How a FOSS4G Born Business Grew in Japan The Journey of MIERUNE

When considering the sustainability of open source as a future digital public good, the cycle of success and contribution in the business sector becomes crucial.

MIERUNE was born from the FOSS4G community in 2016 and has spent the past eight years solving client challenges as a location-based systems integrator, growing steadily in the Japanese market.
Through these business activities, MIERUNE not only actively gives back to the FOSS4G community—both technically and financially—but also creates local employment for GIS engineers, helping to build a sustainable society.

In this presentation, we will share specific examples of the challenges we have faced to support the growth and development of FOSS4G companies in the Asian region, thereby contributing to the sustainability of the whole community.

Transcript

1. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） How a FOSS4G-Born Business Grew in Japan: The Journey of MIERUNE Yasuto FURUKAWA FOSS4G 2024 ASIA 17th, Dec 2024 尾形光琳 (Ogata Korin, 1658 - 1716) - [1] at [2], パブリック・ドメイン, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2162010による
2. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） System Integrator Using FOSS4G Technologies
3. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） Born of the FOSS4G community in 2016 🐣
4. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） Open Source ⚖ Business Issue🤔 尾形光琳 (Ogata Korin, 1658 - 1716) - [1] at [2], パブリック・ドメイン, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2162010による
5. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） Opensource / Business 🤔 Purpose🎯 MIERUNE's Challenges🚀 A Compass for Future FOSS4G Innovators 🧭 尾形光琳 (Ogata Korin, 1658 - 1716) - [1] at [2], パブリック・ドメイン, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2162010による
6. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） Opensource / Business 🤔 Agenda 📝 1. The Journey to MIERUNE From Founding to Growth 2. Our Achievements 3. Closing Thoughts a. 尾形光琳 (Ogata Korin, 1658 - 1716) - [1] at [2], パブリック・ドメイン, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2162010による
7. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） 1/3 The Journey to MIERUNE From Founding to Growth 🐣→🐔
8. 2004 https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/foss4g-asia-28jan2017final/71769194 FOSS4G in Bangkok 🐣
9. 2008- FOSS4G Tokyo / Osaka Conference 🐣 https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/about-osgeojp-2662348/2662348
10. 2012 QGIS promotion project supported by MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, JAPAN) https://www.osgeo.jp/projects/foss4g-mext
11. 2012 Textbooks Training Translation https://www.osgeo.jp/projects/foss4g-mext
12. The Trigger for GIS Democratization in Japan 2012
13. From the 2010s, The need for FOSS4G tools has been growing in Japan Critical Disasters🌊 Community-Driven Growth🚀 Open Data Movement📊 Cloud-Native Advancements☁ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/SH-60B_helicopter_flies_over_Sendai.jpg
14. 2010 The first QGIS workshop in Hokkaido Univ. Only six participants 👥👥👥 https://deerfoot.exblog.jp/12481137/
15. 2012 FOSS4G Hokkaido Conference 🐣 30 participants
16. FOSS4G Hokkaido Over 150 attendees at a local conference with craft 🍺
17. FOSS4G Hokkaido Community 🐣 201６
18. 201６ in 27m²
19. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） 2016 2024 1１x
20. 🍣💰🍣 💰 🍜🍜 🍜 🍞🍞 🍌 member
21. ©OpenStreetMap contributors Advocate Blog Community/Code Document Event
22. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan Advocate • AWS HERO • Famous GIS expert • SNS Influencer And　more…
23. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan • 500+ articles • 4M page views Blog
24. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan • $60K+ donations (QGIS/Maplibe/OSGeoJP…) • next-gen community support Community
25. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan Code • 52 Public repository • Running OSS-driven projects
26. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan • Publish GIS technical books • Technical Magazine Columns Document
27. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan • Host monthly IT meetups • Success in hiring good engineers via Events Event
28. ©OpenStreetMap contributors Advocate Blog Community/Code Document Event
29. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） ２/３ MIERUNE's Challenge of Growing Even Bigger 🚀
30. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Alice_queen2.jpg "In order to stay in the same place, you must run as fast as you can." The Red Queen, Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
31. Beyond Jam Sessions OSS is wild 🙌 OSS-Team is wild? 🤔 Structure⚖ Training󰝮 Respect🤝 etc. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WDR_Big_Band_at_Jazz-Schmiede_08-FEB-2019_(right).jpg
32. OSS is Cost-free 🙌 OSS-Business is Cost-free? 🤔 More Value OSS OSS-Business Providing High Value to Customers 🚀🎁💎
33. OSS helps you 🙌 You help OSS? 🏄 More Contribute From Using to Support Create🎨 Share📤 Empower💪 https://www.linuxfoundation.org/hubfs/LF%20Research/lfr_woo sjp24_102224a.pdf?hsLang=en
34. © 地理院地図 全国最新写真（シームレス） 3/3 Closing Thoughts 🤔💭
35. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan 🤔💭 FOSS4G's community and tools are MIERUNE's roots
36. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan No FOSS4G No MIERUNE
37. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan 🤔💭 Community is like a garden Care brings flowers🌸 Neglect brings desert🐫 Maintaining a sustainable community ecosystem 🚀 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wuhan_east_lake_sakura_garden.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_journey_through_the_desert.jpg
38. ©Project PLATEAU / MLIT Japan Many Thanks to All Community Members! ขอบคุณมาก 🙏 https://foss4g.asia/foss4g-history/