OSGeo Approves Mapbender and Accelerates Open Source Geospatial Momentum

Seattle, Washington, USA — July 19 — The Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) has formally recognized Mapbender as its first fully approved project, marking a significant milestone for the organization just six months after its establishment. Mapbender successfully completed the Foundation’s incubation requirements, satisfying both legal and community governance standards necessary for official endorsement.

Since its founding in early 2006, OSGeo has rapidly gained traction within the geospatial sector. By offering structured quality assurance and transparent project oversight, the Foundation aims to strengthen trust in open source geospatial software while actively engaging the broader GIS community through conferences and industry events.

Mapbender Completes OSGeo Incubation Process

Mapbender is a portal-oriented framework designed to manage geospatial data using OGC Open Web Services (OWS) architectures. Built with PHP and JavaScript, the software provides a client-side environment for coordinating interoperable web map services. It includes preconfigured interfaces that support viewing, editing, and administrative management of map services and users.

The software has been adopted globally, powering applications ranging from municipal mapping portals to sophisticated systems used for agricultural subsidy grant applications. A variety of implementations are showcased in the Mapbender Gallery.

To achieve official OSGeo status, Mapbender underwent a comprehensive incubation process. This included a detailed legal audit of all source code to identify and resolve potential intellectual property or licensing conflicts. In addition, the project’s governance structure, infrastructure, and community health were evaluated. The review assessed whether the development process adhered to open source best practices, maintained transparent decision-making, and fostered inclusive collaboration.

Paul Spencer, CTO of DM Solutions Group, served as Mapbender’s incubation mentor. Drawing on extensive open source experience, he advised the project team throughout the review process and helped elevate the project’s visibility within the Foundation, strengthening opportunities for collaboration with other OSGeo initiatives.

Rapid Growth of the OSGeo Community

Formed by a coalition of open source advocates, OSGeo was created to promote and support collaborative development of geospatial technologies. Within half a year, the Foundation’s communication channels have reached hundreds of developers and users worldwide, with additional members registered through its website.

At the time of the announcement, eight projects were progressing through incubation. These projects span a wide spectrum of geospatial tools, from foundational libraries and web services frameworks to comprehensive desktop GIS applications.

Foundation president Frank Warmerdam emphasized that the incubation framework enhances confidence in approved projects, particularly in areas such as intellectual property assurance and sustainable community governance.

Expanding Outreach Through Industry Events

Beyond project governance, OSGeo places strong emphasis on advocacy and outreach. Following notable participation at the Where 2.0 conference earlier in the year — where more than 30 OSGeo members exhibited and presented — the Foundation continues its visibility efforts at additional major events.

At the O’Reilly Open Source Convention (OSCON) in Portland, Oregon, OSGeo is hosting a booth to engage with the broader open source community. Gary Lang of Autodesk is delivering a keynote presentation, with additional talks by Mark Lucas (Radiant Blue), Jo Walsh (Open Knowledge Foundation), and Aaron Racicot (EcoTrust).

Simultaneously, OSGeo contributors are presenting at GeoWeb 2006 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Michael P. Gerlek of LizardTech is discussing the Foundation’s mission, while Ian Turton of Pennsylvania State University is presenting research on geocollaborative systems built on open standards and open software. Gary Lang is also scheduled to provide a keynote address at this event.

About the Open Source Geospatial Foundation

The Open Source Geospatial Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering collaborative development of open geospatial technologies and datasets. The Foundation supplies financial, legal, and organizational support to its projects and serves as an independent legal entity through which contributors can safely donate code, funding, or other resources.

In addition to supporting development, OSGeo advocates for the adoption of open source geospatial software and public data, providing shared infrastructure and forums to strengthen cross-project collaboration. All Foundation-supported projects are distributed under OSI-certified open source licenses and remain freely accessible to the public.