Dr. Rajat Shinde, a computer scientist at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, was recently reelected to the Open-Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) Board of Directors. The primary mission of the not-for-profit OSGeo organization is to “support and promote the collaborative development of open-source geospatial software, data, and education.”
In April 2023, Shinde joined UAH’s Earth System Science Center, supported by NASA’s Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT). His research efforts with IMPACT include developing data systems solutions to address needs identified by the science user group on the Multi-mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP), a collaborative project between NASA and the European Space Agency that facilitates best practices in data stewardship and analysis. Additionally, he is involved in a project to create a geospatial artificial intelligence foundation model for Earth observation data.
Shinde became a charter member of OSGeo, one of the largest and most active open-source geospatial communities, in 2017. He was first elected to the nine-member OSGeo board of directors in 2021, earning the distinction of being the youngest-ever board member. His reelection extends his tenure on the board until November 2025.
Shinde is honored to continue serving on the board with other geospatial research scientists and developers from around the globe. He is particularly proud of several initiatives advanced by the board over the last few years. Shinde notes, “One of the board’s most successful initiatives was to introduce budding developers to the field of open-source under the Google Summer of Code or OSGeo-UN challenges, allowing them to showcase their research in global and local conferences. Moreover, recent collaborative memorandums of understanding and joint code sprints with other active open-source projects are paving the way to new contributions and developments in the open-source ecosystem.”
The OSGeo board aims to continue promoting and expanding access to data, tools, and training in the geospatial research and software community. In his next two years on the board of directors, Shinde aspires to do all he can to support OSGeo’s mission. “I hope to continue progressing the OSGeo community by encouraging diversity and inclusivity in the geospatial software development community and promoting collaboration with other open-source organizations,” says Shinde.
To learn more about OSGeo activities and goals, visit the OSGeo website.
