OSGeo Mission

== Mission 2008 and Beyond==
This topic was created so that members in the community can help develop a Vision and Values Statements and if possible improve the existing Mission Statement for OSGeo
==Mission==
What the Mission looks like Today
To support the development of open source Geospatial Software, and promote its widespread use.
OSGeo Mission and Goals
==Vision==
Where do we want to be in the future? - The vision can reflect the optimistic view of the OSGeo's future
===What is a Vision?===
Vision Statements define our purpose. It will communicate both the purpose and values of OSGeo. The vision must be encompassed by what we believe in. It should include:
* Meet our goals
* Statement of OSGeo's values
* Public/visible declaration of OSGeo's expected outcomes
* Precise and practical
* Will guide the actions of all involved
* Reflect the knowledge, philosophy, and actions of all
* A key component of strategic planning
===Proposals===
* To be the global reference of high quality Geospatial Free and Open Source Software.
* To exceed Google Maps in terms of popularity (It's a vision)
* To have the best developers contributing in the projects under the umbrella of OSGeo
==Values==
===What are our Values?===
* What are our key priorities?
* What drives us to participate?
===Things to consider===
* Usually make four to six core values from which OSGeo would like to operate 
* Notice any differences between OSGeo’s preferred values and its true values
===Proposals===
* OSGeo believes in the Development through geographical data
* We believe that "more are smarter than a few" (James Surowiecki,2005) - the power of the communities
==Mission Improvement?==
Is our mission good? Is there anything to ad? 
===What the Mission Statement looks like Today===
To support the development of open source Geospatial Software, and promote its widespread use. 
OSGeo Mission and Goals
===What a Mission needs to say===
A Mission Statement Defines where the organization is going now, basically describing the purpose, why this organization exists.
===Refinement Proposals===
# To promote freely available Geodata - Free Software is useless without data.
# To provide support for the use of OSGeo software in education via curriculum development, outreach, and support. 
==== Goals ====
The following more detailed goals support the overall mission.
* To provide resources for foundation projects - eg. infrastructure, funding, legal.
* To promote freely available geodata - free software is useless without data.
* To promote the use of open source software in the geospatial industry (not just foundation software) - eg. PR, training, outreach.
* To encourage the implementation of open standards and standards-based interoperability in foundation projects.
* To ensure a high degree of quality in foundation projects in order to build and preserve the foundation "brand".
* To make foundation and related software more accessible to end users - eg. binary "stack" builds, cross package documentation.
* To provide support for the use of OSGeo software in education via curriculum development, outreach, and support.
* To encourage communication and cooperation between OSGeo communities on different language (eg. Java/C/Python) and operating system (eg. Win32, Unix, MacOS) platforms.
* To support use and contribution to foundation projects from the worldwide community through internationalization of software and community outreach.
* To operate an annual OSGeo Conference, possibly in cooperation with related efforts (eg. EOGEO).
* To award the Sol Katz award for service to the OSGeo community.
Category:Advocacy