11+ Reasons to Switch From Windows to Linux

In October 2021, Microsoft released its first major new version of Windows in more than six years, tagging this version of its flagship operating system with the number 11. Since then, the question is on the minds of millions: Windows 10? Or Windows 11?

Well, why not GNU/Linux instead!

The chance to move from Windows to Linux has intrigued computer users since Linux was launched in 1991.In corporations, which place great importance on getting value for their money and maintaining a consistent, secure environment, Linux is particularly appealing (see reason 3+ in the article).

An Upgrade to Linux site provides numerous resources about reasons to switch and how to set up the computer system you want to have. Because support and updates for Windows 10 will end in October, 2025, you have some time to look into Linux and prepare to place your work and personal computing on this rich, robust platform.

The original version of this article listed 11 reasons to switch to Linux. This update includes two new, related reasons.

1. Avoid an Unnecessary, Expensive Hardware Upgrade

The hardware requirements for Windows have always strained desktop and laptop systems of their time, and Windows 11 lives up to this unsavory legacy. Many people are expected to need a new computer to run Windows 11—so much so that a mini-industry has grown up around gauging your system requirements.

Old graphics cards in particular may prove unfit for the new Windows. Other features that may drive a lot of hardware upgrades is the Windows firmware, called the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and Secure Boot/Trusted Boot capability.

One of the articles covering the features and timing of Windows 11 asked why Microsoft is pushing a major upgrade whose feature set represents only a modest improvement over Windows 10. The article suggests that computer vendors are seeking more profit and pushed Microsoft to promote the sale of new PCs.

All these purchases may fatten CEO bonuses, but you don’t have to be a party to the deal. Constant upgrades are a pernicious example of planned obsolescence, which environmentalists and consumer advocates have been decrying since at least the 1950s.

Linux has always been relatively lean, although it too has increased its memory and disk requirements as developers judiciously add features. Many computer users have stuck steadfastly with their old hardware and adopted Linux over the years as an alternative to an “upgrade” of dubious value to a new version of Windows.

1+. Fight Toxic Waste

Buying a new computer when your old one is still serviceable is more than a burden on your wallet—it’s unnecessary waste for the planet and the people living on it. Computers contain a lot of dangerous chemicals that get foisted as toxic waste on low-income workers and inhabitants of developing nations. In particular, the switch to Windows 11 is estimated to add 480 million kilograms of electronic waste (equivalent to 320,000 cars).

Consider that much of the waste is cleaned up by children and pollutes their living conditions. You don’t want to contribute to this any more than necessary.

2. Keep Your Right to Run the Programs You Want

Hardware and operating system vendors have been recommending Trusted Platform Module (TPM) technology for some time. Windows 11 is the first version of that operating system to have TPM version 2.0 required and built in.

TPM requires applications to be signed with keys certifying their origin, and enlists the computer’s hardware, firmware, and operating system to check the keys. Because many users get spoofed into downloading malware that masquerades as legitimate applications, TPM can protect these users.

But TPM also gives the operating system vendor complete control over what’s installed. And what will happen when governments stick their noses into the process, forcing vendors to block applications the governments don’t like?

For many people, handing control of their applications over to large institutions may be a reasonable trade-off for avoiding destructive programs. For a balanced assessment of the trade-off, I recommend law professor Jonathan L. Zittrain’s book, The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It.

Meanwhile, an alternative to TPM is to learn good computer hygiene, check certificates yourself, and stick to free software that is harder to infect with malware.

3. Maintain Consistency and Control

Businesses and other large organizations have to maintain large numbers of computers. Moving all the staff to a new version of Windows is a major project, and will probably be done piecemeal. Licenses are also a headache to maintain.

Free software eliminates license management and makes it easy to keep everybody on a single version of the software. Take on the effort to move your staff over to Linux once, and reduce your migration and training costs in the future.

4. Run Your Computer Without Surveillance

A particularly odd requirement for Windows 11 is a camera to record your actions. In addition to adding yet another expensive hardware feature to your shopping list, this requirement raises the question of what the operating system might be tracking.

