OSBootCamp, created via a collaborative effort between Ingres, Ontario’s Talent First Network, and Carleton University, is a series of conferences aimed at outreach and awareness of open source software. In addition, it is a place where students can quickly learn OSS industry skills to enable them to contribute to innovation in open source software. OSBootCamp conferences are conducted monthly and organized around a different topic and focus of interest to the open source community. Previous OSBootCamps have focused on topics such as web programming and open source databases.

“Although Universities are increasingly integrating open source in their curriculum, OSBootCamp provides an environment for students to learn about open source software from people who are involved in it on a daily basis,” said Deb Woods, vice president of product management for Ingres. “In addition to acquiring skills which will provide career differentiation, OSBootCamp participants have the opportunity to mingle and to learn about interesting opportunities in the OSS world.”

Ingres Awarded Geospatial Software Grant

Andrew Ross, Ingres senior software engineer, Scott Mitchell, professor at Carleton University, and a team of Carleton University interns were recently awarded a grant by Ontario’s Talent First Network to develop a Geospatial Ecosystem. The focus of their grant work will be to create a geospatial application platform based on open source software such as the projects supported by the OSGeo. This platform will allow application developers to reduce or avoid time to integrate and debug the open source software components, and instead focus on delivering business value.

“We are very pleased with the Ingres-led efforts to establish OSBootCamp and the proposal to set up a Geospatial Ecosystem,” said Tony Bailetti, director of Ontario’s Talent First Network. “We look forward to working collaboratively with Ingres and their partners to make great things happen in the geospatial space.”

Ingres and the OSGeo began their collaboration in 2007 and have since increased their mutual involvement. OSGeo is a not-for-profit organization with 9 official chapters around the globe and 59 charter members whose mission is to support and promote the collaborative development of open geospatial technologies and data.

“Both the OSGeo and Ingres are committed to providing open source solutions that ensure high quality and interoperability for projects than can span the globe,” said Frank Warmerdam, president of OSGeo. “We also hold a common belief about the importance of teaching the next generation of developers and business professionals about open source software.”