FOSS4G — Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial — is the flagship global conference of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo). Organised by OSGeo since 2006, it brings together developers, users, decision-makers and enthusiasts who share a passion for open source geospatial technology.

Closer to home, FOSS4G:UK is the UK chapter’s own series of events, organised by volunteers under the OSGeo:UK banner. These range from multi-venue local days to focused regional meet-ups, and give GIS professionals a valuable opportunity to network, learn and share ideas.

Both events champion the principles that open source GIS is built on: collaboration, transparency and community-driven innovation. For organisations like Astun that build enterprise solutions on OSGeo technologies — including QGIS, GeoServer, PostGIS, MapServer and OpenLayers — FOSS4G is not just a conference. It’s where the tools we depend on are shaped, improved and celebrated.

Astun’s FOSS4G involvement over the years

Previous sponsorships

We’ve been a consistent supporter of the open source geospatial community for well over a decade. We’re a long-standing sponsor of OSGeo and contribute to open source projects through sponsorship, funded code development, staff time at community events, code sprints and hackathons, and volunteer activity from the team.

Our FOSS4G and FOSS4G:UK support has included involvement in FOSS4G 2013 in Nottingham, FOSS4G:UK 2016, FOSS4G:UK 2018 in London, FOSS4G 2022 in Florence, FOSS4G:UK Local events, and FOSS4G:UK 2025 in Leeds. We’ve also contributed to and funded features for OSGeo projects including GeoNetwork, the Gemini 2.3 metadata plugin, the [gml] Loader and plugins for both QGIS and QField.

Speakers from Astun

Astuners have been taking to the FOSS4G stage for years, covering everything from enterprise GIS architecture and mobile data capture to Raspberry Pi map servers, QGIS plugins and the lighter side of geospatial.

• FOSS4G 2017, Boston — Ian Turton presented “Pirate Maps: Experiments with portable maps on the Raspberry Pi” and Steven Feldman delivered his memorable talk, “FAKE MAPS, very dishonest”.
• FOSS4G:UK 2018, London — Jo Cook ran a workshop on “Getting Started with Git and GitHub”. Ian Turton presented “How to Contribute to GeoTools and GeoServer” and “Load Balancing & Load Testing Strategies for Web Map Servers”. Aileen Heal presented on Foreign Data Wrappers in PostGIS. Matt Walker delivered a workshop on “Creating Web Maps using OpenLayers” and Ant Scott spoke about his QGIS plugin for MapAction.
• FOSS4G:UK 2019, Edinburgh – Jo Cook spoke on the merits of metadata. Matt Walker ran an OpenLayers workshop whilst Dan Ormsby presented how it’s possible to run high performance desktop GIS in a web browser.
• FOSS4G 2022, Florence — Andy Bailey presented “From the field to the desk — end-to-end mobile data capture in an enterprise environment”, Ian Turton shared advice on getting good answers on StackExchange, and Ant Scott spoke about analysing access to UK public rights of way using the QGIS Graphical Modeler.
• FOSS4G:UK Local 2023 — Mike Saunt in London reflected on 20 years of open source mapping adoption in “Back to 2003”. In Swansea, Matt Walker and Rhys Wynne-Jones from Ramblers Cymru presented “Building and maintaining Paths to Wellbeing”, and in Bristol, Elena Robu showcased how machine learning can automate metadata creation.
• FOSS4G:UK South West 2024, Bristol — Andy Bailey presented “QField in an enterprise setting”, sharing how to integrate field data into an enterprise environment securely.
• FOSS4G:UK 2025, Leeds — Mike Saunt presented on ETL strategies and Matt Walker demonstrated event triggers within Postgresql.

Favourite memories from the Astun team

Some of the best FOSS4G memories are the personal ones: the places visited, people met, unexpected conversations, community traditions and occasional quirky venues.

• At FOSS4G 2016 in Bonn, Ant Scott recalled the event being held in the old German Parliament building, with speakers testing out Chancellor Kohl’s chair. Accommodation in BaseCamp — a warehouse full of vintage caravans, camper vans and even a railway carriage — added to the atmosphere.
• At FOSS4G 2022 in Florence, Astuners enjoyed a packed programme of workshops, presentations and lightning talks, alongside the social events, sunshine and views that made the conference especially memorable.
• At FOSS4G:UK South West 2024, Alexei Schwab’s talk on creating a QGIS grid layout plugin inspired Andy Bailey to revisit and submit his own QGIS plugin work from several years earlier.
• The team has also enjoyed hosting and supporting local FOSS4G:UK meet-ups, including events at Worcester County Cricket Club and Brunel’s Boardroom in Bristol.

FOSS4G in 2026

Leeds is hosting FOSS4G:UK 2026 on October 12/13th and we’re a proud sponsor. Register now to enjoy two days of talks and workshops with a packed programme of open source geospatial content. It’s a brilliant opportunity for Astun & our customers to celebrate the OSGeo technologies we use every day, share real-world experience, and connect with the people shaping the future of open geospatial.

A look ahead to 2027

What, where, when

The global FOSS4G conference is coming to the UK in 2027 — and it’s heading to Bristol. Bristol was selected through OSGeo’s competitive bid process, with a proposal led by the OSGeo:UK Local Organising Committee.

The conference is planned for the University of Bristol, with workshops early in the week, the main conference running from Wednesday to Friday, and code sprints over the weekend. The likely date is the second week of July with the exact timing to be confirmed.

This will be the first time the global FOSS4G has been held in the UK since Nottingham in 2013 — an event we were closely involved in organising.

Opportunities for getting involved

FOSS4G 2027 will offer opportunities for Astuners and customers to submit talks, run workshops, volunteer, attend code sprints, sponsor the event, and connect with the global open source geospatial community.

With the conference on our doorstep, it’s a fantastic chance to showcase the work we do with OSGeo technologies — whether that is migration case studies, enterprise GIS, image processing, open data publishing, web mapping, metadata, automation, or the customer projects that make open source geospatial useful in the real world. Keep an eye on our blog for more information.