Geo For All: Advancing Open Source Geospatial Education Worldwide

Three years after forming a partnership, the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) and the International Cartographic Association (ICA) continue to expand the reach of their joint educational effort: the ICA–OSGeo Labs Initiative. Built around the use of free and open source geospatial technologies (FOSS4G), the initiative connects universities, government institutions and industry partners in a collaborative network dedicated to research and education.

Directions Magazine spoke with Helena Mitasova, associate professor in the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University, to assess how the initiative has evolved and what challenges it seeks to address.

Addressing Gaps in Geospatial Education

Operating under the motto “Geo For All,” the initiative is centered on the principle that access to GIS tools and educational materials should not be restricted by cost or licensing constraints. In this context, “free” extends beyond price: software and teaching resources are intended to be openly accessible, modifiable and shareable in accordance with open source principles.

One of the network’s core motivations is the limited availability of Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) programs in developing countries. Proprietary software costs can be prohibitive, effectively restricting the establishment of geospatial curricula. By leveraging FOSS4G tools and openly licensed educational content, institutions in these regions can develop programs tailored to local priorities without incurring significant licensing expenses.

Even in North America and Europe, where GIS education is well established, instruction often relies exclusively on proprietary platforms. The labs network seeks to broaden students’ exposure to multiple geospatial environments, fostering adaptability and deeper computational understanding. Access to source code—critical for scientific research and experimentation—remains constrained in closed systems. Open source software removes that barrier, enabling direct engagement with underlying algorithms and workflows.

The initiative also responds to fragmentation within the educational ecosystem. Although mature FOSS4G communities and development infrastructures exist, educational materials have historically lacked a coordinated framework for sharing and updating. The labs network aims to move beyond isolated individual efforts toward a sustained, institutionally supported global community.

Growth and Measurable Progress

Since its launch following a memorandum of understanding between OSGeo and ICA in 2011, the initiative has grown steadily. The network now includes 65 laboratories worldwide. Rather than operating under a centralized corporate structure, it functions as a self-organizing community supported by an advisory board.

Activity across the network has been substantial. A monthly webinar series has been established, enabling knowledge exchange among participants. The NASA WorldWind Europe competition has entered its second year. FOSS4G-focused sessions have appeared at numerous conferences, and an expanding online repository of open educational materials continues to develop. Faculty members and instructors share course design strategies, teaching approaches and curricular advice, while labs collaborate on research projects and host workshops internationally.

Because the initiative reflects open source governance principles, success is evaluated through the collective accomplishments of participating nodes rather than through formalized reporting structures. Growth in participation, resource sharing and collaborative engagement serves as the primary measure of progress.

Curriculum Development and Standards Alignment

Efforts to build open source GIS curricula remain intentionally flexible. While some participating labs may align course materials with established standards such as the GIST Body of Knowledge or related competency frameworks, alignment is not mandatory. The decentralized structure allows individual institutions—or clusters of institutions—to develop content addressing emerging or interdisciplinary areas that may fall outside traditional educational standards.

This open marketplace of educational resources encourages broad adoption of effective teaching materials while still supporting highly specialized or advanced content for smaller audiences. In rapidly evolving domains at the intersection of GIS and other disciplines, such flexibility is particularly valuable.

Expanding FOSS4G in Established Education Systems

Although expanding access in developing regions remains a priority, the initiative also addresses needs in the United States and Europe. Despite widespread GIS instruction at the university level, FOSS4G integration remains limited in many programs. Exposure to open geospatial computing environments provides students with a broader technical foundation and prepares them for diverse professional contexts.

At North Carolina State University, for example, a blended model combining open source and proprietary platforms has proven effective. The widespread adoption of Python—a free and open programming language frequently used alongside proprietary GIS tools—illustrates how open technologies can complement established systems.

Participation Beyond the Labs Network

All materials and activities generated by the ICA–OSGeo Labs Initiative are publicly accessible online. Educators and researchers outside the formal network can incorporate resources into their own programs, contribute to collaborative projects or participate in webinars and community events.

Support for the initiative can take multiple forms: promoting awareness, organizing FOSS4G sessions at conferences, sponsoring community sprints, or funding competitive fellowships for students pursuing degrees in geospatial science and technology with an emphasis on open source tools.

By building a distributed, globally connected network dedicated to open geospatial education, the ICA–OSGeo Labs Initiative continues to lower barriers to GIS learning and research. Its “Geo For All” vision reflects a commitment not only to technological openness but also to equitable access to geospatial knowledge worldwide.