Navigating the Open Source Geospatial Ecosystem

Navigating the Open Source Geospatial

Ecosystem

Just van den Broecke Geospatial World Forum 2013

Rotterdam - May 16, 2013www.justobjects.nl

Independent Open Source Geospatial Professional

www.justobjects.nl

About Me

My name is Just van den Broecke. My daily work is being hired as a consultant/architect/developer in various open source geospatial projects (like PDOK). I try to combine this with developing Open Source software myself. In ideal cases I work in projects that sponsor the further development of the FOSS projects I work on, for example the Heron Mapping Client. You can checkout stuff and projects via my somewhat 90‘s website. I also will often use the term Free and Open Source for Geospatial (FOSS4G).

Member of the

OpenGeoGroep (NL)

www.opengeogroep.nl

About MeWith the OGG we have a group of companies doing support/development services for FOSS4G.

Secretary

of the OSGeo Dutch Language Chapter

About MeI am former trailblazer and now secretary for OSGeo.nl the Dutch Language Chapter of OSGeo. I will tell you more about OSGeo and OSGeo.nl later.

Navigating the Open Source Geospatial

Ecosystem

Just van den Broecke Geospatial World Forum 2013

Rotterdam - May 16, 2013www.justobjects.nl

I’ll be presenting some of my findings and visions from living within the geospatial open source world for around 8 years. So this is also a story from within.

1. “Open” 2. Ecosystems3. Monetising

Agenda

What is Open Source?

What is Open Source (for Geospatial)?

Source CodeIs

(Almost) Irrelevant

A harsh exaggerating statement, but hopefully got your attention. Let me explain this further. We’ll encounter this fact again in the “monetising” part. Like the great Paul Ramsey (OpenGeo/PostGIS) said in his 2009 FOSS4G Sydney keynote: The Whole Product is what counts.

Open ‘Source” Geospatial

=Four Things

Ok, but what, let’s count.

OpenData

If we are building SDIs, albeit open or closed, we need data, raster, vector, lots of it. Without open data we can’t do much. Open Data means different things to different people. Later on Arnulf will learn us everything about Open Data. Some data for example is “less than open”. Take Google Maps. But we are in prosperous times w.r.t. Open data: more and more governments open up (PDOK in the Netherlands e.g.), OpenStreetMap is blossoming and within the EU the INSPIRE legislation opens up many silo’s.

OpenData

OpenStandards

Most, if not all SDI’s are distributed interconnected systems, so we need more standards than other IT-domains. Open Standards for example for protocols and data formats to exchange raster, vector information and metadata. While we need lots of Open Data we would rather not have too many Open Standards, just a few good ones. What are “good standards”? A whole subject by itself. Hopefully many of you were at this morning’s Standards and Interoperability session.

OpenData

OpenStandards

Open Source

O yes, and we need Open Source software as well. With Open Source meaning that the source code is available under an Open Source license. Many options here: from GNU GPL to Public Domain. So we have a nucleus of three aspects that in my view capture “Open”. So what would be the fourth?

Open Source

OpenData

OpenStandards

OpenProcesses

The fourth aspect is what one could call “Open Processes”, these are all the activities needed to build and extend the nucleus.Without these Open Processes the first three elements would just be “dead matter”.

Open Source

OpenData

OpenStandards

OpenCommunities

“Open Processes” should better be called “Open Communities”. In the end it is all about people, anywhere from developers to end-users, who are working together.This collaboration is often very distributed, more and more enabled by The Cloud. One can view the Communities as concentric circles around the nucleus: anyone can make a contribution and anyone can decide on his/her amount of involvement.

Open Source

OpenData

OpenStandards

People

Eventually all this Open Source/Data/Standards is an enabler for people working together!

“Proprietary SoftwareKeeps Users

Helpless and Divided”

Richard M. Stallman

INTERVIEW Richard Matthew Stallman (RMS) on the importance of free software: http://www.techradar.com/news/software/proprietary-software-keeps-users-helpless-963248 (and many other refs on the web). The term Open Source came along much later (end 90s), not all, like RMS, were happy with that term as it dilutes the case for Free Software/GNU GPL. Hence some people talk about FOSS i.s.o. Open Source.

Open Source/Data/StandardsEmpowers and Unites

People

Though I fully agree with RMS-statement, I often like to reverse RMS’s statement. I have mixed feelings about Mixed Source...

Example: Let’s Git to the

GitHub1. What is Open Source for Geospatial?

GitHub is just one of the many platforms “In The Cloud” where people, both users and developers, work together on Open Source in a transparent environment. Many of the managerial tasks, like reporting, have been automated such that the focus can be on the actual products. These days GitHub resembles almost a social medium like FaceBook. Wiki’s and other collaboration platforms are abundant. Sending Word and Excel documents and code via email has become something we did in the dark ages....