In the pandemic-fueled age of videoconferencing, most of us appreciate being able to see our colleagues clearly. But what about people who don’t want every mole and face hair exposed? Many people who don’t enjoy high bandwidth turn off their cameras during teleconferences anyway. For these people, this requirement is unlikely to be a plus.

We don’t know whether Microsoft wants to track your facial expressions or behavior. Even if they don’t, camera information might be made available to applications and online services without your knowledge. We know that voice-driven devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Voice are collecting information from users. Facial information is equally valuable and can be interpreted by AI. Sure, it’s often wrong, but that doesn’t make it less dangerous—and its interpretations are certain to improve.

Starry-eyed over the current AI revolution, Microsoft has launched a feature named Recall (now postponed to address security concerns) that helps you find items on your computer, at the cost of constantly recording the content of your screen.

5. Avoid Conveniences That Lock You In

Computer vendors and services are constantly trying to sign you up for new services, and they often exploit compatibility and convenience to do so. Google integrates their suite of services, Apple makes it easy to link different Apple devices, and mobile phone vendors bundle apps you’re not allowed to delete. Microsoft knows the game at least as well as anyone.

Windows 11 is tightly integrated with Microsoft Teams, their collaboration suite. Teams is certainly rich with features: Many people find it useful in the office. Other people find it overbearing and easy to get lost in. But the integration is the gentle snare that invites you to burrow deeper and deeper into the Microsoft universe and not to give competing services a try.

Microsoft also makes it hard to switch away from its Edge browser. Such tactics call to mind the claims of the historic 1998 U.S. lawsuit concerning Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

6. Run Your Computer Without a Microsoft Account

Another kind of gentle lock-in is requiring a Microsoft account to run Windows 11 Home. No, this isn’t a great burden, but why should you have to sign up for a service in order to run your computer?

7. Customize Your Desktop

Microsoft tends to lag as a desktop interface, and Windows 11 is reported to borrow a lot of features from the more highly regarded Apple Mac. But for sheer feature richness, you’ve got to experience the two desktops associated with Linux, KDE and GNOME.

These desktops can match any proprietary software for beauty and snazzy effects. They also provide docks, widgets, and all kinds of other convenient interface elements. They make everything customizable, so you can tune them to match your needs and increase your productivity.

Windows has never offered an interface that generated much enthusiasm among users or reviewers, but if you want to preserve that look and feel, you can use the Zorin OS variant of Linux or the B00MERANG Windows 10 theme.

8. Enjoy the Most Recent and Stable Versions of Free Software

It’s time to get to know what the world of free and open source software has to offer. Not only can you download powerful replacements for expensive proprietary programs for free, you can become part of communities that determine the directions taken by upgrades. Most free and open source software is developed on Linux systems. Their most up-to-date and stable versions run on Linux. Why lag behind?

9. Increase Computing Diversity

As a corollary to the previous item, I have to admit that many useful applications and services run only on Windows or Macs, and not on Linux. But by running Linux you contribute to ecodiversity in computing. The more people who run Linux, the more likely it is for services and apps to support it—especially if you speak up to vendors and tell them not to exclude those who have devoted themselves to Linux.

Linux, in fact, supports more chips and hardware than any other operating system. For instance, low-cost boards such as the Raspberry Pi and BeagleBoard, using Linux as their operating systems, have driven an explosion in smart device research by amateurs and professionals alike. Thus, promoting Linux supports hardware innovation.

10. Launch Your Skills as a Programmer

This is a software age, and even a little bit of programming skill can enhance your use of computers as well as your employability. A few weeks spent learning some popular language helps you understand the challenges programmers face and what makes some programs better than others. A little more study, and you can start to contribute bug fixes and help projects in other ways.

Modern languages are not hard to learn, although it takes some study to reach a professional level. All these languages are easy to download and use on Linux. Thousands of libraries of powerful functions are waiting to be downloaded by a single command to your Linux computer.

10+. Get Children Excited About the Potential of Computing

Youth is a time of pressing beyond boundaries and testing what one can get away with. Free and open source software provides a safe place to indulge this urge—a place that can be productive and lucrative too.

