Introducing Open - Keynote at AGI South West

Open Standards
Open Source
Open Data
Arnulf Christl
OSGeo Emeritus President

AGI South West 2013

A fuzzy question:
What is Openness?
Lots of FUD
(fear, uncertainty
& doubt)

Let's put some
Order into Chaos
AGI South West 2013 OSGeo - Professional Open Source 2/53

A Geospatial perspective on:
Open Standards
Open Source
Open Data

Arnulf Christl
Geospatial Systems Architect at metaspatial
● Co-founder and Emeritus President of OSGeo
● OGC Architecture Board Member
● OpenStreetMap Advocate
Founder of several companies and initiatives,
provides consulting for SDI and travels a lot.
http://www.metaspatial.net/
This presentation is available for download at http://arnulf.us/Publications

AGI South West 20132013
AGI South West OSGeo - Professional Open Source
OSGeo Professional Open Source 4 / 48
4 / 42

Part I

What are Open Standards?


The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)

• The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is an international
industry consortium
• 481 members (as of March 2013), companies, government
agencies and universities
• Operates under a consensus process to develop publicly
available interface standards.
• OGC Standards support interoperable solutions that "geo-
enable" the Web, wireless & location-based services and
mainstream IT.
• The standards empower producers to make complex spatial
information and services accessible

Slide by courtesy
OGC ®
(c) 2012 Open Geospatial Consortium of Athina Trakas

Reasons for Open Standards

●
Prevents a single, self-interested party from
controlling a standard
„What OGC brings to the
• Lower systems and life table is…everyone has
cycle costs confidence we won’t take
advantage of the format or
• Encourage market competition change it in a way that will
harm anyone”
– Choose based on functionality
desired Michael Weiss-Malik,
– Avoid “lock in” to a proprietary Google KML product
manager
architecture
• Stimulates innovation beyond the standard by
companies that seek to differentiate themselves.
Source: Open Standards, Open Source, and Open Innovation: Harnessing the Benefits of
7
Openness, April 2006. Committee For Economic Development. www.ced.org
© 2012 Open Geospatial Consortium – 7

The OGC Definition of Open

• Freely and publicly available
• Unencumbered by patents and other intellectual property
• Non discriminatory
• No license fees
• Vendor neutral
• Data neutral
• Agreed to in a Consensus Process (by the members)
• No single entity controls the standard

• Open standards are not restricted to Open Source!
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Open_Source_and_Open_Standards

OGC ®
(c) 2012 Open Geospatial Consortium
Slide by courtesy
of Athina Trakas

OGC WMS (Web Map Server)

●
Provide an HTTP interface to access maps
●
GetCapabilities (document with list of maps)
●
GetMap
●
GetFeatureInfo
●
GetLegend
●
Return images in the requested size and
format

http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/wms


OGC WFS (Web Feature Service)

●
Provide an HTTP interface to access data
●
GetCapabilities (document with list of feature types)
●
DescribeFeatureType
●
GetFeature
●
Reads and writes geometry in the standard
format GML (Geography Markup
Language)

http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/wfs


Standards are
like parachutes:
they work best
when they're
open. Mary Mc Rae, OASIS*

Slide by courtesy of * “Minds, like parachutes, function better when open, but, like fists,
11
Athina Trakas they strike harder when closed.”— L.E. Modesitt, Jr., American Author (1943 -- )
Source picture: http://www.all-hd-wallpapers.com/wallpapers/sports/425236.jpg
© 2012 Open Geospatial Consortium – 11

Part II

What is Open Source Software?


Software Development

Problem is identified

Software development team
Solves the problem

Publish Software (or Code)

Software users have new
requirements, find bugs

Code is improved

new version is released


Proprietary Vendors
Proprietary motivation: Make Money

Market analysis

Development team
develops software
beta version release
for beta tester
beta tester reports errors to
development team

development team reproduces the error

development team reports to the
product management
development team solves problem after
OK from pm

Goal: Sell licenses Product launch


Proprietary Vendors
Proprietary motivation: Make Money
Ask questions:
Market analysis When is the software
Development team released?
develops software
beta version release
When is new
for beta tester functionality

Black Box
beta tester reports errors to
development team

development team reproduces the error
implemented?
Who cares if
something breaks?
development team reports to the
product management How many people
development team solves problem after develop software?
OK from pm
What do the other
Goal: Sell licenses Product launch employees do?


Overall Revenue in IT

Less than 7% of revenue in IT is
generated through selling software
usage licenses.

(i.e. by restricting copying)

Read http://arnulf.us/Cadastre for more details


Open Source Business
Primary motivation: Solve Problem
 Publish results

Interaction with Users
 Improve Software
Release often (iterate)


Consulting
 Publish results
Maintain specific distribution
Support Training
Implementation
 Improve Software bug fixing

Service Level
Maintenance Agreement


Consulting
 Publish results
Maintain specific distribution
Support Training
Implementation
 Improve Software bug fixing

Service Level
Maintenance Agreement

No Monopolies & Highly Competitive!

Copying is not Theft
There is a big difference between material theft
and digital copying.
We have difficulties understanding this because
we are material.
But our Mind is not entirely material, therefore we
can understand.

A great 60 second cartoon by Nina Paley:
Copying is not Theft.


Why does it Work?

 Because there is a need for
software
 Because there is a community
 Because we are all connected
(through the Internet)


Part III

What is OSGeo?


Using Open Source?

Yes, …but... anybody can call anything "Open
Source". And Open Source is not magically
better software!
How do we know the software is good?
How do we know the software will
be around tomorrow?
Who will help?


