FOSS4G BE+NL in Baarle Hertog/Nassau
From 25th to 27th September 2024, OSGeo BE and OSGeo NL joined forces to organize a FOSS4G conference for the Dutch and Belgian communities. The event was packed with engaging activities, insightful presentations, and hands-on workshops.
The venue of the event couldn't have been chosen better: Cultuurcentrum Baarle in the enclaves of Baarle Hertog/Baarle Nassau. The Dutch-Belgian border literally crosses the venue, as can seen on this beautiful interactive map made by Niene Boeijen.
Around 160 participants have attended the event.
Day 2: Presentations and Keynotes
On 26th September, the day began with a nice Opening Session. Frans van Rooij shared fascinating stories about the history of the enclaves, peppered with humorous anecdotes. This was followed by a keynote from Evert Meijer, who discussed the significance of enclaves and the role of OSGeo in education.
The first session featured my presentation on QGIS for Hydrological Applications, where I explored various tools available in QGIS for hydrological analysis. Following my presentation, Yonas Negusse showcased the power of PCRaster Tools through different case studies, ranging from water pans in Africa to urban drainage applications. Yonas, who graduated from IHE Delft Institute for Water Education last year and now runs his own company Blue Arrows, was a student I supervised.
Leonardo Porto Nazareth then presented on the early-stage planning of sanitation using open data and QGIS. His presentation, based on his MSc thesis at IHE Delft, highlighted a tool he developed in QGIS for planning sanitation. Leonardo, who is also one of my MSc thesis students from IHE Delft, will soon graduate and continue the work he presented.
After many presentations and a good lunch, the event closed with a keynote by Blake Esselstyn on how open source geo tools can shape (some) American elections, followed by thanking the organisation, which I was happy to be part of. The day ended with drinks.
Day 1: Workshops
The conference kicked off on 25th September with a lunch and a series of workshops. I had the pleasure of conducting a workshop on Point Cloud Processing with QGIS. The materials for this workshop are available for free at GIS OpenCourseWare. For those interested in a certificate, you can also follow the course on Udemy.
The day ended with an ice-breaker party, which included a Pub Quiz by Raymond Nijssen.
Day 3: Code Sprint
The final day, 27th September, was dedicated to a code sprint, where participants collaborated on various projects, contributing to the open-source community.
Volunteering and Accommodation
I was happy to be part of the programme committee and volunteered to lend a hand during the event. All volunteers received a beautiful t-shirt featuring the map of the enclaves in Baarle Hertog/Nassau. All participants received a nice mug.
For accommodation, I stayed at De Heimolen. While the Dutch QGIS User Group had arranged a field for tents, I opted to stay with Yonas and Leonardo in a cozy wood cabin.
Overall, the FOSS4G conference was a fantastic event, filled with learning, networking, and collaboration. I look forward to participating in future events and continuing to contribute to the OSGeo community.