With open source software, there are no mysteries that are resistant to investigation. Any question that a child or teen has is capable of an answer. If a kid finds some feature of software’s interface of behavior annoying or inadequate, they can learn how to change it.

Schools have the incentive to adopt Linux and other free software so they can escape license fees and the need to replace computer hardware. The administrators should also recognize that teachers and students can learn to maintain and enhance the software.

This kind of investigation is not only exciting and fun for children, but gives them skills they can use in future careers. There is no foreseeable slowdown in society’s need for people who understand and program computers.

11. Choose Computing Freedom

All the earlier reasons for installing Linux in this article lead up to this one. When you use Linux—or another free system, such as FreeBSD—computing is under your control. There are no barriers to your growth and exploration.

Running Linux, you are supporting freedom not only for yourself, but for millions around the world who need free and open source software because proprietary companies are not serving their needs. And in the age of software, free software promotes many other freedoms that we urgently need.

Source: lpi.org

Continue reading

Cybersecurity Essentials: Identity and Privacy

In the vast and noisy digital universe we live in, managing online identities and all aspects related to digital privacy has become (pun not intended…) essential.

While the approach might not be immediately straightforward, and kind of scary for non-experts, we will try to explore in detail important concepts such as digital identities, authentication, authorization, and password management… also going through an understanding of tools and best practices, trying to touch on the points that generate the most interest and require more attention in such sensitive areas.

In other words, we will address those aspects of our digital life that are covered by the Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Security Essentials Exam (020) objectives.

Digital Identity

What do we mean by digital identity?

Let’s start with understanding what identity means online. Each online individual is characterized by a unique set of information. This identity includes data such as name, email address, phone numbers, and other personal information that identifies a user in the digital world. We can consider this online identity as a virtual representation of an individual’s real identity… therefore, one’s digital identity is a unique key to access all public services and the services of private companies that intend to use this widespread recognition system.

Among these concepts we can include some social networking tools that can also be used for the aforementioned purposes, to strengthen the concept of this “new identity” that has been virtualized on the web.

Now let’s list some absolutely fundamental points about how to behave correctly without risking all our important activities.

Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting

To ensure the security of digital identities, it is crucial to understand these concepts:

◉ Authentication verifies a user’s identity.

◉ Authorization controls access to resources based on assigned permissions.

◉ Accounting documents and stores user information, particularly about attempts to access resources.

A fundamental aspect of identity management is access control, namely the ability to control who has access to the network, what they can do, and what services they can use after logging in.

Often going by the abbrevation AAA, the concepts of authentication, authorization, and accounting refer to a framework through which access to the network or the resources concerned can be configured. Authentication identifies users through methods such as logging in with a password or smart card. Authorization provides access control based on the profile with which the user authenticated, and is based on a set of attributes that describe the rules associated with that particular user. Accounting, finally, tracks a user’s activities, such as the services used and network resources consumed.

Often, administrators want users who belong to a certain organization to have access to services of other structures that are part of a common federation. For instance, a business might be federated with another company that handles payroll. To enable a federation, organizations must share mechanisms for exchanging user information and for managing access to federated resources.

The term federation, therefore, means an arrangement between organizations and resource providers that specifies a mutual trust agreement, as well as the information they exchange in the processes of authentication and authorization, based on rules that manage these trust relationships.

The main task of the federation is to keep all the resources in the federated organizations available to the different users who are part of them. Access management at the federation level means managing identities and accesses among a set of organizations.

Secure Passwords

Passwords represent one of the key elements of online security. A secure password must have characteristics such as sufficient length, the use of special characters, high complexity, and regular, frequent replacement. Understanding these characteristics is essential to protect online accounts. To maintain a high level of entropy of the passwords used, it is recommended to use a length greater than 8 characters, not to use more than 2 identical consecutive characters, and to avoid names of things or known names, preferring instead a set of entirely random alphanumeric characters. It is recommended to change passwords every 3 months and never to use the same password for different services or online accounts.