Open SourceGeospatialEcosystems

This new way of collaboration on a global scale is what I find one of the fascinating aspects of open source. Lets get back into the open source geospatial world.

Lake ecosystem: Source: Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Usually natural ecosystems are taken as a model for forms of sustainability. Like for example aquatic ecosystems. There’s a tension between chaos and an equilibrium like entropy and energy.

Users Developers

OpenProcesses

The Open Geospatial Ecosystem

I like this idea of ecosystems in Open Source: Users, Developers, Software tied together to produce long-term ever-increasing value that is greater than the sum of individuals and software components. Within FOSS4G the notion of Open Standards, Open Data and Crowd Sourcing also tends to make these components even better integrated. OGC standards also raise competition in performance/quality/features for similar products. Think of WMS shootouts...Also there is a strong tendency here to build on each other’s work, “standing on the shoulders of giants”. In practice many projects build on libraries such as GDAL and GeoTools.

http://geotux.tuxfamily.org/index.php/en/geo-blogs/item/291-comparacion-clientes-web-v6

When we zoom in we would find sub-ecosystems. This example shows the major geospatial mapping clients and their interrelations.And just as in a realworld eco-system: species arise, dominate for some time and die off. Look how many build on OpenLayers. Watch the now Leaflet island in the next years....But given our limited timeframe I would like to stick to some of the major inhabitants of our global ecosystem, that is 3 major organizations.

Users Developers

OpenProcesses

OpenStandards

When looking at Open Standards for Geospatial, the OGC, OpenGeoSpatial Consortium is the main one to go to.

www.opengeospatial.org

The first place to look for geospatial standards is the Open Geospatial Consortium or OGC. http://www.opengeospatial.org/

Users Developers

OpenProcesses

OpenStandards

OpenData

Open Data: the OpenStreetMap or OSM can be somewhat compared to Wikipedia, in the sense that users are jointly gathering geodata via crowdsourcing to build a map of the entire world. But in essence OSM is about the data itself as a map is just a specific rendering of the data. Think of other apps like routing and geocoding. Other open data sources are more and more governments like via PDOK www.pdok.nl in the Netherlands making their geodata available via webservices (WMS/WFS) or downloads. Within the EU the INSPIRE initiative is a great driver for this movement. How is your country doing?

OSM is also an entire software and service ecosystem (built with Open Source) to manage all aspects of geodata management via The Cloud. From gathering, editing and mapmaking to map-bugtracking. Using the OSM software stack one could even build an SDI.

Users Developers

OpenProcesses

OpenStandards

OpenData

OpenSource

Last but not in the very least, when it comes to Open Source for Geospatial, the Open Source Geospatial Foundation, or OSGeo, is your one-stop shop.

Open Source Geospatial Foundation

www.osgeo.org

Your Open Source Compass ...organizes geospatial IT

So what is OSGeo?

From: http://arnulf.us/Publications#2011 GIN Pres

From: http://www.slideshare.net/justb4/osgeonl-introductie-geo-freedom-day

From: http://arnulf.us/Publications#2011 GIN Pres

ActivitiesEvents/seminars: OSGeo.nl Dag

Local initiatives “Stammtish”Space for SIGs

Coop: OSM NL OpenData NL

Do-ocracy !

The DreamTeam

Keynote

Technical Business & Application

OSGeo Open Source Seminar - Geospatial World Forum - 25 April 2012 - Amsterdam

MarketingCoach

Apr 2012OSS Seminar GWF

Jun 2012OSGeo.nl Day

MONETISING

I will talk a bit about monetising, also introducing some Open Source Geo-companies that are part of the ecosystem we talked about before.

How to Earn Money with

Open Source

So bluntly put: how the &*%$ can you earn any money with Open Source when you give the software away for free?

Open Sourceis not a

Business Model

I used to say : “I do Open Source”. But without even putting a reference here, we all may know that Open Source is a development model and not a business model. Hmm.

“Ideals and Concepts by itself will not sell a

Product”

http://worldisgreen.com/2008/10/17/open-source-and-sustainability-what-do-they-have-in-common/

This is painfully true...from the ref: ”Customers do not buy products/services for their ideals but for the value they provide to their business.”

Open SourceBusiness Tactics

But there are off course multiple what one could call “Business Tactics” around Open Source.

The steps that turn inputs into value-added output

Value-Chain

From: CASCADOSS Del. 1.5 KULeuven

Yes! Transforming input into output, that is what programming is also about.

CASCADOSS: Model of Berlecon Research (2002)

Software Value-Chain

From: CASCADOSS Del. 1.5 KULeuvenwww.berlecon.de/studien/downloads/200207FLOSS_Basics.pdf

The SVC was taken from an earlier study from Berlecon als available on the net. But I will lead you through the essentials.

