Board/Minutes/2023-02

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Date and time: Thursday 23 February 2023 at 13:30 UTC - Countdown

Minutes approved on 2023-03-30.
The topics of the agenda get locked one week before the meeting.

Please note that the individual points mentioned below usually reflect the opinion of one or more board members and not necessarily of the whole board. Official board decisions are taken during the meetings or by voting using circulars, and votes are listed in the minutes.

Video room: https://osmvideo.cloud68.co/user/dor-2cd-qah-rim
using BigBlueButton.

Acronyms

Participants

Board members

  • Arnalie Vicario
  • Craig Allan
  • Guillaume Rischard (Chairing)
  • Mateusz Konieczny
  • Mikel Maron
  • Roland Olbricht
  • Sarah Hoffmann

Officers and board
Biographies

Minutes by Dorothea Kazazi.

Not Present

Guests

Open to all OSMF members.

You are welcome to ask questions or to comment (via voice or on the chat) at the end of the meeting.

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Administrative

Previous minutes

Circular Resolutions

2023/Res02 Add use of logo as a benefit for corporate members

The OSMF board decides to add the following benefit at 'Supporter Level' (and consequently for all levels) for Corporate members at https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Join_as_a_corporate_member:
  • use our logo to publicly advertise your OSMF membership and support of OpenStreetMap.

Rationale:
We recently received an inquiry from a potential corporate member if they can advertise OSMF membership on their website, see https://gitlab.com/osmfoundation/board/-/issues/3911. We answered the inquiry positively but going further we should make that official policy. Their advertisement of membership is good publicity for the OSMF.

Unanimously approved on 2023-01-27 with 7 votes in favour: Mateusz Konieczny (Though we should make clear that (1) it should be not used in way suggesting that OSMF endorses/supports all activities of Corporate member (2) it does not block use of logo by entities which are not Corporate members.), Arnalie Vicario, Roland Olbricht, Guillaume Rischard (Yes, and I'm also putting 'reinvent corporate membership tiers' on my 2023 priorities list.), Mikel Maron, Sarah Hoffmann, Craig Allan.

Circular by Sarah Hoffmann.

1 Accessible to board members only.

2023/Res03 Approve active contributor membership application #2023013010000193

The Board currently decides on active contributor membership applications based on non-mapping contributions on a case-by-case basis.

Approved on 2023-02-09 with 5 votes in favour:

  • Mikel Maron
  • Roland Olbricht ([They do] know how to map, based on the version 1 elements with [their] username: [they] cover many buildings, but also other things. In combination with the apparent community engagement it is for sure enough.
  • Mateusz Konieczny (Has anyone managed to track down edits from that mapathon or OEG1 page?)
  • Craig Allan (The applicant appears, from the two current Twitter images posted, and [their] OSM bio, to be a key community organiser in the development and continuing operation of OSM in [country]. [They have] done a small amount of mapping in [country] as well - not the 42 days, but the community work covers that shortfall.).
  • Sarah Hoffmann

2 did not vote: Arnalie Vicario, Guillaume Rischard.

Application initially processed by the Membership Working Group.

1 List of organised editing activities
Gender and country have been obfuscated.

2023/Res04 Approve active contributor membership application #2023020210000038

The Board currently decides on active contributor membership applications based on non-mapping contributions on a case-by-case basis.

Rejected on 2023-02-10 with 5 votes against

  • Mikel Maron (active contribution should be more than participation and attendance, but active contribution in some form)
  • Craig Allan (10 mapping days. [They] attended two conferences. I would like to see a re-application on the basis of documented work in active support of OSM related activities. Active support would be (for example) being an office bearer in an organisation, being a community organiser, volunteer worker or a speaker at any OSM supporting event. Alternatively the applicant could choose to do 32 more days of mapping before the end of April 2023 and associate membership could be granted on that basis.)
  • Mateusz Konieczny (Per Mikel and Craig, fully agree with both).
  • Roland Olbricht
  • Sarah Hoffmann

2 did not vote: Arnalie Vicario, Guillaume Rischard.

Application initially processed by the Membership Working Group.

2023/Res05 Data Working Group Ticket#2022120710000039 — Issue #23378

Agree: we agree with Data Working Group (DWG) and uphold block and reject appeal.

Disagree: we disagree with DWG and consider appeal as right.

