Autodesk Open-Sources Its GIS

The first significant press release from Autodesk University involves GIS (geographic information systems, aka mapping):

As a sign of its support for the growing momentum behind open source web mapping technologies, Autodesk,today announced the company is releasing the code for MapServer Enterprise, the company's new web mapping platform, as open source.

The press release's reason for Autodesk going open-source on its GIS software:

"The decision to contribute to the open source community is a reflection of our customers' desire for faster innovation, more frequent product releases, and lower total cost of ownership."

I am not an expert in GIS politics, and I'll leave further commentary to others, but I'd heard that GIS was not a top seller for Autodesk.

A snapshot of the MapServer Enterprise source code is available today through the new MapServer Foundation, an independent non- profit organization with the mission of supporting and promoting open source web mapping.

The foundation's charter members include:
- MapServer Technical Steering Committee members
- University of Minnesota MapServer Project
- DM Solutions Group
- Autodesk.

MapServer Technical Steering Committee members are:
- Steve Lime, Chair, MapServer Technical Steering Committee
- Yewondwossen Assefa, MTSC Member
- Howard Butler, MTSC Member
- Daniel Morissette, MTSC Member
- Perry Nacionales, MTSC Member
- Frank Warmerdam, MTSC Member
- Tom Burk, University of Minnesota
- David McIlhagga, DM Solutions Group
-Tyler Mitchell
- Claude Philipona, Camptocamp SA and FOSS4G 2006
- Gary Lang, Autodesk

Update

As I said, I'm not super familiar with GIS. Further reading appears to indicate that this software always was open-source. This announcement appears to be saying that Autodesk is moving control from itself over to the newly-created organization -- kind of like handing IFCs over to the IAI?

Comments

[Stefaan Boel]

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