Use of a Password Manager

A fundamental step towards password security is the use of a password manager. These tools generate, store, and manage complex combinations of passwords for various online accounts securely and simply, significantly simplifying the management of digital identities. A well-known example is KeePass, a password management tool under the GNU GPL license.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Single Sign-On (SSO)

The concepts of two-factor and multi-factor authentication (2FA and MFA) add an additional layer of security by requiring more than one form of verification, typically added to the classic login with username and password. Single sign-on (SSO) allows access to multiple services with a single authentication that is considered valid and is trusted.

Online Transaction Security

Everything we have seen previously helps us understand online transaction security, which includes safe practices for online banking, credit card management, access to public services that contain private personal information, online purchases on various platforms, and so on.

Awareness of possible threats and the practice of security measures can protect against fraud, unauthorized access, and other web threats. Safely navigating the digital world requires an in-depth understanding of concepts of digital identity, authentication, password security, and all other related aspects of protecting one’s online presence. By implementing the recommended practices and tools, it’s possible to protect one’s online presence and effectively face the challenges of digital security. Awareness is the key to a safe and responsible digital experience, for us and the entire community.

Source: lpi.org

Continue reading

Unlock Your Tech Future: Mastering the Open Source Essentials Exam 050

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, mastering open-source technologies is no longer an option but a necessity. The Open Source Essentials Exam 050 is a crucial certification for anyone looking to establish themselves as a proficient technologist in the open-source community. This comprehensive guide will provide you with all the insights and knowledge needed to conquer this exam and unlock your tech future.

Understanding the Open Source Essentials Exam 050

The Open Source Essentials Exam 050 is designed to test your knowledge and skills in various open-source technologies. This exam is a benchmark for your understanding of essential open-source concepts, tools, and methodologies. By passing this exam, you demonstrate your capability to work effectively with open-source software and contribute to open-source projects.

Why Certification Matters

Certification in open-source technologies not only validates your skills but also enhances your professional credibility. Employers value certified professionals because they bring proven expertise and a commitment to continuous learning. The Open Source Essentials Exam 050 certification opens doors to numerous job opportunities and positions you as a competitive candidate in the tech industry.

Key Areas Covered in the Exam

1. Open Source Fundamentals

Understanding the principles of open source is the foundation of this exam. You will need to grasp the philosophy, history, and benefits of open-source software. Key concepts include:

• Open Source Definition and Licenses: Familiarize yourself with different open-source licenses such as GPL, MIT, and Apache.
• Community and Collaboration: Learn how open-source communities function and the importance of collaboration and contribution.
• Governance Models: Understand various governance models that manage open-source projects.

2. Core Open Source Technologies

The exam covers a range of essential open-source technologies. Proficiency in these areas is critical:

• Linux Operating System: Gain a deep understanding of Linux distributions, file systems, and command-line interfaces.
• Version Control Systems: Master tools like Git for source code management and collaboration.
• Containerization and Virtualization: Learn about Docker, Kubernetes, and other containerization tools.

3. Open Source Development Practices

Developing software in the open-source ecosystem requires adherence to best practices and methodologies:

• Agile and DevOps: Understand Agile methodologies and the principles of DevOps for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD).
• Testing and Debugging: Learn how to write tests and debug open-source software effectively.
• Documentation: The importance of maintaining clear and comprehensive documentation.

4. Security in Open Source

Security is a paramount concern in any software development environment:

• Secure Coding Practices: Learn how to write secure code and avoid common vulnerabilities.
• Security Tools and Frameworks: Familiarize yourself with tools like OWASP, Metasploit, and other security frameworks.
• Incident Response: Understand the procedures for responding to security incidents in an open-source environment.

Preparing for the Exam

1. Study Resources

To excel in the Open Source Essentials Exam 050, utilize a variety of study resources:

• Official Documentation: Thoroughly read the official documentation for all the technologies covered in the exam.
• Online Courses and Tutorials: Enroll in online courses that offer in-depth training on open-source technologies.
• Community Forums and Discussion Groups: Engage with the open-source community to seek advice, share knowledge, and resolve doubts.

