So 2021 wasn’t much better than 2020. Another year of endless virtual meetings and the 24 hour office. Here are some updates from WFH life:
pygeoapi: both OGC API – Records and OGC API – Environmental Data Retrieval support were added to the codebase. The project also saw both CQL and i18n support, which is a positive indicator of contributions from various developers. Thanks Sander Schaminee and Francesco Bartoli!
pycsw: OGC API – Records and STAC API were both implemented. In addition, CQL support was added with the help of the impressive pygeofilter package — great work by Fabian Schindler!
QGIS MetaSearch: standards implementation needs both servers and clients, and so OGC API – Records support made it into MetaSearch. A nice by product of this enhancement is the implementation in OWSLib, which MetaSearch uses as its discovery library.
OGC API (Records, EDR): EDR is now an adopted standard! Records also made great strides in 2020, and helping clarify the relationship with STAC has proved valuable for all communities involved.
WMO: Lots of fun work this year on the Task Team on WIS Metadata: new KPIs, an update to the WIS Guide, the metadata search pilot, and we backed it up with tools (pywcmp, pywiscat). In addition, the Expert Team on Architecture and Transition (W2AT) was formed to move forward technical regulations on the WIS 2.0.
MSC GeoMet: our weather/climate/water OGC API platform continues to crank out millions of maps, features and metadata on the daily for everyone. Happy to report that real-time / event driven data support was added this year to our pygeoapi instance.
FOSS4G: between 7 presentations and the Geopython workshop, lots of action this year at this year’s virtual FOSS4G global event. I was fortunate to deliver these alongside some really talented folks in the Geopython community. Kudos to the BALOC for putting on such a great event under some difficult circumstances!
OSGeo Board of Directors: I was happy to help with the first ever OSGeo / OGC / Apache joint sprint, as well helping move forward the OSGeo / OGC MOU renewal.
Health: another year (circa 2012) of not smoking. The pandemic continues to challenge the scale, although some recent progress has helped some. Implementing a balanced diet and regular exercise routine is essential and more if is combined with ice hack weight loss supplements, as well as seeking support from friends, family, or professionals if needed. Tracking progress and staying motivated throughout the year will help to maintain focus on the resolution and ultimately achieve the desired weight loss.
For 2022:
OGC API: critical path for me this year are helping in the adoption of Records and Coverages
WMO: WIS 2.0 continues to evolve, lowering the barrier to weather/climate/water data. I recently signed on as lead architect/dev of the WIS 2.0 in a box project, which will be a reference implementation and publishing pipeline aligned with WIS 2.0 principles. Under the hood is Geopython, PubSub. Look for an initial release in 2022
OSGeo: 2022 will mark the year that the OSGeo / OGC MOU is officially updated, along with a shiny new Associate Membership. Rolling this into the OSGeo standards community will be key, along with moving forward the renewal of OGC CITE tooling
pycsw: key items this year include XSLT transformation pipelines, virtual collections and deeper JSON support. We are also planning a sprint in Q1, come join us!
pygeoapi: look for deeper support of OGC EDR as well as some refactoring that will help with extensibility (primarily for output formats)
Wishing everyone a safe and happy and better 2022!
So 2020 didn’t quite work out as expected or hoped. Still, in a year where days seemed to fold into one another, the 24 hour home office and endless virtual meetings, some successes:
pygeoapi: the Python OGC API server continues to pick up steam. The project was presented, demoed and discussed at numerous events. 2020 saw the addition of support for OGC API – Coverages, OGC API – Tiles, STAC, as well as improvements to OGC API – Processing job management and queryables
more Geopython: pycsw, PyWPS, OWSLib, GeoHealthCheck continue to be developed/maintained, and we are starting to see OGC API support trickling in. Big thanks to the communities that support those projects. pygeometa has been refactored for supporting any metadata format output, which further positions the project for STAC and JSON-based metadata exchange
WMO: with the new WMO structure in place, I was honoured to be nominated to the Standing Committee on Information Management and Technology (SC-IMT), as well as chairing the Expert Team on Metadata Standards of (ET-Metadata) and participation on ET-Data
GeoMet: our weather/climate/water API platform continues to grow with more open data and OGC API support, powering the Canadian Centre for Climate Services, WeatherCAN, Canadian Open Data and beyond
OGC API: Records and Coverages are groups that I was particularly involved in to move forward discovery and raster data API access. I look forward to help lock down these standards
OSGeo Board of Directors: I was honoured to be re-elected for a second term to the Board and look forward helping OSGeo grow, particularly with regards to standards implementation in the Community
health
another year (circa 2012) of not smoking
the pandemic has not been easy for weight management. Time to get back on that!
