What is a WhereCamp? (Going to WhereCampPDX)
A recent trend in the geospatial community are “WhereCamps”. WhereCamps are run in the style of barcamps (there is no drinking involved) which are “un-conferences” that are open to any to attend or present at. They are a great way to hear about what other people are doing, and meet others in the industry.
They started in 2007 with WhereCampSF which followed Where 2.0, and have continued with every Where 2.0 since. Recently they have been branching out and WhereCamps have been held in Portland and Denver with further events planned in Montreal, the EU, and Africa.
I’m personally looking forward to attending the upcoming WhereCampPDX next month which is following what looks like a quite successful WhereCamp in Denver in August; I’m sure Portland’s second WhereCamp will be great. The attendee list is growing, and some of the proposed sessions look like they will be quite interesting. In an earlier post I looked at how Open Street Map can be used to share data and so I’m particularly interested in the proposed talks on Open Street Map and data sharing. Rumor has it Clyde the Glide will be attending too!
If you are interested in attending, it’s not too late to take part in WhereCampPDX. It will be held October 2-4 at the Metro Regional Centre, and I’ll be there. Put your name on the attendee list and propose a session. If you can’t attend, maybe there’s a WhereCamp coming soon in your own backyard, if not you can always put one on yourself!