2. Hands-On Practice

Practical experience is crucial for mastering open-source technologies:

• Set Up a Home Lab: Create a home lab environment to practice different scenarios and experiment with various tools.
• Contribute to Open Source Projects: Actively participate in open-source projects to gain real-world experience and improve your skills.
• Work on Practice Exams: Attempt practice exams to familiarize yourself with the exam format and identify areas that need improvement.

3. Time Management and Exam Strategy

Effective time management and a solid exam strategy can make a significant difference:

• Create a Study Plan: Develop a study schedule that covers all the topics and allows for regular review sessions.
• Understand the Exam Format: Familiarize yourself with the exam structure, question types, and time allocation.
• Stay Calm and Focused: During the exam, stay calm, read questions carefully, and manage your time efficiently.

Post-Exam Opportunities

Passing the Open Source Essentials Exam 050 opens up numerous opportunities:

• Career Advancement: With this certification, you can pursue advanced roles in open-source development, system administration, and DevOps.
• Networking: Connect with other certified professionals and join exclusive forums and groups.
• Continuous Learning: Use this certification as a stepping stone to further certifications and specializations in open-source technologies.

Conclusion

Mastering the Open Source Essentials Exam 050 is a significant milestone in your tech career. This certification not only validates your skills but also equips you with the knowledge and expertise needed to thrive in the open-source ecosystem. By understanding the key areas covered in the exam, utilizing the right resources, and adopting effective preparation strategies, you can successfully pass the exam and unlock a world of opportunities.

Continue reading

University Academy 92 Partners with LPI for Disruptive Learning

“It’s my role to disrupt the status quo in education,” says Aaron Saxton. In fact, his job title at the University Academy 92 in Manchester, England is the “Director of Disruptive Learning.” UA92 has been partnering with the Linux Professional Institute for many years, but most recently they have bumped up their partnership level to a Gold Academic Partner.

In contrast to the lecture and exam format of traditional education, UA92 mixes class time with a great deal of hands-on practice to “make learning more interactive, engaging, and adaptive.” A little over a year ago, they started up an apprenticeship programme with local employers. The focus is on DevOps, along with CyberOps and other similar disciplines. This apprenticeship is defined as DevOps Engineer Level 4.

Because LPI certifications test real-world knowledge and expect exam-takers to have practiced their skills in the field, the LPI philosophy melds well with UA92’s teaching practices.

UA92 is a “deliberately different” higher education institution that is enabling education for all, enrolling more than 20% of its students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. All UA92 students take part in the “92 Programme” that teaches them life skills: how to excel in the workplace, manage projects, be resilient, and be a great team member. Furthermore, UA92 provides employers with an enriched curriculum that prepares students for the world of work.

Future LPI certifications for which UA92 is planning to train include the LPIC Linux series, DevOps, and Web Essentials.

Some 18 months ago, UA92 launched digital bootcamps that last between 10 to 16 weeks and teach cloud, web dev, cyber, and data analytics skills. UA92’s computer science and apprenticeship programmes also let students run computer labs on a variety of GNU/Linux distributions, launched through the AWS Academy. Skills include bash scripting, PHP, Python, security, networking, databases, containers, web technologies, CI/CD, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).

“Linux drives life,” Saxton expounds enthusiastically. “In the real world, 96.3 percent of the top 1 million web servers are running Linux, and companies need Linux Engineers.” UA92 is focusing on LPI’s Linux Essentials certification. Twenty-one apprentices took the LPI Linux Essentials exam this Spring, and 95% passed.

UA92 is cofounded by Lancaster University and the “Class of 92.”

“We really want to celebrate our relationship and partnership with the Linux Professional Institute. We see LPI as a vehicle for innovation and change. It’s about enabling Education for All: through great partnerships like this, enabling everyone to excel in education regardless of their background.”- Aaron Saxton, Director of Disruptive Learning, University Academy 92.

“The partnership with University Academy 92 is a splendid opportunity to accomplish LPI’s mission. By educating and training the less privileged young people, we can actively support them in building a future-oriented career in Linux and open source.” – Aida Rosenthal, Regional Customer Success Manager, Linux Professional Institute

Source: lpi.org

Continue reading

Why I Joined the LPI Board of Directors — Uirá Ribeiro

As a technologist, author, and trainer, I have devoted my career to bringing technology to people who lack access. I’ll explain in this article how joining the LPI Board of Directors contributes to my goals.