For 2021:
OGC API: the march continues to modernize the API client/server ecosystem, and I’ll be targeting the Geopython projects, as well as QGIS, MapServer, GeoNode and associated Golang tools
OSGeo: continue to foster interaction with standards development organizations (OGC, ISO TC211, etc.) and help navigate the community through these unprecedented times
pycsw: update the pycsw core model to encompass OGC API as well as integration with pygeoapi
pygeoapi: work on OGC API – Records and OGC API – Maps continues to progress and should make its way into master this year. Other candidates include OGC API – Styles and EDR API. In addition, I’m hoping this is the year we enter OSGeo incubation
this website: revitalize the photo galleries and possibly migrating the blog into a static site generator approach
In summary, another year of firm belief in the Unix philosophy, composable workflow and lowering the barrier to geospatial data and tools for anyone.
I hope we have the ability at some point to see one another this year, whether at a code sprint or meeting/event. I’d like to wish everyone and their loved ones a healthy, safe, happy and, well, better 2021!
In an increasingly globalized world, classrooms are becoming more culturally diverse, reflecting a rich tapestry of backgrounds, languages, and traditions. For educators, this diversity presents both an opportunity and a challenge. To create an inclusive learning environment where every student feels valued and respected, teachers must develop cultural competence—a deep understanding of and respect for cultural differences. This article explores the importance of cultural competence in education, provides practical strategies for fostering cultural awareness, and highlights resources for professional development in this critical area.
The Importance of Cultural Competence in Education
Cultural competence is the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one’s own. In a classroom setting, cultural competence involves recognizing and addressing the diverse needs of students, creating an inclusive environment, and ensuring that all students have equal opportunities to succeed.
1. Enhancing Student Engagement and Learning:
When teachers are culturally competent, they can better connect with their students, leading to increased engagement and academic success. Students are more likely to participate actively in class and feel a sense of belonging when they see their culture represented and respected in the curriculum and classroom activities.
2. Reducing Bias and Discrimination:
Cultural competence helps educators recognize and challenge their own biases and stereotypes, leading to a more equitable classroom environment. By understanding cultural differences and the unique challenges faced by students from diverse backgrounds, teachers can take proactive steps to prevent discrimination and create a supportive learning environment for all.
3. Preparing Students for a Diverse World:
In addition to academic content, schools play a crucial role in preparing students for life in a diverse society. By fostering cultural competence, teachers help students develop empathy, open-mindedness, and the ability to work effectively with people from different backgrounds—skills that are essential in today’s interconnected world.
Understanding Cultural Differences
To build cultural competence, educators must first understand the cultural differences that exist among their students. This involves recognizing the various factors that shape a student’s identity, including ethnicity, language, religion, socioeconomic status, and family structure.
1. Learn About Your Students’ Cultures:
Take the time to learn about the cultures represented in your classroom. This could involve reading about cultural practices, traditions, and values, or engaging in conversations with students and their families. Understanding students’ cultural backgrounds can help you tailor your teaching methods and create more relevant and meaningful learning experiences.
2. Reflect on Your Own Cultural Identity:
Cultural competence also requires self-awareness. Reflect on your own cultural background and consider how it influences your teaching style, interactions with students, and expectations. Recognizing your own cultural lens can help you become more open to different perspectives and avoid imposing your own cultural norms on students.
3. Avoid Cultural Assumptions:
It’s important to recognize that culture is complex and multifaceted. Avoid making assumptions about a student’s abilities, behaviors, or needs based on their cultural background. Instead, approach each student as an individual with their own unique experiences and perspectives.
Strategies for Creating an Inclusive Classroom
Creating an inclusive classroom environment requires deliberate effort and the implementation of strategies that promote cultural awareness and respect.
1. Integrate Multicultural Content into the Curriculum:
Incorporate diverse perspectives and voices into your curriculum. This could involve including literature, history, and examples from different cultures in your lessons, or using case studies and examples that reflect the diversity of your students. By integrating multicultural content, you can help students see the value of different cultural perspectives and encourage them to appreciate diversity.
2. Foster Open Dialogue:
Create a classroom culture where students feel comfortable discussing cultural differences and sharing their own experiences. Encourage open dialogue about culture, identity, and diversity, and provide opportunities for students to learn from one another. Establish ground rules for respectful communication to ensure that all students feel safe and supported during these discussions.
