The Indian Linux Users Group made a presentation on how FOSS can be effective in implementing GIS in India.
I remember this client who took about 3-4 months to acquire a piece of software that would have proved a lot more beneficial at an earlier stage. The delay was attributed to debates about number of licenses, reading through the legal paper work and then making negotiations to do the deal. With FOSS, acquiring software is usually only about downloading it.
If there is an urgent need to digitize public information, it is here, in countries like India. And if there is a way to jump over the technology hurdles, it is by using FOSS.
October 2nd, 2008 at 6:15 am
This presentation was in my LUG and I was present. The speaker said that even though FOSS is a better choice, there is very little number of people who can use the FOSS GIS software he is using. Unfortunately, Most people still prefer the proprietary system.
March 13th, 2009 at 12:01 am
[...] I have seen educational institutions use decade old software, either because of budget restrictions or because their vendors do not have updated information. Open source can help these institutions and students to stay abreast with the latest developments. In a democratic country like India, it is important that the Government is not dependent on vendors to publish and broadcast information. The only way to avoid this is to use open standards, and today there is no better vehicle than open source towards an open and inter-operable communication platform. We also know that FOSS can be quite effective in speeding up certain key initiatives. [...]