foss4g2024_keynote.qmd

---
title: "From field biology to the GRASS GIS board" 
subtitle: "A Journey of Open Source Discovery and Nurturing a New Generation of Contributors"
author: 
  name: Dr. Verónica Andreo
  affiliation: 
  - CONICET
  - Instituto Gulich (CONAE-UNC)
  email: veroandreo@gmail.com
  orcid: 0000-0002-4633-2161
date: today
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  data-background-size: cover
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format:
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---

## Vero

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::: {.column width="60%"}
- Researcher at [Gulich Institute](https://ig.conae.unc.edu.ar/)
- PhD in Biological Sciences, MSc in Spatial Information Applications
- Remote sensing & GIS applications in disease ecology
- Member of the GRASS GIS Dev Team and project chair
- I'm curious, I like learning new things, esp. geeky things
- I like 🧉 and 🍺 (not together!) 

{{< fa globe >}} <https://veroandreo.gitlab.io/>
:::

::: {.column width="40%"}
```{r}
#| echo: false
#| fig-height: 4
#| fig-width: 4
library(leaflet)
leaflet() %>%
  addTiles() %>%  # Add default OpenStreetMap map tiles
  addMarkers(lng=-64.4653258, lat=-31.5204194, popup="IG")
```

![](img/vero_keynote/gulich_wide.jpeg)
:::
:::



# GRASS (not what you think!)

:::{.fragment}
![](img/mcdonnells-curry.gif){width="75%"}

Not that one either!
:::



# GRASS GIS

Geospatial processing engine with CLI, GUI, Python, C and R APIs.

![](img/splash_screen.png)

:::{style="text-align: center;"}
<https://grass.osgeo.org/> 
:::

::: footer
Come to the **"State of GRASS GIS"** talk later today!
:::



## So, how did I go from this...

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![](img/vero_keynote/DSC01004.JPG){.fragment width=70%}

![](img/vero_keynote/DSC00958.JPG){.fragment width=75%}

![](img/vero_keynote/DSC02077.JPG){.fragment width=75%}

![](img/vero_keynote/vero_nires.jpg){.fragment width=75%}
:::


## ... to this?

![](img/grass_community_meeting_group_pic_2024_crop.jpg)



## A story of motivation and...

::: {.fragment}
![](https://newtrailbrewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/hands-of-three-men-doing-a-beer-toast-1024x512.png)
:::

::: {.fragment}
I told you I liked beer!
:::



## 2012, the decision that changed it all

- Finished PhD... jobless... 
    - 🧚 *"Let's do an MSc and write another thesis, why not??"*
- Searching for places in Italy to do an internship (ASI-CONAE)
- Former colleague from Uni told me about **GRASS** in 2006 or so...
- Internal motivation to switch to open source software (FOSS)

::: {.fragment}
![](img/vero_keynote/san_michele_panoramic.jpg){fig-align="center"}
:::



## 2013, the internship in Italy

### Studying, Asking, Searching... 🍕🍻

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::: {.column width="50%"}
- Participated in codesprints, conferences and met several GRASS GIS devs and power  users. 
- **I loved the software, but I was hooked by the community**

![](img/vero_keynote/fem_april_2013.JPG){fig-align="center"}

:::

::: {.column width="50%"}

![](img/vero_keynote/outing_genova_2013.jpg){width="65%" fig-align="center"}

![](img/vero_keynote/cena_alla_grota.jpg){width="65%" fig-align="center"}
:::
:::



## Back to Argentina: Start contributing

- Answer basic queries on the mailing lists
- MSc thesis as an excuse to learn the new temporal tools under dev 
- There were no docs, I wrote a [wiki](https://grasswiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Temporal_data_processing) (accessed 187,000 times!!!)

::: {layout-ncol=2 layout-valign="top"}
![](img/vero_keynote/msc_tesis.jpg)

![](img/vero_keynote/wiki.png)
:::



## 💩 happens, but it got better...


- Finished the MSc, jobless again... 😢
- Temporary job in Italy 🇮🇹... more GRASS, first FOSS4G... 🤓
- Back to Argentina 🇦🇷, jobless again... 😢
- Small freelance contracts to implement remote sensing data processing routines with GRASS GIS and teach my first GRASS course... 🌾
- Found a position in NL 🇳🇱🤩 🍻

::: {layout-ncol=3 layout-valign="bottom"}
![](img/vero_keynote/back_in_fem_2015.jpg)

![](img/vero_keynote/foss4geu_como.jpg)

![](img/vero_keynote/vero_itc.jpg)
:::