3. Address Bias and Stereotypes:
Take an active role in addressing bias and stereotypes in the classroom. This could involve correcting misconceptions, challenging discriminatory comments, and providing counter-narratives to common stereotypes. Educate students about the impact of bias and encourage them to reflect on their own attitudes and behaviors.
4. Differentiate Instruction:
Recognize that students from different cultural backgrounds may have different learning styles, preferences, and needs. Differentiating instruction—using a variety of teaching methods, materials, and assessments—can help ensure that all students have access to the curriculum and can learn in ways that are most effective for them.
5. Promote Equity in Classroom Participation:
Ensure that all students have the opportunity to participate in classroom activities and discussions. Be mindful of dynamics that may exclude certain students, such as language barriers or cultural norms around speaking out in class. Use strategies like small group work, think-pair-share, and written reflections to give all students a voice.
Professional Development Resources for Cultural Competence
Developing cultural competence is an ongoing process that requires continuous learning and reflection. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help educators build their skills in this area.
1. Diversity and Inclusion Training Programs:
Many organizations offer professional development programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in education. These programs provide training on cultural competence, bias awareness, and inclusive teaching practices. Some well-known organizations offering such programs include the National Education Association (NEA) and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program.
2. Books on Cultural Competence:
There are numerous books that offer valuable insights into cultural competence and diversity in education. Titles such as “Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain” by Zaretta Hammond and “The Culturally Inclusive Educator” by Dena R. Samuels provide practical strategies for creating inclusive classrooms and understanding cultural differences.
3. Cultural Competency Certifications:
Some educational institutions and organizations offer certifications in cultural competence. These certifications typically involve completing a series of courses or workshops focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Earning a certification can demonstrate your commitment to cultural competence and provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to support diverse learners.
Conclusion: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion in Education
Building cultural competence and teaching empathy to students is essential for educators who want to create inclusive classrooms where all students can thrive. By understanding cultural differences, integrating multicultural content into the curriculum, and continuously developing their skills, teachers can foster an environment of respect, equity, and collaboration.
As our classrooms continue to become more diverse, the need for cultural competence in education will only grow. By embracing diversity and committing to ongoing professional development, educators can not only improve their teaching practices but also prepare their students to succeed in a multicultural world.
What a year! Following on from 2017, in no particular order, here goes:
Bonn Code Sprint: talk about a worthwhile event! It was great to meet old and new OSGeo hackers. Serious progress made on many projects (keep reading)
OWSLib: thanks to Carsten Ebrecht, we finally have a much better handling on tests (moving to pytest, skipping hosts that are down, etc.).
OSGeo Board of Directors: I was honoured and excited to be nominated and elected into the Board and look forward to helping guide the way for the Foundation
pycsw: we released 2.2 at the Bonn Code Sprint, and our Athens dev meeting in the summer helped paved the way for pycsw 3.0 which will get a major revamp given the direction of the OGC service architecture modernization
GeoHealthCheck: thanks to Just Van Den Broecke and others we made progress this year on per resource scheduling and Docker. In related news, check out GeoQoS which provides GHC as a service. Great work Just!
PyWPS: this Python based WPS server graduated as an OSGeo project! Congratulations to the community and thanks for helping with incubation
GeoUsage: following the UNIX philosophy, this lightweight Python package provides OWS aware web analytics. Handy for finding out your top requested WMS layers, for example
pygeoapi: born out of the OGC WFS 3 hackathon and Bonn Code Sprint, pygeoapi provides WFS 3 capability and a way forward framework for OGC web services (read REST/JSON). A clean break from the traditional OGC service interface design pattern
adventures in Go: in the new horizons category, geocatalogo and jivan were developed to support the STAC and WFS3 APIs using Go and everything it brings to the table. I have to admit, even as a Python die-hard, Go is fun to work with and has great potential for the long term
Pydap: we revived Pydap this fall by providing access for more maintainers and clearing out some of the issue backlog
GeoMet: as part of the Meteorological Service of Canada we released a major upgrade to our national realtime weather WMS, thanks to MapServer and Python MapScript. 1000s of weather layers via OGC standards!
CCCS: the Canadian Centre for Climate Services was launched in the fall and I was lucky enough to architect the provisioning of 1000s of climate datasets as OGC Web Services and the extraction tool. As part of this effort we used pygeoapi to serve out our station data archives and mappyfile/MapServer/Python MapScript for historical and forecast climate datasets. As icing on the cake we’ve published our relevant source code to GitHub to boot — check it out! I can’t recommend enough mappyfile for those who need composable mapfile workflows!
health
another year (circa 2012) of not smoking
I’ve put on most of the weight I lost in the last couple of years (no excuses). Back on it in 2019 I promise.