Open Source Geospatial Foundation

http://www.osgeo.org

Your Open Source Compass
...organizes spatial IT


The OSGeo Foundation

 OSGeo is a global not-for-profit
organization founded in February 2006
 Leading voice for Geospatial Open Source
 Structure similar to the Apache
Foundation
 Volunteer based
 Funded by sponsorship
 Does not provide direct end user services!


OSGeo's Mission

Support and promote
the highest quality
Open Source
Geospatial Software


OSGeo's Goals
 Provide resources for Open Source projects:
 Infrastructure
 Legal http://www.osgeo.org
 Financial
 Quality Assurance for Open Source projects
 Promote free and open geospatial data
 Create and maintain a quality brand
 Support Local Chapters: http://www.osgeo.org/uk


OSGeo's Structure
Charter Members vote
Board of 9 Directors
and President Officers
Officers
25 Officers

represent

Committees
Committees
Committees
Committees
Committees
Committees Local
Local
Chapters
Local Foundation
Chapters
Local
Chapters Projects
Local
Chapters
Chapters

145 Charter Members elected by Membership Sponsors


Part IV

Licensing


Free Software Licensing
 Not as in "free beer"
but as in free speech
 You are free to:
 use it anywhere for any purpose
 understand and improve it
 adjust it to suit your needs
 collaborate with anybody else


Free Software is a legal
licensing model (a vaccine) to
protect the user's interest.
Proprietary licenses only
protects the vendor's interest.
Nota bene:
"Commercial Software" is a
misnomer because Open
Source is used commercially
everywhere.


FOSS Licenses
 Clear BSD License
 GNU General Public License (GPL), Version 3
 GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), Version 3
 Apache License, Version 2.0
 Modified BSD license
 FreeBSD license
 Mozilla Public License (MPL) version 2.0
 XFree86 1.1 License
 etc.
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#SoftwareLicenses


 Not as in "free beer"

!
but as in free speech
 You are free to:
d
use it anywhere for ee purpose


n t it
any

rayour needs
 understand and improve

u awith anybody else
adjust it to suit

G
collaborate


Proprietary Licenses
 You are not allowed to copy
 You are not allowed to modify
 You are not allowed to give away
 You are not allowed to improve
 You are not allowed to install
 You are not allowed to share

 You are not allowed to...

...another cartoon by Nina Paley: Terms of Services!


Data Licensing

A) If exclusive data ownership is a commercial
advantage then licenses will be
proprietary
B) If the broadest possible usage of the data
maximises the RoI then licenses will be
Open.


Part V

What is Open Data?


Example 1

OpenStreetMap is
a community project to
create a free editable
map of the
world
http://OpenStreetMap.org


How does it Work?

Maps are created using data from
 portable satellite navigation devices
(aka GPS)
 aerial photography
 other free sources
 local knowledge


Why does it Work?

free map data
 Because there is a community
 Because we are all connected
(through the Internet)

(a lot of experience comes from the Open Source movement)


Example 2

Ordnance Survey is the National Mapping
Agency and has the mission to
comprehensively and
accurately map
Great Britain

1791 1 April 2010
The French threaten to invade Open Data arrives at OS


How does it Work?

Map data is created by surveyors
 using devices (aka GPS)
 aerial photography
 other sources
 local knowledge


Why does it Work?

authoritative map data
 Because the government funds it


Who owns the Data?


Part V

How to License Geospatial Data?


How is OSM licensed?
Since the beginning of the project
 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
Then over three years a major change was initiated which
lead to a completely new license:
Since April 1st 2012:
 Open Database License (OBbL)
st
The data which was committed until 2012 March 31 is still,
and will forever be available under the CC license.
http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/


ODbL


OBbL – Rights (human readable version)

http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/summary/


OBbL – Duties (human readable version)


Ordnance Survey

… since 1999 Ordnance Survey has been required
to act as a Trading Fund or commercial entity. This
means that it is supposed to be totally self-funding
from the commercial sale of its data and derived
products - whilst at the same time it is supposed to
be the public supplier of geographical information.

Wow, this ain't not gonna work now, will it?
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Data_in_the_United_Kingdom


OS OpenData License
The OS OpenData license allows you to:
 copy, distribute and transmit the data;
 adapt the data; and
 exploit the data commercially, whether by sub-
licensing it, combining it with other data, or
including it in your own product or application.

Incorporates the UK Open Government License.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/opendata/licensing.html


The Geospatial Data
Schizophrenia
Private businesses
Value (Return
on Investment)
Effort & Cost
(Investment)
Public Authority


Who reaps the profits?


Summary
 Standards must be open
 Software can be open
 With high protection (GNU GPL)
 With less protection (Clear BSD)
 Proprietary licenses are designed to protect the
interest of the vendor (only)
 Data should be open, if it is for the public good

And there will always by reasons to keep things proprietary...


Thank you for
your Attention!

The annual Conference on
Free and Open Source Software
for Geospatial

With friendly support by:

Copyright: Arnulf Christl, metaspatial. This
http://www.metaspatial.net slide set is copyrighted to the commons


INSPIRE (and PSI)
 How is the data released through INSPIRE
licensed?
Open questions:
 What is the meaning of
Public Sector Information (PSI)?
 How can geospatial PSI be used?
 What license can the public administration use?
 What does "Commercial Use" mean?
 What is the way forward for INSPIRE?


References
 OSGeo Foundation website: http://www.osgeo.org
 Wiki: http://wiki.osgeo.org
 Open Source: http://producingoss.org by Karl Fogel
 OpenStreetMap: http://www.openstreetmap.org/
 A note on Copyright: http://arnulf.us/Seven:Copyrights
 The ODbL http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/
 OSM Dispute: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Open_Data_License/Why_You_Should_Decline
 Lawyer talk: http://www.ifross.org/ifross_html/home2_2009.html

This presentation is available for download at http://arnulf.us/Publications


Introducing Open - Keynote at AGI South West

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