For those that didn’t know it – FOSS4GNA came to Raleigh NC in 2016. Part of the thought was “Community Building”. So to help that along – I joined forces with some good people and put on a meeting in Knoxville.
It was quite the affair. We had between 36 and 42 people attend. We had 10 presentations. Which – you might be going “That’s not that big”. It wasn’t. This was put on with minimal effort and minimal advertising. It was huge because everyone that came wanted to be there. People wanted to speak. We had people from Alabama, North Carolina, and two people from Florida. We had a majority of attendees from TN.
How much can you do with NAIP and QGIS? A lot. So much so I’m a bit embarrassed by how much I didn’t know.
Ever Processed LIDAR data in SAGA? We did. The state of TN had a LIDAR meeting the day before – Oh how I wished they had seen these talks.
Running a small business is hard. Maybe it shouldn’t be – but for me it is. I enjoy getting out. I enjoy like minded individuals. So that’s why this community is so important to me. I need people to talk to – so I’m making an attempt to push the envelope in that area. I dont’ want to join a board. It’s not an us vs them thing. I could care less if you’re using ESRI Software – but I’d like for you to have a few extra tools in your toolbox though. I’d like for you to join in the discussion and talk to a developer. Talk to other users. Introduce people to other people. Learn something – and it doesn’t have to come at the expense of an online class or a book. It’s just conversation – but it’s oh so important.
To wrap this up: Sponsors for the event.
- UTK went above and beyond thanks to Mike Meyers and Michael Camponovo. They provided a space.
- Julian Burke from Chatsworth Water Works Commision donated and his donation paid for parking.
- Thea Aldrich with the Eclipse Foundation donated and covered lunch
- NRGS chipped in a few dollars and some sweat.
Another event? There’s another coming to Knoxville in 2018. There is a strong possibility you might see a FOSS4G flag planted in Savannah soon. Keep watch – it’s about to get fun.
You can’t start a revolution sitting back and hoping someone does something. Hope isn’t a strategy.