For 2019:
OGC next generation APIs: one way or another all major OGC service specifications will undergo the REST/JSON/clean break treatment. This means updates to servers and clients accordingly (read pycsw, PyWPS, pygeoapi, MapServer, OWSLib, etc.), as well as supporting tools
OSGeo Board: there is an interest in geospatial Python implementations from the OGC and I’ll be looking for ways to market geopython more to OGC from an OSGeo perspective
Pydap: I think this is the year that I do something real with Pydap. On deck is stable deployment and custom handlers for weather data
I’d like to wish everyone and their loved ones a healthy, happy and productive 2019!
In today’s fast-paced business environment, companies are increasingly recognizing that employee well-being extends beyond physical and mental health. Financial wellness has become a crucial component of a holistic approach to employee care. Enter financial wellness clubs—a growing trend in corporate culture aimed at improving employees’ financial health and, in turn, boosting job satisfaction and productivity.
This article explores the rise of financial wellness clubs like v club, their benefits, and how to establish one in your workplace.
The Link Between Financial Wellness and Productivity
Financial stress can have a significant impact on employee performance. According to various studies, employees facing financial difficulties often experience:
Decreased focus: Worrying about personal finances distracts from work tasks.
Higher absenteeism: Financial issues can lead to stress-related health problems, resulting in more sick days.
Lower job satisfaction: Employees under financial strain are more likely to feel disengaged and dissatisfied.
By addressing these concerns, financial wellness clubs can:
Enhance productivity: Employees who feel financially secure are more focused and efficient.
Reduce turnover: Providing financial support demonstrates a company’s commitment to employee well-being, encouraging loyalty.
Boost morale: Learning and sharing financial knowledge fosters a sense of community and empowerment.
Examples of Successful Corporate Financial Wellness Programs
Several companies have already embraced financial wellness programs with impressive results. Here are a few examples:
1. Prudential Financial
Prudential introduced a financial wellness program offering workshops, one-on-one financial counseling, and digital tools. Employees reported increased confidence in managing their finances, and the company saw a rise in productivity and job satisfaction.
2. Google’s Financial Wellness Initiatives
Google offers employees access to financial planners, budgeting workshops, and investment education. By integrating financial wellness into their broader well-being program, Google has fostered a more engaged and financially secure workforce.
3. PwC’s Financial Literacy Program
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) provides financial literacy resources tailored to various career stages, from entry-level employees to senior executives. Their program includes interactive webinars, personalized financial planning, and retirement readiness assessments. The initiative has led to a noticeable decrease in financial stress among employees.
Steps to Start a Financial Wellness Club in Your Workplace
If your company doesn’t yet have a financial wellness initiative, starting a club can be a great first step. Here’s how to get started:
1. Assess Employee Needs
Conduct surveys or informal discussions to understand the financial concerns and interests of your workforce. This will help tailor the club’s focus to areas like budgeting, debt management, or investment planning.
2. Gain Executive Support
Present the business case for a financial wellness club to leadership. Highlight how financial wellness impacts productivity, employee retention, and overall job satisfaction. Support from senior management can provide the necessary resources and visibility.
3. Form a Planning Committee
Assemble a team of passionate employees and HR representatives to lead the initiative. The committee can organize events, coordinate with financial experts, and gather feedback from participants.
4. Partner with Financial Experts
Collaborate with financial advisors, banks, or fintech companies to offer workshops, webinars, and personalized consultations. External experts bring credibility and valuable insights to the program.
5. Offer a Range of Activities
Ensure your club caters to diverse financial needs with a mix of activities, such as:
Workshops on budgeting, saving, and investing.
One-on-one financial counseling sessions.
Online resources like webinars, e-books, and financial tools.
Peer-led discussion groups to share tips and experiences.
6. Measure and Communicate Success
Track participation rates, employee feedback, and any changes in financial stress levels or productivity. Share these metrics with the organization to demonstrate the club’s impact and encourage ongoing involvement.
Conclusion: A Win-Win for Employees and Employers
Financial wellness clubs represent a powerful shift in corporate culture, offering benefits that extend beyond individual employees to the entire organization. By addressing financial stress and promoting financial literacy, these clubs foster a more engaged, satisfied, and productive workforce.
