UN Open GIS Capacity Building

Capacity Building
Maria Antonia Brovelli and Diego Gonzalez

Steps
Date Official Announcement
7/3/2016
-11/3/2016
Kick-off workshop in Brindisi
9/3/2016 Sharing the UN Workshop GeoforAll
presentation
http://www.slideshare.net/mariabrovelli/geoforal
l-a-successful-osgeo-initiative
24/3/2016 Call for UN training material
6/4/2016 Call for Contributions for revision
10/7/2016 Thanks to reviewers and announcement
6/7/2016-2/8/2016 Survey UN staff
17/8/2016 Announcement of the beginning of First
OnlineTraining
19/9/2016
19/10/2016
First course, first edition: QGIS GeoAcademy
First course, second edition: QGIS
9/01/2016 Second course: PostGIS Boundless

Collection of potential online
training material
● https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/UNTraining
1 QGIS
2 gvSIG
3 GRASS GIS
4 GeoServer
5 OpenLayers
6 PostgreSQL
7 PostGIS
8 GeoGig
9 GeoNode
10 Rasdaman
11 OSGeo-Live
12 Bringing GEOSS services into practice
13 GeoMOOSE
14 GET-IT
15 Open Source Geospatial Notebooks
16 Developing Training Material

Survey
● Divided in three main parts:
– About the staff member
– About the staff's knowledge of Open Source GIS
– About the staff's preferences on training modalities
● It was opened for about a month: 6th July to 2nd August
● Number of responses:

Question 1: Mission
Response Chart Frequency Count
MINURSO 0.0% 0
MINUSCA 3.4% 1
MINUSMA 6.9% 2
MINUSTAH 3.4% 1
MONUSCO 3.4% 1
UNAMA 0.0% 0
UNAMID 3.4% 1
UNDOF 0.0% 0
UNFICYP 0.0% 0
UNGSC 27.6% 8
UNHQ 6.9% 2
UNIFIL 0.0% 0
UNISFA 3.4% 1
UNMIL 0.0% 0
UNMISS 0.0% 0
UNOCI 3.4% 1
UNSOS 37.9% 11
Total Responses 29

Question 2: areas of expertise of
past educational background
Geography 41.4% 12
Cartography 55.2% 16
Surveying 31.0% 9
IT 24.1% 7
Forestry 17.2% 5
Environmental Science 34.5% 10
Other, please specify 6.9% 2
Total Responses 29

Question 3: areas of expertise of
current role
GIS Manager 31.0% 9
Mapping Specialist 27.6% 8
Surveyor 13.8% 4
Data Manager 20.7% 6
Systems Administrator 17.2% 5
Developer 13.8% 4
GIS Analyst 37.9% 11
Remote Sensing 13.8% 4
Total Responses 29

Question 4: years of professional
experience in OS GIS

Question 5: adding OS
in UN missions
Let's not waste time. We can do everything we
need with ESRI's package. Open source is still
behind ESRI's functionality.
0.0% 0
It is good to know other alternatives but let's be
honest, we are better off with our current
software package.
8.0% 2
There are tools out there in the open source
world that can be leveraged for some of our
geospatial activities.
16.0% 4
I see the potential and we should definitely
go for open source but keeping also our
existing ESRI architecture.
68.0% 17
Let's make some saving by getting rid of these
ESRI guys. We can replace all our tools/services
with open source.
8.0% 2
Total Responses 25

Question 6: OS vs. Proprietary
GIS

Question 7: Knowledge/
competence on Desktop GIS

competence on spatial database
management

competence on geospatial web
servers

competence on web
frameworks and libraries

Question 11: Likeliness of using
OS GIS in the next 2 years
I don't think so 4.0% 1
Maybe 32.0% 8
Probably 28.0% 7
For sure 36.0% 9
Total Responses 25

Question 12: Experience
receiving training in OS GIS
No training 41.7% 10
Informal training (colleague,
webinar, etc.). Please, specify
software:
20.8% 5
Self Trained (books, manuals,
tutorial, internet). Please,
specify software:
29.2% 7
Official training (online or
instructor-led). Please,
specify software:
8.3% 2
Total Responses 24

Question 13: Priority for
training topics

Question 14: Training format
Online Self-Paced Training. 16.7% 4
Online Tutor-Supported
Training.
20.8% 5
On-site instructor-led
Training.
54.2% 13
Webinar. 8.3% 2
Total Responses 24

Question 15: Time willing to
spend on OS training
Full day (8 hours) for a
couple of days (2-3 days)
58.3% 14
With milestones. Less than
an hour per day during a
longer period of time (15
days)
4.2% 1
With milestones. A couple of
hours (2-3 hours) per week
during a long period of time (1
month)
25.0% 6
No milestones. I will organize
myself to finish by the final
deadline.
12.5% 3
Total Responses 24