Free and open source software has always been central to my work. In 1998, I established an Internet service provider in my town based on Linux. I have written 11 books covering open source software, published in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. One of these groundbreaking books, Linux Certification, published in 2005, initiated discussions about Linux certifications in Brazil.

Read More: 030-100: LPI Web Development Essentials

I firmly believe that IT certifications can significantly improve people’s quality of life, and there is no greater joy for a teacher than to genuinely help others. I estimate that my training and books have empowered more than 14,000 people in Brazil to learn Linux, and helped thousands to achieve LPI certification.

I’ve also kept up with current computing trends during my 27 years of experience in Internet servers, software development, information security, cloud computing architecture, and IT service management. In addition to achieving all available Linux certifications, I am a AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified Architect, and Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA).

Given LPI’s exceptional role in open source certification over the past 20 years, joining the LPI board of directors is a natural and exciting step for me. My extensive background in IT and education equips me to contribute significantly to LPI’s mission. I aim to expand LPI’s global reach and impact, particularly in emerging regions where digital inclusion can transform lives and communities.

Mark your calendars for the Linux Professional Institute Annual General Meeting, which will take place on Saturday, June 22, 2024, using an online platform. Members can vote at the meeting to choose the LPI Board of Directors.

Source: lpi.org

Continue reading

mundialis: Shaping OS Remote Sensing

Introducing mundialis, a company at the forefront of FOSS businesses, blending free geodata and open-source software in remote sensing. mundialis is known for its commitment to generating spatial information and developing tailored FOSS solutions. We spoke with Markus Neteler, Co-Founder & Senior Consultant, about mundialis’ open source journey and community involvement.

Can you share the genesis of mundialis and what initially drew you into the geospatial realm? What was the first geospatial project that set the path for your future endeavors?

My interest in geospatial analysis began during my geography studies, where I discovered the power of GIS in addressing environmental issues. Engaging with the open-source community further fueled my passion and introduced me to innovative tools and collaboration opportunities.

mundialis, founded in Bonn, Germany in 2015, stemmed from a desire to leverage open-source software and scientific methods for broader geospatial projects. We utilize Earth observation data to develop cutting-edge GIS and EO analysis methods, incorporating AI and ML. My early involvement with the GRASS GIS project during university laid the foundation for mundialis, driven by the community’s importance and the potential of open-source software.

What is mundialis’s core offering and how does it differentiate itself?

Our primary focus is on custom geospatial solutions tailored to diverse client needs, ranging from remote sensing data processing to specialized land use mapping. What sets us apart is our strong commitment to open-source principles and sustainability. We leverage robust open-source software like GRASS GIS, integrated with cutting-edge techniques in remote sensing and geoinformatics. Our cloud-based processing platform, actinia, enables scalable and distributed geographic data processing. Our expertise in analyzing and processing big data from satellite imagery, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, allows us to address complex challenges in environmental monitoring, agriculture, and urban planning.

How does mundialis’s business model support open source and the geospatial community?

mundialis combines geospatial analysis with a commitment to open source and community engagement, fostering innovation and sustainable tech development. We offer customized open source solutions across sectors such as environmental monitoring and urban planning, including:

• Delivering bespoke geospatial solutions of high quality.
• Contributing to open source geospatial software development and collaboration.
• Sharing knowledge through workshops and conferences.

What developments can we expect from mundialis?

mundialis is advancing cloud-based geospatial analytics with AI and machine learning for precise environmental insights, vital for monitoring, sustainable agriculture, and urban planning. Our use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) enables tasks like detecting sealed surfaces and individual trees in urban areas. We’re also exploring neural networks and transformer models for time series analysis, such as predicting El Niño events from sea surface temperatures. Our future products will be open-source, fostering industry collaboration and adoption of our advancements.

Over the next five years, what are mundialis’s ambitions for growth, and how do you plan to achieve them?

