Comments on: Keep state geodata open http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/03/30/keep-state-geodata-open-2/ Same old blog, brand new place Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:14:34 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Russell Nelson http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/03/30/keep-state-geodata-open-2/comment-page-1/#comment-30010 Russell Nelson Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:44:24 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/03/30/keep-state-geodata-open-2/#comment-30010 Oh, and I'd add that the New York State GIS Clearinghouse uses a "BSDI" type of licensing: they only accept data which is freely copyable by all clearinghouse members. Unfortunately, individuals and corporations are not welcome. Only nonprofits and governments, blah. Oh, and I’d add that the New York State GIS Clearinghouse uses a “BSDI” type of licensing: they only accept data which is freely copyable by all clearinghouse members. Unfortunately, individuals and corporations are not welcome. Only nonprofits and governments, blah.

]]> By: Russell Nelson http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/03/30/keep-state-geodata-open-2/comment-page-1/#comment-30009 Russell Nelson Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:42:24 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/03/30/keep-state-geodata-open-2/#comment-30009 The reason that I've heard for closing down geodata is that the state bureaucrats REALLY don't like to see their hard work get taken for free and then sold to people with no gain to their department. So ... they lock it down and then sell it. But what they fail to realize is that if you make it totally free, then nobody can profit (unduly) from it. I think that they don't understand that there's good Open Source GIS programs, like Thuban, or GRASS, or QuantumGiS (QGIS). The reason that I’ve heard for closing down geodata is that the state bureaucrats REALLY don’t like to see their hard work get taken for free and then sold to people with no gain to their department. So … they lock it down and then sell it.

But what they fail to realize is that if you make it totally free, then nobody can profit (unduly) from it. I think that they don’t understand that there’s good Open Source GIS programs, like Thuban, or GRASS, or QuantumGiS (QGIS).

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