My colleague Rob Emanuele and myself are very proud to be involved in the organization of the 2016 FOSS4G-NA Conference in Raleigh, NC. Rob will be serving as Program Chair again this year and I will be serving as the Committee Chair. You can meet the rest of the organizing team here.  

If you’ve never been to a FOSS4G conference, they are a fun and informative gathering of the smart and dedicated people that make up the FOSS4G (Free and Open Source for GeoSpatial) community. At this year’s FOSS4G NA, you will also have the opportunity to learn skills that will help you in your work, hobby, or whatever your FOSS4G passion might be.  Everyone is welcome! If you are new to FOSS4G, that is even better. We have many beginner sessions, hands on workshops, and a mentor program to help you feel comfortable and get started.

This is truly a hands-on, collaborative conference and we want to invite you to share your knowledge and talent by submitting a proposal for the conference!  If you are already part of the community, we are calling on you to share your stories, update us about the things you have learned, tell us about your amazing work, and meet with old and new friends from the community.

We’d like to extend a special invitation to traditionally underrepresented groups in FOSS4G to submit a proposal. We are looking to build a great program that reflects all of the brilliant people and work that make up our community, but that can only happen if you submit your proposals! The success of the conference is directly dependent on the quality and diversity of the submissions, so please help us make FOSS4G NA 2016 the best possible conference it can be.

The conference will take place at the Raleigh Convention Center, which is a great space with a number of rooms that we are excited to fill with amazing talks. In the Call For Proposals, we have laid out our topics of interest, but if you have something great to talk about that doesn’t fit to that mold, please still submit!

The conference runs from May 2nd to the 5th in the heart of downtown Raleigh. There are many restaurants, shops, bars, and other points of interest located within easy walking distance of the convention center and hotel. You can explore the city in this 1872 birds-eye view map of Raleigh. 

Please get your proposals in before January 22 for a chance to be selected as part of our early bird program selection. The final deadline is February 8th. Visit the link above and submit your proposal today. Good luck!

Hope to see you in Raleigh!