Over the next five years, mundialis aims to:

Support the EU Green Deal by contributing to climate, environment, and sustainable finance sectors, including projects like ecosystem restoration in sub-Saharan Africa’s Great Green Wall.

Lead technology innovation through research and development in AI, machine learning, and big data analytics for geospatial data, ensuring we offer cutting-edge solutions.

Deepen engagement with the open-source community, enhancing our market position and fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and sustainability within our company and the wider community.

What changes do you foresee in the competitive landscape of your key markets in the next half-decade?

In the upcoming five years, our key markets are poised for significant transformation fueled by technological innovation, growing environmental awareness, and the momentum of the open-source movement.

Technological Innovation: Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cloud computing will fundamentally reshape geospatial data analysis, creating a demand for specialized solutions capable of enabling complex data analysis.

Growing Environmental Awareness: Increasing concerns regarding climate change and biodiversity loss will elevate the importance of sustainable solutions. This shift will lead to a surge in demand for geospatial solutions tailored to environmental monitoring, sustainable urban planning, and efficient resource management.

The Dynamics of the Open Source Movement: The continued expansion of the open-source movement will drive the development of innovative geospatial solutions. As open-source software gains wider acceptance in the business world, it will accelerate innovation and lower barriers to entry for new players, fostering a highly competitive market where adaptability and the rapid integration of new technologies will be essential for success.

The leadership team at mundialis brings diverse expertise and experiences that shape the company’s direction.

Markus Eichhorn, CEO, possesses a strong background in business development and geomarketing. With a Geoinformatics degree from the University of Muenster, Markus has led numerous large projects and provides consultancy on geodata utilization.

Elisabeth Panzenboeck (PhD) contributes her extensive experience in satellite mission operations and space weather from her tenure at the German Aerospace Centre as Lead Project Manager at mundialis.

Hinrich Paulsen, co-founder and Senior Consultant, focuses on business development and Earth Sustainability Monitoring projects.

As co-founder and Senior Consultant, I bring over 25 years of experience in open-source GIS software development, specializing in GIS, remote sensing, and disease mapping. My contributions to OSGeo and FOSS4G underscore my commitment to advancing geospatial technology.

Can you discuss mundialis’s involvement with the GRASS GIS/OSGeo community and the benefits of such engagement?

At mundialis, our commitment to open source is ingrained in our core identity, demonstrated through our active involvement in the GRASS GIS/OSGeo community. We contribute to the development of GRASS GIS and actinia, continually enhancing features and ensuring their relevance. Our engagement extends to participation in events, contributions to mailing lists, and software reviews, strengthening our presence in the geospatial realm and fostering valuable connections and collaborations within the industry.

What social benefits have stemmed from mundialis’s use of FOSS/Linux?

Our embrace of FOSS and Linux propels social advancements alongside technological progress. Leveraging these open-source solutions democratizes technology, making advanced geospatial tools accessible and modifiable for all, especially benefiting NGOs, educational entities, and startups in developing regions. This practice aligns with our sustainability goals, optimizing resource use and minimizing e-waste.

How does the adoption of FOSS/Linux contribute to mundialis’s environmental sustainability efforts?

Linux and FOSS enhance energy efficiency, reducing CO2 emissions. Opting for Linux extends hardware lifespan and minimizes environmental impact. Our cloud-based geodata analysis allocates computing resources efficiently, reducing waste. FOSS’s open standards promote system interoperability, minimizing environmental footprint without specialized solutions.

Looking back, what are some of the pivotal projects that mundialis has undertaken, and what impact have they had?

mundialis has contributed to significant geospatial analysis and satellite data projects:

◉ GreenUr: Developed a QGIS plugin for the WHO to analyze urban green spaces’ impact on human health.

Fiber Optic Cable Planning: Utilized AI for spatial analysis to plan fiber optic infrastructure in urban areas.

◉ INCORA Project: Used Copernicus satellite data for land cover classifications, aiding decision-making on climate change and biodiversity.

◉ HERMOSA Project: Established a platform for ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation monitoring and reporting.

Source: lpi.org

Continue reading