Connecting Geomatics Research with the Global OSGeo Community in Hiroshima.
In August 2026, Federica Gaspari from our team continued LabMGF’s journey in the global open-source geospatial community by participating in FOSS4G 2026, which this year took place in the deeply meaningful setting of Hiroshima, Japan.
Following editions in Florence (2022) and Auckland (2025), attending this global conference once again proved how unique this community is. No matter the venue or the country, stepping into the conference hall instantly guarantees a welcoming, familiar environment where old and new friends dive deep into geospatial technologies, public participation, and community development.
This year marked an important milestone for our team, with active contributions across both the workshop and general tracks. For the first time, Federica co-hosted a workshop titled “Discovering PostGIS: An Introduction for QGIS Users” alongside John Bryant, engaging participants with practical, real-world examples.
In addition, our member activities as part of the larger Goematics divison of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering were featured in the general track with a talk celebrating PoliMappers’ 10-year anniversary. Sharing the stage to reflect on a decade of lessons learned, achievements, and the challenges of maintaining a sustainable, student-led community at Politecnico di Milano was a true highlight—especially alongside international colleagues and long-time friends and former visiting professors and researchers of our division like Taichi Furuhashi and Kauê de Moraes Vestena.
The conference also provided inspiring moments outside the formal sessions. It was particularly special to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Geochicas concurrently, experiencing their wonderful social event that offered a safe, supportive space to connect with women in the geospatial field. And, of course, no trip to Japan is complete without experiencing a traditional karaoke night (powered by okonomiyaki!)—a fantastic way to build bridges across cultures and perspectives through music and shared laughs.
Hiroshima provided a profound backdrop for the week. The conference agenda featured powerful keynotes emphasizing collaboration, accessible solutions, and maps as tools to build a genuine sense of belonging for everyone. We are deeply grateful to the Local Organising Committee, the volunteers for making the magic happen, and the organization for awarding a Travel Grant that made this participation possible.
As a new semester begins and we settle back home in Italy, LabMGF is excited to bring back not just wonderful memories, but fresh energy, practical insights, and new collaborative directions to our research and local community.
We are already looking forward to reconnecting with everyone next year at FOSS4G Bristol!