Approved on 2023-02-18 with 5 votes in favour:

  • Roland Olbricht
  • Guillaume Rischard
  • Sarah Hoffmann
  • Craig Allan (The appellant motivated an appeal on provocation by another user using the "Twitter method", but did not deny that the offending behaviour happened. Provocation could possibly function as a mitigating factor if the appellant was appealing on the severity of the sanction but the appellant had asked for the matter to be dismissed entirely, as if they were innocent of the charges. I don't think the appeal has merit and my vote is for the original block by the DWG to stand.).
  • Mateusz Konieczny

2 did not vote: Arnalie Vicario, Mikel Maron.

Circular by Mateusz Konieczny.

2023/Res06 Approve active contributor membership application #2023021210000064

The Board currently decides on active contributor membership applications based on non-mapping contributions on a case-by-case basis.

Rejected on 2023-02-20 with 6 votes against:

  • Roland Olbricht
  • Sarah Hoffmann
  • Mikel Maron (needs evidence of contribution outside of mapping. otherwise can continue on recent mapping streak toward 42 days).
  • Arnalie Vicario (new user (registered Nov 2022) and will need more mapping days to fit criteria or provide evidence of non-mapping contribution.)
  • Mateusz Konieczny (no contributions beyond mapping were mentioned, we have guidelines for mapping-based contributions and editing in multiple countries is cool, but not so significant to give active contributor membership for it. Good luck with mapping for one more month and applying in a standard way!).
  • Craig Allan (We thank the applicant for their interest and support and welcome this application. We note that they may have misunderstood our requirements for non-mapping membership. As there is no demonstration of non-mapping direct contributions attached to the application they are asked to rather qualify for mapping based membership. They should please complete an additional 32 days of mapping, at which point they will automatically become eligible to be an associate member.).

1 did not vote: Guillaume Rischard.

Application initially processed by the Membership Working Group.

Action item updates

See Board/Action_Items.

Reportage

Goals from the 2022 screen-to-screen board meeting

Related to the 2022-03-26 action item "to turn the "must" goals of the goal list into action items at the March (2022) board meeting".

In motion.

Restricting State of the Map presentations for big attribution violators

Related to the 2022-02-26 action item "to ask the State of the Map organising committee what they think about the idea of restricting State of the Map presentations for big attribution violators. [Session: Attribution - Agree on an attribution enforcement strategy".

Suggestion to rethink all action items regarding attribution and discuss them during the March 2023 screen-to-screen meeting (Outcome of the session "Setting an agenda for 2023 and beyond").

Formalisation/clarification on commercial activities of Local Chapters

Related to the 2021-09-24 action item "to seek feedback from the Local Chapters and Communities Working Group (LCCWG) regarding formalisation/clarification on commercial activities of Local Chapters (LCs) (what is tolerated/expected/not welcome) and board expectations.

On commercial activities of Local Chapters

  • Frequent question by Local Chapters on what is permitted regarding commercial activities.
  • Necessary to codify the unwritten rules and the criteria.

Regarding the action item

  • was created after a commercial company applied to become a Local Chapter and the application was not approved.
  • is also related to the discussions with the association of the French professionals (Fédération des Pros d'OSM - FPOSM, background here).

EU transparency register

Related to the 2021-12-11 (Annual General Meeting) derived action item "The Board to choose a new board member with legal responsibility and in charge of EU relations for the EU transparency register.
  • OSMF is no longer on the EU transparency register.
  • We used to get notified about things the EU wants an opinion on.
  • Notifications were very broad.
  • Low maintenance.

Other points mentioned during the discussion

  • If we ever want to lobby the EU as a UK company, we can always register again.
  • We should have lobbied to the EU, but we haven't.

Action item: Guillaume to message the password for the EU transparency registry account to Sarah.

Treasurer's report

Main activities

  • Setting up the budget (see also later discussion #Approve_budget)
  • Starting the fundraising effort.

On contacting the OSMF accountant

Michelle Heydon is OSMF's accountant (See Contractors and employees).

  • The Treasurer receives emails by Michelle several times per week.
  • Could work more closely with her but doesn't want to contact her constantly for medium-priority issues.
  • Monthly stand-ups did not work. Some things cannot wait for a month, or sometimes there are no issues.

On PayPal account issue

  • We usually receive membership payments and donations via an OSMF PayPal account.
  • PayPal has a mechanism to protect against seller fraud that allows people to ask for reimbursement of payments.
  • OSMF failed at some part of the process, as Roland does not have access to the PayPal account and Michelle did not have the email.
  • It is impractical to change the access rights to the PayPal account.

