This is a presentation that I gave at the Spatial@gov conference in Canberra in November, 2012.

1. GAIA RESOURCES
Open for Business
Piers Higgs
Gaia Resources
Presented at Spatial@gov Conference, Canberra, 22nd November, 2012

2. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Some context
• You have to deliver the right solution to your client
• There are no technological issues, it’s about
people, politics and power
• The spatial industry is at a critical stage, other
industries are beating us at our own game
• We need every advantage we can get to get back
on the board

3. OPEN FOR BUSINESS

4. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Science
Open Source
Open
Data

5. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Source
Software Hardware Cola
“open source is a philosophy, or pragmatic methodology
that promotes free redistribution and access to an end
product's design and implementation details”

6. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Source

7. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Source
• Quantum GIS started in 2002,
currently version 1.80
• Desktop GIS package
with rich functionality
• Gaia Resources has deployed
it as a desktop GIS across
several organisations and
developed custom plugins

8. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Source
• OpenLayers 2.0 was
released 6 years ago,
currently 2.1.2
• Well managed,
well documented and
supported by a range
of institutions
• Used in many web sites, at Gaia Resources we use it
in our own Biological Data Recording System

9. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Source
• Biological Data Recording
System started 2010
• Initial funding from
the Atlas of Living
Australia, then open
sourced
• Continue development with commercial contracts

10. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
What is the Open Data business Proposition?
Open Source
• It is a threat to existing “sell software” models
• It is a “sell services” opportunity
• Still need to have a business model – especially for
management of the open source software

11. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
What is our Open Source experience?
• We use it and we produce it
• Open source participation can be very rewarding
for individuals, and leads to skills that can deliver the
first point
• Open source management
isn’t the easiest thing to do…
• What to do with data…?

12. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Data

13. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Data
• It’s not a new thing… nor an isolated thing…

14. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
What is the Open Data business Proposition?
Open
Data
• It is a threat to existing “sell data” models
• It is also potentially a “sell services” opportunity
• Still need to have a business model – especially for
maintenance

15. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
What’s our Open Data experience?
• Use open data,
such as from the
Atlas of Living
Australia
• Generate open data
from various projects,
including our own
• But how do you share
that data?

16. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Standards

17. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Geospatial Standards
• We’ve likely all
used OGC
standards
at some point
without knowing
about it…

18. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Biodiversity Standards
• You’ve likely never used a TDWG
standard…

19. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
What’s the Open Standards business proposition?
• Saving Money
• Saving Time
• Sharing Broadly
• Mobilizing Quickly
• Saving Lives and Assets
• Meeting Mission Needs
• You can do things you couldn’t do before…

20. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
What’s our Open Standards experience?
Web Services
Mobile Apps
BDRS Server
Exporting
Bulk Data Loading

21. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Science…

22. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Science…

23. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
What’s our Open Science experience?
• Fast development and
deployment in a sprint
format
• Now working on developing low cost, generic
platforms and sensors
• Backing this with server based calibration
• Not possible without open source, open data and
open standards

24. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Open Science
Open Source
Open
Data

25. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Take home these things…
• Open source can deliver a competitive advantage
both to solution providers and clients, it’s about
services
• Open data is both a threat to traditional models and
an opportunity to move to new services based
business models
• Open standards make a lot of things possible that
we can’t yet imagine
• Open can make good business sense

26. OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Questions?
• Ask away, or drop me a line…
Piers Higgs
piers@gaiaresources.com.au
piers_higgs on Skype and Twitter
Mobile +61 411754006
Phone +61 8 92277309