Open Source, recognized globally by individuals, companies, and by public institutions.
https://opensource.org/programs/ "Learn more"
* OSI is the leading voice on the policies and principles of open source
* We support institutions and individuals working together to create communities of practice in which the healthy open source ecosystem thrives.
At least there is "synergy" with #osgeo goals and OSI efforts !
Q. What strategy does #osgeo have for collaboration with OSI ? what about public #osgeo statements about OSI ?
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Secondly, the #torchgeo project is part of a new geoAI ecosystem. geoAI topics are getting a lot of attention at many levels. Here is a link to an OSI page about AI Models
https://opensource.org/blog/open-source-ai-definition-on-the-road-looking-back-and-forward
#osgeo will have a "geoAI" project with #torchGeo .. I am preparing some documents to share for an event in Washington DC on May 16, in coordination with Microsoft AI for Good project, the Remote Sensing and Information Science Department at Delft University NL, and the Data Science in Earth Observation group, Technical University of Munich.
#torchGeo is a benchmarking framework, not an end-user application itself. #osgeo could promote geoAI via this #torchGeo project. Please be advised that many contributors in geoAI work directly or indirectly with non-civilian partners. So the language of any #osgeo promotion would have to be simple and clearly civilian, in my opinion.
Finally, as I wrote to Jeroen Ticheler recently.. I believe that the population around Tartu, Estonia are under economic pressures with relatively low access to local jobs. Therefore asking for volunteer participants is not very helpful for many attendees, although the spirit of community is bright. Estonia has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the United Nations Economic Council to build and improve community housing in Estonia, including Tartu. I believe that uniform services recruiters will be present at the FOSS4G show, offering job applications for geospatial skilled people, for non-civilian purposes. Personally I would like to see the promotion of civilian jobs and career paths, but I do not have a simple alternative proposal for that. geoAI may impact the jobs of a small number of specialists as analysis is automated. There is an overwhelming amount of remote sensing data coming in daily, with more on the way. Automation of geospatial analysis using cloud frameworks is inevitable.
Summary:
#osgeo will be very visible at FOSS4G Estonia in Tartu
many civilians in Estonia and other places need paid income, usually jobs
geoAI is getting a lot of attention for real reasons, and some hype reasons.. #osgeo will have a geoAI project with #torchGeo. #torchGeo does not create jobs for typical skilled users, however.. #torchgeo is a framework for science engineering advancement of geoAI models.
uniform services recruiters will probably be present at FOSS4G offering jobs, which is not fully aligned with a peaceful advancement of science in my opinion. There are worse outcomes that are possible in the short term in the Baltic area involving uniform services.
Oil and gas industry will be present at FOSS4G but maybe not publicly. There is a lot of behind the scenes activity related to oil and gas commerce at this time, more than ever perhaps, including in the Baltic area.
FOSS4G Tartu has potential, and these notes are an attempt at maximizing the outreach and onboarding for #osgeo participants.
best regards from Berkeley \-\-Brian M Hamlin MAPLABS / OSGeoLive PSC