Software Value Chain

Each step adds value. Note: I am not talking about value in terms of money, just value, for example for a customer.“The steps in this value-chain are:-Software development: analysis, design, programming and testing of the software.-Documentation: writing documentation (API documentation, Reference Manual, User Guides, Tutorials, Howto's, FAQs, ...)-Software packaging: creating a user-friendly package of the software; bundling the software with other packages.-Marketing/sales: marketing the software, closing sales, promoting wide-spread adoption, distribution.-Consulting: providing consultancy with respect to the software. -Integration/custom development: Integrating the software in the client's systems,customizing it for user-specific needs-Training: training in the use or customization of the software-Support: end-user support (telephone, e-mail), installation and update support, bug fixing-Application management: operational management of the client's applications based on the software.”

This chain is really no different than a value-chain for proprietary software. “Revenue-generating activities in the value chain such as training, support and consultancy remain unaffected.” No business model yet here. Business models/tactics are basically one or more slices where you want to intercept in this chain. Let’s look at a few of them.

Development

Development Documentation

Development PackagingDocumentation

Development PackagingDocumentationMarketing/

Consulting

Consulting Integration

Consulting TrainingIntegration

Consulting TrainingIntegration Support

Consulting TrainingIntegration Support ApplicationManagement

Model 1: Dual-Licensing

We start easy: The Dual Licensing Model. “In the dual-licensing model, the software product is available under two different licenses:- a reciprocal open source license that obligates customers to release their own products also under the reciprocal license if they include the product as part of their own software products.- a commercial license that releases the user from his obligation to release under a reciprocal license.In short: either the customer reciprocates by contributing to the software commons or he pays the developers.”

?So where’s the money earned here?

Licensing Feesfor

Commercial Licenses

Simple: in license fees. (It is up to you for any judgement.)

ExtJS - JavaScript Lib

Here’s some products that do Dual Licensing. MySQL is probably the best known. ExtJS/Sencha is a (powerful) GUI component used in various webclients like the GeoExt JavaScript client. ExtJS is also used in the new Flamingo webclient presented next.

Model 2: Support Seller

“In this model the company that creates a F/OSS product offers support services to users of the product. The model is based on the premiss that the creators of a software are the best suited to provide support because they are the creators.”

Support Packages:

Fixed Price Support Subscription

“Standardized support packages are offered as an SLA or support subscription for a fixed price on a (typically) yearly basis. This last model is the most important”

Could be also a third-party, i.e. not the company that is the creator of the FOSS product.

Model 3: Platform Provider

“The company bundles several F/OSS products into a complete solution or platform. The company provides quality-assurances that the selected products work together. ...This model is usually combined with the (Third-Party) Support Seller Model. First, because it is far easier to support and bug-fix a complete solution (platform) as it implies greater control over the operating environment. Secondly, the value proposition is enhanced for the customer if he can source the platform and related support services for the same supplier.”

License Fee

usually combined with

Support Seller

“Usually a license fee. However, the business model is mostly combined with a support seller model. In that case, the license fee will cover access to support services together with the bundled product.”

Model 4: Consulting

“The company provides consulting and customization services with respect to a range of F/OSS products. This model is certainly the most widely adopted model.”

Model 4: Consulting

Consulting Services (p/hour)Fixed Price Custom Development

Model 4: Consulting

“Services are usually sold on a time & means basis. Custom developments are often contracted on a fixed price basis.”

Model 4: Consulting

Many of you. Also means competition. This is good for customers. But you may also want to think to get into one of the other models that may be more niche...

Model 5: Accessorizing

“The company sells physical accessories to F/OSS products. Most important of these are technical books and manuals.”

Revenue from Book Sales

Model 6: Software-as-a-Service

“In this model F/OSS is used to create a web-accessible application service. Such systems are labeled �“Software as a Service�” (SaaS).”These days the buzz-word is “In The Cloud!”.

Access and Usage Fees

“Usually the customer pays a monthly fee for access to the application services.”

“The best known company that uses this model is undoubtedly Google. “. Not yet a lot Geospatial activity. Opportunities!!! I find this one interesting since GIS is a lot about web-services and we have stable Open Source.

So all, in all we have seen these various models intercepting this value chain. As the FOSS4G market is sort of a niche within a niche (GIS) there are still opportunities here apart from the usual Consulting. The Platform Provider and SaaS are relatively unexplored in FOSS4G, so take that with you...

Concluding

1. Open Data2. Open Standards3. Open Source4. Open Communities

Open SourceGeospatialEcosystems

OSGeo - OGC - OSM

Monetising:

Operating in the Value Chain

Thank You!

Navigating the Open Source Geospatial Ecosystem

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