Open Source GIS – For fun and profit
Open Source GIS – For fun and profit
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ucltalk_2015
Talk to UCL Postgraduate GIS Course, March 2015On Github archaeogeek / ucltalk_2015
Open Source GIS
For fun and profit
The Questions
Who is this person standing up here?
What does Open Source really mean?
What is it like to work in Open Source GIS?
What technologies are worth focussing on?
Who is this person?
I've been working in GIS since 2001
First within archaeology, and now working for a GIS consultancy
I "discovered" Open Source GIS for myself in 2005(ish), and now I work almost exclusively with Open Source GIS
I work for Astun Technology, and I'll talk a bit more about what we do later
What 'Open Source' really means
It's just a license...
...but a different kind, that protects the author of the code, whilst disallowing discrimination and restriction of use
It's not like this
Or even this
It's about interoperability and common standards
It's about given you long term control over your work
It's about having the choice over which tools you use
OSGeo Live Wordcloud
So, how can you make a career in Open Source GIS?
By adding value, expertise and support
Introducing Astun Technology
At Astun, we have a software suite
Primarily used by local councils
We also make bespoke software
We run training courses
We help organisations meet their INSPIRE requirements
We run user groups
and Hackathons
All of this is based on the Open Source GIS stack
The underlying source code is free, but we add value/support/expertise
Key Technologies
Whether you go into Open Source or not
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is increasingly used as a cost-effective replacement for proprietary databases
The basics of server-based, spatially enabled databases are roughly applicable to PostgreSQL, SQL Server and Oracle
QGIS
These days, QGIS is a perfectly acceptable replacement for proprietary desktop GIS
It's also fully cross-platform, with loads of support
Python
Both open source and proprietary GIS use python
It has modules for working with rasters, vectors, databases and many more
You WILL be able to write working code within minutes of starting to use it!
Scripting: JavaScript
It's now possible to do sophisticated visualisation of GIS data directly in the browser
GitHub
The easiest way to learn about repositories and version control
It's not just for code- share documentation/presentations/data/your CV
Both proprietary and open source companies have an increasing presence
My first GitHub commit
Things to take away
Learning cross-platfrom tools will get you a step up, whatever area you go into
Scripting and SQL will provide a flexible and powerful alternative to desktop-GIS workflows
They might even save you time and money
Open Source is a viable career option
It can be a point of principle, or a way of life
It's certainly a disruptor in GIS
but it's also just a software license!
and finally, enjoy what you do- it's fun!
Thanks!
Find me at about.me/jocook
Find this talk at archaeogeek.github.io/ucltalk_2015