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\section{Welcome from the Conference Chair}

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Welcome to this special edition of the OSGeo Journal, featuring selected papers from the academic track that were presented at the FOSS4G (Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial) 2011 conference in Denver.\footnote{FOSS4G: \url{http://foss4g.org}} The conference was the largest FOSS4G yet, with 914 attendees from 42 countries. Feedback from attendees was very positive, with the post-conference survey giving it an overall rating of 4.32 out 5. The attendance reflects the strong growth in interest in open source software that we are currently seeing in the geospatial industry.

We made a conscious effort in 2011 to enhance the academic track at the conference by providing improved publishing opportunities. We did this through publishing papers both in “Transactions in GIS” and in this edition of the OSGeo Journal. I would like to thank Rafael Moreno for leading this effort, as well as the rest of the organizers of the academic track who Rafael recognizes below.

\address{Peter Batty, Ubisense\\
FOSS4G 2011 Conference Chair}

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