On Bank of Ireland

  • Impossible to have 3 people with access.

Suggestion: The Treasurer to schedule a full-day meeting with Michelle and Guillaume (ex Treasurer and now Chairperson).

Transfer from savings account to Triodos Bank

  • Michelle asked Guillaume to clear a transfer from the savings account to Triodos.
  • Guillaume had the impression that we had a lot of GBP.
  • 90 days notice is necessary to release funds from the savings accounts.

Secretary’s report

Advisory Board monthly update

Moderation - consultation of talk and osmf-talk mailing lists

The two week consultation on moderation of the talk@openstreetmap.org and osmf-talk@openstreetmap.org mailing list has been completed.

Only received one direct private feedback.

Local Chapter activity reports

Annual Local Chapter activity reports are required by the agreement that the Local Chapters sign after getting approved as a Local Chapter. Current agreement here. There is a similar obligation for the OSMF board.
  • We have received 5-6 Local Chapter reports so far.
  • Might create a report on blog.openstreetmap.org

Overture Steering Committee meeting

  • The board had a meeting in February with the Overture Steering Committee. It was a chance to hear from each other.
  • The program manager at Overture reached out to schedule a follow-up meeting.
  • Mikel has asked to have a single point of contact, in order to create the agenda ahead of time. We have not heard back yet.

Microsoft MapBuilder

Suggestions

  • Sent a unified message to Microsoft from the OSMF.
  • Have an "editor" policy.
  • Update the terms of use, so that you cannot register an OSM account for someone else.
    • Can have side effects, e.g. cases of companies with two people who share a single OSM account or setting-up an account after the request of a relative.
  • Have feedback from the Data Working Group and the Licensing Working Group before proceeding.

Points mentioned as necessary during discussion

  • People who are signing-up for a MapBuilder account must be made perfectly aware that they are going to edit OSM, even if indirectly.
  • There must be a way to have two-way direct contact with the users.
  • (approximate suggested wording) People must be able to use their OSM account with any editing software they like. People could use the usual authentication mechanisms on osm.org and e.g. also log-in to community.osm.org

On sending a unified message to Microsoft

  • The board has started working on a draft email.
  • In the past, Working Groups members and board members were telling Microsoft different things.
  • Critically important to have a good understanding of where things are and what they are considering.
  • Most of the content of the letter has been provided to Microsoft before.
  • Asking for a response in seven days is short, if it's not an emergency situation.

Data Working Group (DWG)

  • The board's draft email was shared with the DWG. No response yet.

Licensing Working Group (LWG)

  • Looked at the terms of service.
  • Made some comments regarding Microsoft's permission to do all the things we ask for on the terms of use.
  • Are scheduling a meeting to talk with Microsoft directly.

On timing of the letter

  • First get feedback from the Working Groups on the draft letter.
  • Suggestion to send the letter after the Licensing Working Group meeting with Microsoft.
  • Concern: There is some urgency as it is not clear if the people with MapBuilder accounts have given explicit consent to submit their edits to OSM.

On discussions with people from Microsoft MapBuilder

  • The first discussions of board members with people from Microsoft MapBuilder were almost a year ago.
  • Mikel had recent discussions.
  • There was also a meeting between members of the board, the Data Working Group and members of the Microsoft MapBuilder team.

MapBuilder - current status

  • Currently they are not automatically creating accounts for new MapBuilder users.
  • OSM edits from new MapBuilder users are sent to a queue for their editorial team to review and then they are submitted to OSM, if they are considered to be valid.
  • Existing MapBuilder accounts can submit OSM edits, which currently go through a review process.

Vote - the board to send a unified response to Microsoft by 2023-03-03

Amended motion:

After board review and feedback from Data Working Group (DWG) and Licensing Working Group (LWG), the board to send a unified response to Microsoft by end of next week (2023-03-03).

Unanimous approval with 7 votes in favour: Arnalie Vicario, Craig Allan, Guillaume Rischard, Mateusz Konieczny, Mikel Maron, Roland Olbricht, Sarah Hoffmann.

Approve budget

Suggestions:

  • Approve budget to inform the membership and start the fundraising campaign.
  • Regular assessment (e.g. annual) of spending on the budget. Can also be real-time, Michelle has done most of the work.