## Desire to fix stuff

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::: {.column width="45%"}

- I saw typos in the manuals and wanted to fix them
- I learned to create patches that I sent to devs to apply them
- I became pretty annoying... 
- I was given **write permission on SVN**, they made me a member of the dev team! 😱😱 
:::

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![](img/vero_keynote/first_commit_addons.png)
:::
:::

![](img/vero_keynote/first_commit_trunk.png)



## Share and keep learning....

- I started teaching GRASS courses and workshops, I was a mentor for Google Code-In and organized a codesprint at home in The Netherlands

- While preparing teaching material, I started learning git and GitHub {{< fa arrow-right >}} helpful when GRASS migrated

- I got familiar with Hugo when putting together my website {{< fa arrow-right >}} helpful for the new GRASS website 😍

::: {layout-ncol=3 layout-valign="center"}
![](img/vero_keynote/sprint_NL_autumn_2017_2.jpg)

![](img/vero_keynote/grass_workshop_itc.jpg)

![](img/vero_keynote/flyer_taller_grass_2021.jpeg)
:::



## Contribute code: A personal challenge 💪

I learned a bit of Python and found something that could be useful: a set of tools to search, download and import Landsat data into GRASS GIS.

![](img/vero_keynote/i_landsat.png){fig-align="center"}

::: footer
[i.landsat](https://grass.osgeo.org/grass-stable/manuals/addons/i.landsat.html)
:::


## PSC

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![](img/vero_keynote/first_psc_meeting_feb2021.png){.fragment .fade-in-then-out}

![](img/2024_08_11_new_psc_meeting.png){.fragment}
:::



# {background-image="https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/cropped_image/primary/AADFB876-C044-F636-7160412173A6CB0D.jpg?width=1600&quality=90&mode=crop"}

::: notes
This has been my journey from field biology to GRASS board so far... that internship opened the door to a whole new world to me... 
Can we backward engineer it and extract key components that might help us lower barriers and nurture a new generation of FOSS4G contributors? Let me show some numbers for LATAM...
:::



## Some facts

- 2 LATAM international FOSS4G out of 18 (10%)
- 2 active OSGeo local chapters out of approx. 45 (4%)
- 39 LATAM members out of 547 OSGeo Charter members (7%)

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:::{.column width="60%"}
![](img/vero_keynote/Figure_1.png)

:::

:::{.column width="39%"}
![](img/vero_keynote/Figure_2.png)
:::
:::



## Some facts (cont.)

Contributors from LATAM with merged PRs (2020-2024, based on GitHub metadata)
<br>

| Project      | # Contributors |
|--------------|:--------------:|
| QGIS         | 1              |
| GRASS GIS    | 3              |
| GDAL         | 2              |
| PROJ         | 0              |
| GeoNode      | 1              |
| GeoServer    | 3              |
| OSGeo-live   | 0              |
| r-spatial    | 4              |

::: {.fragment}
::: {.callout-note appearance="simple"}
BTW, if you have indeed contributed to one of these projects, consider adding your location to your GitHub profile
:::
:::

<!--
   Meanwhile we are more than 615 million people

   QGIS
   Year  LATAM_Committers Committer_Usernames
   2020                 1           espinafre
   2021                 1           espinafre
   2023                 1           espinafre
   2024                 1           espinafre

   GRASS GIS
   Year  LATAM_Committers         Committer_Usernames
   2020                 2          lrntct, veroandreo
   2021                 2  veroandreo, CarlosGrohmann
   2022                 1                  veroandreo
   2023                 1                  veroandreo
   2024                 1                  veroandreo
   
   GDAL
   Year  LATAM_Committers Committer_Usernames
   2020                 2   eamanu, espinafre 
   
   PROJ
   no LATAM commiters 

   OSGeo-live
   no LATAM commiters 

   GeoNode
   Year  LATAM_Committers Committer_Usernames
   2020                 1             gonrial

   GeoServer
   Year  LATAM_Committers                Committer_Usernames
   2020                 2              groldan, fernandor777
   2021                 2              fernandor777, groldan
   2022                 3  groldan, mirandadam, fernandor777
   2023                 2              groldan, fernandor777
   2024                 1                            groldan

-->



## Why isn't there more LATAM presence? 

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<br>

- Language barrier even after all the translation tools? 
- Much lower % of people graduate from higher education?
- People move to the north searching for better conditions?
- We are historically used to receive *"manufactured products"*?
- We are simply too far and it is too expensive to travel to most events happening in the north?
:::

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::: {layout-nrow=2 layout-valign="center"}
![](https://www.culturaespolitica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/different-languages-472x212.jpg)

