Re: [OSGeo-Board] Bylaws posted

Posted by Daniel on Feb 28, 2006; 3:44pm
URL: http://civicaccess.416.s1.nabble.com/Re-OSGeo-Board-Bylaws-posted-tp309.html

Hello,

I'm sorry for cross-posting, but in this way, I'm at least sure to reach
everybody ;-)

Unfortunately, I'm overbooked theses times, but existing summaries of
the PGL "why and how" could be found on http://sig.cwriter.org/index.php 
(mainly in french, but with an english translation of the license).

You can also find many interesting stuff in the PGL-Canada site:
http://cemml.carleton.ca:8080/OGUG/pgl (the OGUG set up an english
website for collaborative work upon PGL: contributing is still in my
huge to-do list ;-) )

Hope that will help.


Discussion about the license itself:

The main ideas when writing the PGL (Public Geodata License) was to:
1) reproduce the success of free software with free geodata. So we
choose to adapt a GPL-like license.
2) take care of the specificity of geodata, by specific obligations upon
metadata and traçability. To make this easy, the PGL doesn't define
metadata and traçability formats: it just make them mandatories.

Some other licenses could be used for geodata (creative commons, ...),
but none of them really take care of the importance of traçability and
metadata.
So I still think that the PGL project may be the right basis for free
geodata.


Note about the choice of a "GPL-like" license:

This point was discussed: e.g. , some peoples prefer licenses like the
BSD one.
For me, it's very important to ensure contributors that their work will
remain free in the future. I strongly think it's a great asset to gain
more and more contributors for free geodata projects.

Todo list: many work remain necessary to popularize and extend the idea
of such a free license: translations, explanations, presentations ...
Key peoples in free geodata projects (like openstreetmap) should play a
very important role, by showing the way for future licensing models. Do
not forget these two assets:
1) metadata
2) traçability


Best regards,

Daniel FAIVRE



Arnulf Christl a écrit :

> Gary Lang wrote:
>
>> This is a great discussion.
>>
>> My $0.02.
>>
>> If it turns out to be really necessary, developing an OSGeo-authored
>> license for data could be a good thing for the foundation to sponsor and
>> accomplish. If not, using an existing license would be good karma as
>> well.
>>
>> Either way, I feel that if we aren't successful with this, we're
>> probably not going to be successful on some other level with this
>> adventure.
>>
>> Can someone summarize the "why" of the PGL?
>>  
>> Gary
>
>
> Probably this would best be done by Jo Walsh, Markus Neteler and the
> Public Geodata Committee. I would suggest to additionally invite
> Daniel Faivre to this committe as he is active promoter of the PGL.
>
> Best regards,
> Arnulf.
>
> PS:
> Jo, Daniel, you might not be able to reply to this board address as it
> is a closed list, but I am sure that Markus Neteler will be in contact
> with you anyway.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Arnulf Christl (CCGIS) [mailto:***@ccgis.de] Sent: Thursday,
>> February 23, 2006 12:15 PM
>>
>> [...]
>>
>>> "article I: talks only about software and OSI licenses, do we want
>>> to mention data/education as well (CC licenses etc)?"
>>>
>>> The mission statement at the beginning of article I does refer to data
>>
>>
>>
>>> and broadly refers to the advancement of open geospatial, so I think
>>> that would pick up education initiatives as well ("The purposes of the
>>
>>
>>
>>> corporation are to establish and support a diverse open source
>>> community to foster the development, advancement and promotion of open
>>
>>
>>
>>> geospatial software technology and data").  I haven't given any
>>> thought to whether the bylaws would/should require the use of a
>>> particular license for data.  Certainly with software it is easy to
>>> look to the OSI.  Is there a similar certifying body for
>>> data/content licenses?  I'm familiar with CC, but do we want to
>>> state definitively in the bylaws that things must be licensed under CC?
>>
>>
>>
>> Spatial data is somewhat special in this respect. I talked to Jimmy
>> Wales Richard Stallman they think GNU FDL is good. Ward Cunningham is
>> into CC, and says its cool for spatial data too obviously.
>>
>> I am not sure though. Daniel Faivre (camptocamp) is very actively
>> promoting a license specially designed to fit spatial data backed by an
>> active Canadian group, they call it PGL. I believe Jo has something up
>> the sleeve too and OSM is also thinking in this line. All of them are
>> highly interested in the OSGeo (well, dunno about OSM, they are sort of
>> sleepy) and it might happen that the Foundation itself will be the body
>> creating this special license. In the end this is one of the things that
>> we came together to do here. What I want to say is that we do not have
>> to choose from different licenses but maybe set out to create one.
>>
>> Best regards,
>> Arnulf.
>>
>> --
>> Arnulf Christl
>> http://www.ccgis.de
>