Points mentioned during discussion

  • Talk with Michelle Heydon (OSMF accountant) about spreadsheet and budgetary control has not happened yet.
  • The budget is mostly a communication device to show people where we are.
  • Uncomfortable to approve something with no budgetary control, so that we can check how much we spent on each item and how much we have left.
  • The only big item that the board has under control is the personnel budget.
  • No plan to micromanage the Operations Working Group's budget.

Vote - approve budget and ensure budgetary control

Motion:

Approve the draft budget as presented by the Treasurer and task Treasurer to talk to the accountant to ensure meaningful budgetary control, based on spending and income.

Unanimous approval with 7 votes in favour: Arnalie Vicario, Craig Allan, Guillaume Rischard, Mateusz Konieczny, Mikel Maron, Roland Olbricht, Sarah Hoffmann.

Budget, as shared after the vote.

Monthly presentation - OSM Poland

Presentation by Michal Brzozowski about OSM Poland (Local Chapter).

Started at 14:15 UTC.

Links shared:

Questions and answers

On buying automated external defibrillators in Poland without registration

Question by Guillaume Rischard (board) whether one can buy an automated external defibrillator (AED) in Poland without registration.

> No registration is needed.
> Communication of OSM Poland with the Polish Ministry of Health regarding registrations.

On providing more information about dopomoha.pl

Question by Guillaume Rischard (board) on providing more information about dopomoha.pl

> dopomoha.pl was a site created by OSM Poland for Ukrainians to find resources and help during immigration, e.g. Points of Interest (schools, pharmacies, etc) and an Ukrainian version of OSM Carto with names in Ukrainian.
> Organisations working on the ground with the refugees were more successful. Project currently on hold.
> Amazing to see how quickly people organised.

On current and future projects of the Polish community

Question by Guillaume Rischard (board) on current and future projects of the Polish community.

> Currently focused on the openAED map.
> People working on JOSM plugin.

On how OSMF can help

Question by Mateusz Konieczny (board) on how OSMF can help.

> Current model of Local Chapters (LCs) and OSMF is more decentralised. > Some members from OSM Poland might apply in the next round of Microgrants programme (microgrants framework).

> Suggestions:
> Local chapters and communities should collaborate more to not duplicate efforts.
> Have common materials and translate them.
> Website design changes, as currently it is possible to map without any other participation.

Any other business

Suggestion to have Working Groups' reports

Suggested during the discussion of board action items.

On moderation consultation

Is the board comfortable to continue moderation?

After the two-week consultation, there were no public responses and one private response.

Vote - continue moderation on talk and osmf-talk indefinitely

Motion:

Continue moderation on talk, and osmf-talk indefinitely.

Unanimous approval with 7 votes in favour: Arnalie Vicario, Craig Allan, Guillaume Rischard, Mateusz Konieczny, Mikel Maron, Roland Olbricht, Sarah Hoffmann.

Note: the categories "general", "general:tagging", and "foundation" on community.openstreetmap.org are also currently moderated by the same team. These categories were added after the May decision to appoint the team. Specifically, on November 2022 the self-appointed @forums-governance team on community.openstreetmap.org reached out to the board-appointed moderation team to see whether they would be interested in becoming moderators on community.openstreetmap.org and they accepted.

Operations Working Group's experimentation with vector tiles

  • Having realised the limitation of existing software (no minutely updates), Paul Norman (Operations Working Group (OWG) volunteer) proposed to work on a vector tile schema and style.
  • It will require funding.
  • Guillaume will work on a proposal that will be shared with the OWG first and could also be used for fundraising.
  • With vector tiles we could also do different color styles, dark themes and maps in different languages.

Guest comments or questions

None.

Next meetings

Screen-to-screen board meeting

Four-hour board meeting on 2023-03-04, closed to observers. The meeting will be facilitated by Allen Gunn (see recurring contractors).

Post-meeting addition: Outcome of the session "Setting an agenda for 2023 and beyond.

March mid-month board chat

Not open to observers.

Decision to not have a mid-month board chat in March, as the screen-to-screen board meeting will take place.

March public board meeting

Open board meetings take place online once a month. The recurring day and time for board meetings in 2023 have not been set yet.

See the Monthly Board meetings page to find out where board meetings are announced and for a subscription link to have future board meetings automatically added to your calendar.

Meeting adjourned 88' after start.

Acronyms

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