Question 16: Importance of obtaining
a certificate
Not important as long as I
learn my stuff.
29.2% 7
It would be just an
incentive to finish the
course.
54.2% 13
Hey, I want to show off, so
give me my certificate!
16.7% 4
Total Responses 24

Question 17: Exam at the end
No 16.7% 4
Yes 79.2% 19
It depends on... 4.2% 1
Total Responses 24

Question 18: Once training is
finished,
willingness to pass on the knowledge
Yes, there is always
something I can teach.
75.0% 18
No, I don't feel comfortable.
That would be for a real
teacher.
4.2% 1
Maybe, if I prepare it but it
would take me some time.
20.8% 5
Total Responses 24

Summary about survey
● OS vs Proprietary Software comparison. OS only wins in
Customization, Open Standards and Overall Costs.
● Knowledge of software. The best known are the usual
suspects: QGIS, PostGIS, GeoServer, OpenLayers
● Only 2 respondents have claimed to have official training on
OS
● Priority for training: Desktop and database are on top.
● Vast majority of people prefer on-site instructor-led training
and intensive course for 2-3 days.
● The courses should have an exam at the end according to most
of the participants.

People who have contributed so far
Alberta Albertella, Gregory Giuliani,Scott Hatcher,Ivana
Ivanova,Thomas Mueller, Rick Smith, Mike Pumphrey,
Vivien Deparday, Ariel Núñez ,Paolo Corti,Francesco
Stompanato, Dimitris Karakostis, Rick Arias, Juan
Hurtado
and students of the GIS Course of Politecnico:
Dilek Emanetoglu, Arun Kumar Muthusamy, Andres
Felipe Poveda Sanchez, Stanly Shaji

Spiral 2 Tutors
Maria Antonia Brovelli has Degree with honors in Physics and PhD in
Geodesy. Maria is Professor of GIS at Politecnico di Milano. From 2001 to
2011 she was the Head of the Geomatics Laboratory of the Politecnico di
Milano and from 2006 to 2011 she lectured also GIS at ETH of Zurich. Since
2011 Maria is Vice Rector for the Como Campus of Politecnico di Milano. She
is co-chair of ISPRS WG IV/5 "Web and Cloud Based Geospatial Services and
Applications", Associate Editor of Applied Geomatics Journal (Springer);
Member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Photogrammetric and
Topography Society (SIFET); Charter Member of OSGeo; Member of the
Advisory Board of the ICA-OSGeo Labs Network. She organized (in Como) the
first WebMGS Conference in 2010 and the FOSS4G Europe in 2015. In 2015,
she was awarded the Sol Katz Prize by OSGeo.
maria.brovelli@polimi.it
Diego Gonzalez Ferreiro is at the moment serving as the GIS Project
Coordinator at the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) based
in Nairobi, Kenya, where he is currently leading projects involving geospatial
application development, basemap and thematic mapping and data
processing and management. He has over fifteen years of experience in GIS
and databases managing teams and projects in Spain, USA and Africa in
both the private sector and the United Nations. Diego holds a Bachelor's
degree in Geography from the University of Valladolid (Spain) and a MSc
degree in Cartography and Geodesy Engineering from the University of
Alcalá (Spain).
gonzalezferreiro@un.org

Spiral 2 Tutors
Mr. Ricardo Arias is the OUSD (AT&L) Emerging Capability &
Prototyping (EC&P) LNO to U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM). Hosted by
the USAFRICOM's Science & Technology Office, Strategic Capability
Division, Resource & Assessments Directorate (ACJ804), Mr. Arias plans,
coordinates and manages execution of S&T activities that seek to fill U.S.
forces' capability gaps and/or enhance Partner Nation capacity.Mr. Arias
coordinates and manages activities funded by Joint Capability Technology
Demonstrations (JCTDs), Enabling Technology (ETs), Rapid Reaction
Technology Office (RRTO), Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) programs, as well
as technical exchanges, joint experimentation, and collaboration with
both traditional and non-traditional partners in the African theater.Mr.
Arias conducts evaluations of innovative technologies, systems and
advanced concepts, and endeavors to enhance technical collaboration
with partners in the USAFRICOM Area of Responsability. He manages
experimentation and technical investigations in areas such as domain
awareness, unmanned systems, information sharing, environmental
security, renewable energy, humanitarian assistance, and disaster
response. He is responsible for formulation of material solutions to
operational needs, demonstrations and validations of technology in
operational scenarios, and integration of mature technical capabilities
into field activities.
ricardo.arias.civ@mail.mil

What's next?
● Genode
● Geoserver
● Openlayers
● On-site instructor-led training?
● Preparing new ad-hoc courses?

UN Open GIS Capacity Building

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