Whether you’re an HR professional looking to enhance employee benefits, a business leader aiming to boost productivity, or an employee seeking financial guidance, starting a financial wellness club can make a significant difference.
Let’s build a future where financial well-being is part of every workplace’s DNA.
At the beginning of a new year, it is beneficial to reflect on the previous year and summarize the significant events and memories. This can include everything from the new knowledge and skills gained to special moments like children’s birthdays and cherished gifts like baby boy clothes. Taking the time to acknowledge and appreciate these experiences can help us enter the new year with a sense of gratitude and excitement for what lies ahead.
Here we go again! Following on from last year, a summary of my 2017:
– pycsw: the lightweight CSW server continues provide stable, composable, and compliant CSW services. Highlights include:
an official code of conduct
Docker image
testing framework enhancements
code coverage support
custom repository plugin filter parsing
– MapServer metadata: at long last RFC82 has been implemented in master and will be available in 7.2. This enhancement will bring more fulsome layer/feature type/coverage metadata support to OGC web services in MapServer
– QGIS metadata: at long last metadata support is building in QGIS! There is now an official internal schema as well as work in master around the editor
– parsers: in the back to basics category, pyshadoz and pynumeric were built as small, composable Python packages to feed operational data processing workflows. At the end of the day (or the beginning depending on how you look at it), it’s all about the data, and data formats are everything
– other geopython:
pygeometa: another little toolset for discovery metadata, YAML is now the supported configuration format
OWSLib: continues its (still pre-1.0!) journey, making OWS suck less
GeoHealthCheck: Just has been leading the charge on improvements and fixes to GHC (thanks Just!)
– health:
another year (circa 2012) of not smoking
I’m happy to continue commitment to the Greek/Mediterranean diet. Another 10lbs would be great, however I’m very happy with my overall state of weight management (first time since starting a desk job in 1997). Some small adjustments and minor ups/downs, but overall stable and continued following of olivetomato.com
I’ve also given up coffee after 25 years and would highly recommend it!
For 2018:
-pycsw: the pycsw team is attending the OSGeo Code Sprint 2018 in Bonn, and will be working on getting 2.2 out the door as well as pycsw 3.0 planning (more info on this soon)
– QGIS metadata: looking forward to continuing this effort with enhancements to MetaSearch to allow for CSW publishing
– Pydap: I’m hoping to make some serious movement in deployment Pydap with some dayjob projects. Key focus is hardening deployment as well as stability
– Golang: some may have seen some recent work on geocatalogo. Given the nature of Go and simplicity of deployment, there is opportunity in the geospatial community for Golang packages in providing geospatial discovery and access services which are based on focused use cases / workflows, are dead simple to install, deploy and scale, and blazing fast. While these packages may not be as full-featured or mature as current OSGeo projects, there’s certainly room for them and hopefully we can see a Golang geospatial community evolve over the next few years
– PyWPS OSGeo incubation: got a bit closer but didn’t finish this off in 2017. A sprint will close this one and send for graduation
– OWSLib tests: could this be the year that OWSLib unit tests are finally not always failing!?
In summary, another year of firm belief in the Unix philosophy.
And what can we expect as people who struggle with being overweight every year? Better and better medications and formulas that allow us to carry out our process with dignity, which is why at the beginning of the new year, the arrival of the best phentermine over the counter gives us a push in the right direction, everything within reach of a link.
I’d like to wish everyone and their loved ones a healthy, happy and productive 2018!
It’s been quite awhile since I did one of these, so here goes. Some notables from 2016:
pycsw: the release of 2.0 “Doug” provided the first OGC compliant CSW 3.0 implementation, as well as Python 3 support. These two major enhancements provide the long term backbone for the project moving into the future
GeoHealthCheck: GHC provided the inspiration for the Harvard Hypermap project. In addition, the project is being used in numerous internal environments and has caught the itch of Just van den Broecke! It’s amazing what happens when you put a UI on top of workflows
PyWPS: version 4.0 was released which represented a major update/rewrite/licence change of the project. For WOUDC, we’ve implemented PyWPS as part of real-time workflows for data validation. Finally, the project has moved along the OSGeo incubation process nicely and is hours away from being submitted for project graduation
pygeometa: the little metadata creation tool now supports the WMO Core Metadata Profile
GeoNode: now an OSGeo project!