![](img/vero_keynote/latam_migration.png){width="40%"}
:::
:::
:::



## {background-image="img/vero_keynote/watering.jpg"}

::: {style="color: #ffffff; font-size: 2.2em;"}
How do we grow and nurture a new generation of contributors? 
:::



---

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![](img/vero_keynote/vashek_and_a.png)

![](img/vero_keynote/ondrej_and_e.png)
:::



## Mentoring: one person at a time

![](img/community_prague_2023_laptop.jpg){fig-align="center"}

::: notes
One thing that was present during my journey was the community support and different mentors... offering a beer, I mean, a hand!
:::



## Regional and local solutions

- Foster South-South solutions among individuals and organizations
<!-- , we can do **our own capacity building** -->
- Organize more small and short sprints and hands-on events that create bonding opportunities and foster inclusion
- Teach workshops and courses with materials in ES or PT
- Leave the comfort zone of only **using** FOSS, dare to **contribute**

![](https://unsouthsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/News_29_02_24_4.jpg){fig-align="center"}




## {background-image="img/vero_keynote/vero_y_emma_koln.png" background-position="bottom"}



## Where to start?

The software is not in your language? Translate it! 

![](img/vero_keynote/weblate.png)

::: footer
<https://weblate.osgeo.org>
:::



# Start small: fix typos...

- You saw a typo in a manual? Fix it
- Docs are missing examples or explanations? Add them
- Discovered a bug? Report it, or even better, fix it
- Are there new modules or functions? Test them

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:::{.column width="40%"}
![](img/vero_keynote/edit_on_github_link.png)
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![](img/vero_keynote/manual_in_gui_with_sourve_code_link.png)
:::
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## Get started with code contributions

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<br>

- Set up your development environment. Projects will have a guideline 
- Search for the label **good first issue**
:::

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![](img/vero_keynote/grass_contrib_guidelines_links.png)
:::
:::

![](img/vero_keynote/good_first_issue.png){width="75%" fig-align="center"}

::: footer
[https://grass.osgeo.org/contribute/development/](https://grass.osgeo.org/contribute/development/)
:::



## Code contributions: Opportunities

:::{layout-ncol=3}
![Google Summer of Code](img/vero_keynote/qrcode_summerofcode.withgoogle.com.png)

![GRASS Student Grants](img/vero_keynote/qrcode_student_grants.png)

![GRASS Mentoring Program](img/vero_keynote/qrcode_mentoring_program.png)
:::

::: footer
If you are interested, talk to me!
:::



## Learn and share

- There's not enough teaching material or tutorials? Create them!

![](img/vero_keynote/grass_tutorials.png){width="55%"}
![](https://quarto.org/quarto.png){.fragment}

::: footer
<https://github.com/OSGeo/grass-tutorials>
:::



## Outreach

- Are you good with design? Create cool stickers, help with the website, help with the swag shops.
- Are you skilled with communication? Write a blog post, help with social media.

:::{layout-ncol=3}
![](img/vero_keynote/grass_linkedin.png)

![](img/vero_keynote/grass_website.png)

![](img/vero_keynote/redbubble_tshirt.png)
![](img/vero_keynote/grass_stickers.jpg)
:::

::: footer
<https://github.com/OSGeo/grass-website>
:::


## New features

- Need a new feature? Propose it or just go ahead and implement it!

![](img/vero_keynote/new_feature.png){fig-align="center"}

::: {.message-box-white .fragment style="text-align: center;"}
**Consider funding it, too!**
:::



## Financial support 

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![](img/opencollective.png) 
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![](img/open_collective_qr.png)

Support your favorite FOSS4G!
:::
:::

::: footer
<https://opencollective.com/osgeo/projects/grass/contribute>
:::



## Every contribution counts! 

Anyone willing to learn and do things is always welcome!

:::{.r-stack}
![](img/vero_keynote/i_want_to_work_on_this.png){.fragment width="80%"}


![](img/vero_keynote/grass_website_fix_merged.png){.fragment}
:::



## Find your community and get involved!

![](img/vero_keynote/end_of_year_toast.png)

::: notes
Find people who will join a beer call no matter time zones differences! From 8 am to 6 pm :)
:::



# {background-video="img/grass_prague.mp4" background-video-muted=true}

::: {.message-box-white style="text-align:center; margin-top: 520px;"}
{{< fa envelope >}} veroandreo@gmail.com<br>
[veroandreo.github.io/grass-gis-talks](https://veroandreo.github.io/grass-gis-talks)<br>
With support of CONICET, FOSS4G and the GRASS GIS project
:::