From 6 People Classroom Meetup to 100 People Regional Conference / FOSS4G Hiroshima 2026

This session shares the 16-year evolution of FOSS4G Hokkaido, Japan’s first local community. Moving beyond a simple success story, we offer a practical "Survival Toolkit" to overcome organizer burnout and organizational challenges, providing actionable insights to help communities foster Geospatial Sovereignty through long-term resilience.

Transcript

1. FOSS4G Hiroshima 2026｜2026.09.03 Himawari From 6 People Classroom Meetup to 100 People Regional Conference Yasuto Furukawa
2. Introduction
3. Evangelist / Co-Founder Yasuto FURUKAWA A Fellow at Code for Japan Specially Appointed Lecturer, Rakuno University Regional Informatization Advisor, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, JAPAN
4. OSGeo JP Steering committee member (2012-2024)
5. My Greatest work is…
6. 14 years ago…
7. 2012 OSGeoJP event in Kyoto @wata909 @Kenyat1989
8. 14 years later… in Hiroshima 2026 @wata909 @Kenyat1989
9. Community Folks @wata909 @Kenyat1989
10. I will talk about our community, the journey of FOSS4G Hokkaido 1800km
11. Our community brought many gifts — to many places. gifts
12. FOSS4G Hiroshima 2026｜2026.09.03 Himawari From 6 People Classroom Meetup to 100 People Regional Conference Yasuto Furukawa
13. In keynote Open source is not only about opening the code. It is about keeping the community open.
14. In keynote One email. One pull request. One phone call. One comment… That may be where the next twenty years begin.
15. Conclusion: My Message • Start with small curiosity and courage • Good places make good friends • What did we pass on to the region and the next generation?
16. Today’s Talk 1 FOSS4G and Rural Challenges 2 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth 3 Designing a “Good Place” 4 Challenges Ahead
17. 1. FOSS4G and Rural Challenges
18. 01 FOSS4G and Rural Challenges FOSS4G is spreading across Japan • Tokyo / Osaka Hokkaido Tokai / Kyushu / Shinshu / Fukui … Hundreds of people join FOSS4G events
19. 01 FOSS4G and Rural Challenges Hokkaido’s challenges • Much lower population density than Tokyo • Issues spread over a huge area • Not enough money, people, or youth – More than schoolchildren
20. 01 FOSS4G and Rural Challenges Weak regions naturally chose OSS • Anyone can start learning • Adaptable to local needs • No single company controls our future • We needed OSS as a magic tool OSS Conference 2026 Hokkaido https://x.com/eno_eno/status/2070785998171378081/photo/1
21. 01 FOSS4G and Rural Challenges The magic tool needed people and places in 2000s • little information about OSS • We needed friends and passion • Seek a chance to use it in the field Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
22. 2. FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth
24. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth 2007 • Imaki-san (now PSS) showed me Quantum GIS 0.8 in Seattle • He was my first FOSS4G teammate — and my sensei. “This could be GIS for whole world.”
26. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth 2008 Japan’s first FOSS4G conferences: Tokyo and Osaka
27. Cf. Keynote in FOSS4G Hiroshima 2026
29. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth 2010 • Imaki-san gave a QGIS seminar at Hokkaido University • In the hallway, my friend Kubo-san said: “Why don’t we give it a try?” These small words helped grow Japan’s regional communities
30. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth QGIS Meetup Started with 6 People • Six people in a university classroom with Quantum GIS 1.4 Enceladus • v1.4 crashed on double-byte SHP files • But. It was such an exciting meetup for us
31. Blog by Kubo-san 2010/4/22 “There are several issues However, we will meet one month later!” https://deerfoot.exblog.jp/12522453/
33. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth FOSS4G response to 3.11 • Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami • OSGeo JP members contributed to the response with FOSS4G tools @wata909, @mapconcierge, @hal_sk, @pokopen… https://id.ndl.go.jp/auth/entity/00841820
34. 2011/03 OSGeoJapan-Discuss-ML by @wata909 https://www.ospn.jp/osc2011-kyoto/pdf/OSC2011kyoto_OSGeo.pdf
35. 2011/03 Ortho-photo sharing https://www.ospn.jp/osc2011-kyoto/pdf/OSC2011kyoto_OSGeo.pdf
36. 2011/03 OSM Crisis Mapping with Ortho-photo https://www.ospn.jp/osc2011-kyoto/pdf/OSC2011kyoto_OSGeo.pdf
37. Today’s Keynote @hal_sk
38. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth 2011/11 • My first FOSS4G 2011 Tokyo • Finally met my 3.11 teammates offline in Tokyo Univ. And then… https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Komaba_Research_Camp us_(Evening)_color.jpg
39. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth In FOSS4G 2011 Tokyo Party wata909 “Just do it, Hokkaido guys!”
41. Mail from Asahi-san, 1st chair 2012/3/12 Why not launch the FOSS4G event this year?
42. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth 2012/06 • First FOSS4G Hokkaido in Sapporo • About 40 people engineers, students, local government staff • Field application talks got a strong response
43. A younger me at FOSS4G Hokkaido 2012
44. Community & Activity ～OSGeo財団日本支部とその活動の紹介～
45. FOSS4G Hokkaido grew into a 100-person event
47. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth FOSS4G Hokkaido 2026 “Kita”HIROSHIMA on 28–29 Nov Save the date! “ North” https://foss4g.hokkaido.jp/2026/
48. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth Our Journey: 2007–2026 2007 2010 QGIS0.8 6 people 2011 2012 Launch 2026
49. 02 FOSS4G Hokkaido: Start and Growth FOSS4G Hokkaido grew into a 100-person event What made it fun for organizers and participants?
50. 3. Designing a “Good Place”
51. 03 Designing a “Good Place” A “good place” grew the event Attendance KPI << a safe, fun place Good places Good talks Good people … Good Society
52. 03 Designing a “Good Place” Hospitality • Hands-on sessions for all levels, not only for GIS geeks • Sessions with buffer time
53. 03 Designing a “Good Place” Items That Help Communication • Well-designed original goods • Good Hokkaido food and drinks
54. Some say the party is the real main event
55. Design by Nobuya Hayasaka https://zwoo.jp/
56. 03 Designing a “Good Place” Making People Feel Safe • Open, Fun and “Safe” • Take great care of beginners • Gender balance among speakers • First Code of Conduct in Japan’s FOSS4G Event https://foss4g.hokkaido.jp/code-of-conduct/
57. 03 Designing a “Good Place” Speaker Support • Recommend themes and titles • Scout innovative local users • Used Slido early for good Q&A
58. 03 Designing a “Good Place” Sharing Real Local Practice • Agriculture, forestry, tourism • Environment, disaster response, archaeology • Local government FOSS4G Heroes who solved local problems
59. Case: A small-town archaeologist’s fieldwork with FOSS4G https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/qgis-24482873/24482873
60. Case: A backcountry ski map, shaped together with local guides https://hokkaidowilds.org/how-to-create-a-backcountry-ski-map-in-qgis-using-japan-government-map-data
61. 03 Designing a “Good Place” Helping Users Become Contributors • Teach your neighbor at hands-on sessions • Write blog posts and share on social media • Invite the next person, the next generation
62. 03 Designing a “Good Place” Gifts from Our Culture to the Region and Beyond • Spread to FOSS4G and Civic tech events • Base for COVID action and open data movement • Led to jobs and career steps • A survival toolkit for small villages
63. 03 Designing a “Good Place” MIERUNE is a Child of FOSS4G Community • Stay open • Contribute to OSS • Balance freedom and governance
64. 4. Challenges Ahead
65. 04 Challenges Ahead Fewer and fewer organizers • Japan is shrinking and aging • Work and family leave less time for OSS • Depend on single, middle-aged geek men https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diapositief_glaspositief_toverl antaarnplaat_%E2%80%93_reeks_010.443_%E2%80%93_Robinson_ Crusoe_(1e_verz.)_(naar_D._Defoe)_%E2%80%93_nr._2,_asset_k1Epej 6YOGeVNJbbgWWWBtoB.jpg?uselang=ja
66. 04 Challenges Ahead The Old Way Cannot Be Passed On • The community golden generation carried these 20 years. • This baton is too heavy for the next generation to carry.
67. 04 Challenges Ahead Realistic Choices Are OK for Local Communities • Make it smaller • Take a break • Merge • Let it end — back to a small meetup — pause for a year — join forces with a nearby community — close it well, with thanks and an open archive
68. 04 Challenges Ahead Try Redefining Success in Local Community Years, attendance, revenue — these are not the real goal What did we build? Who did we encourage? Did we keep the open groove?
69. Conclusion: My Message • Start with small curiosity and courage • Good places make good friends • What did we pass on to the region and the next generation?
70. One last thing…
71. In keynote One email. One pull request. One phone call. One comment… That may be where the next twenty years begin.
72. Our community began with three open invitations .
73. “This could be GIS for whole world.”
74. “Just do it, Hokkaido guys!”
75. “Why don’t we give it a try?”
76. “Why don’t we give it a try?” Now, it’s your turn — for your region, and for peace