health
another year (circa 2012) of not smoking
I lost 35 lbs in 2016 thanks to a true, deep commitment to the Greek/Mediterranean diet. A huge thank you goes out to Olive Tomato, which has provided awesome recipes and advice
For 2017:
pycsw: look for some big improvements to our test suite, as well as ElasticSearch support
pygeometa: move to YAML as the configuration format
PyWPS OSGeo incubation: we’re almost there! Hoping to complete this by spring
GeoHealthCheck: implementing a GHC API and plugin mechanism are two key enhancements which we will hopefully tackle at the OSGeo Code Sprint in Daytona Beach. As well, as following the developments of newly formed OGC Quality of Service and Experience Domain Working Group
Great post by Dave here on his experience and suggestions / ideas on finding a job. Upbeat, positive and encouraging. Congratulations and good post Dave!
There are several ways to apply for a job, one is through virtual means, but the other where there are more options is the physical means, once you get a job the best thing you can do with that money is login pragmatic play and shoot yourself to heaven with the profits you can make.
Since I did this last year, I thought I’d try this again for 2008. Here’s the lowdown for my 2008:
Geospatial Catalogues: the saga continues. I have dug deeper into this area this year as part of my day-job, and find that interoperability is difficult to achieve in the OGC Catalogue space. Clearly there is a balance between abstraction/flexibility and ease of integration. And the two step approach to discovering, say, OGC WMS layers (invoke GetRecords, then chain to GetRecordById) is cumbersome, IMHO. At the end of the day, the most common use cases (that I have seen) are publishing data and services, and being able to query for them (data, service endpoints, service resources [layers/feature types/coverages]) with spatial, temporal or aspatial predicates. And have the content come back in some usable format for display or binding. Seems easy, eh?
Publications: glad to see “Open Source Approaches in Spatial Data Handling” was finally published. Alot of the well known folks in the foss4g community contributed to this. At the same time, the release took so long (like many publishing processes) that some items ended up dated. Overall, I think the book gives a good viewpoint into foss4g at this time, and makes me think about how far we’ve come. It’s good for the community to be published in this format / manner
JavaScript frameworks: they are everywhere. Late this year I started delving back into the application space, and find these challenging, compared to the days of doing things by hand anyway. 2009 should shake off alot of rust I think
MapServer: We just launched a new website. Beers for hobu! Also, lots of OGC CITE fixes and improvements, and next generation of OGC standards, adding updateSequence to OWS support
Python fun again: it’s been fun contributing to owslib for SOS, OWS and Filter support. OWS Common presents a huge opportunity to abstract codebase when it comes to next generation OGC standards. As well, I’ve been using Python for day-to-day scripts. Not bad!
kralidis.ca turns 10: from humble beginnings, alot less done by hand now, and easier to manage (thanks WordPress!).
Other stuff:
Basement renovation: If you’re considering a basement renovation, concrete slabs like the ones at https://www.brothersconstructionwi.com/our-services/slabs/ are an excellent choice for flooring due to their durability, moisture resistance, and ability to provide a stable foundation. This took up most of my time this past year. Frustrating, expensive (I should have been a plumber or electrician!), but gratifying. Took a bit longer than expected, and still not 100% finished, but the major work is done. I think this needed to happen for the property overall, even if it means I have more space than I could possibly need :). N.B. if you ever want to lose weight, do a home reno; I shed 20lbs!
New job: I started a new job in the fall, which promises to be very exciting and satisfying, especially given the state of the geospatial web. The new gig will give me more opportunity for discovery and SensorWeb information management spaces. So I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’ve also been having fun 1/2 time with the GeoConnections program again, so it’s fun to work with some previous colleagues and getting acquianted with new faces who are helping to shape and evolve our national infrastructure. So thanks again to those for helping me along a tough road and getting me here; I owe you big time 🙂
For 2009:
Work: January 11 will mark 10 years of civil service for yours truly
Data dissemination: this is my key function in my day job for the months to come. I look forward to evolving what started off as a very high level strategy into an architecture all the way to implementation. This will be fun!
Standing up usable catalogues: you’ll see a few OGC Cat2.0 instances this year.
MapServer: more CITE fixes for SOS and O&M. One thing I’d really like to see for 2009 is official compliance for OGC standards in MapServer
T.O. Code Sprint in March: this event is going to be fun. What could be better than foss4g and beers, all in the centre of the universe 🙂
Renovations: I think that is it, for this place, for now. Almost three years and it’s time for a rest in this space
Property: I think it will be a good time to buy in 2009. The question (for me) is where. Locally, or down south?
All the best for 2009 for you and your loved ones!
