Project jobs

Open jobs in the GRASS project

The growing infrastructure and extended user support requires more efforts to integrate user contributions and to keep things running. This page contains a list of jobs for which we seek volunteers. These jobs descriptions may appear a bit formal, but shall illustrate the needs.

Documentation manager (open)

GRASS documentation (HTML/MAN pages) need to be frequently revisited and updated. Some pages are still lacking examples or clarity.

Skills:

• knowledge of standard HTML (ASCII editor is preferred over HTML editor)
• willingness to use plain text editors to write pages (to avoid that HTML cruft creeps in)
• familiarity (or willingness to learn use) with GRASS Web site CVS (see instructions)
• no programming skills required
• excellent knowledge of English language (native speaker preferred)

Tasks:

• update outdated manual pages
• add relevant graphics/screenshots with credits/CC license into page
• receive and merge contributions from external contributors; remove offensive HTML tags not understood by g.html2man (say: reduce to simple HTML)

Estimated workload:

• in average: 1-x h per week

Contact: Markus Neteler

Web site contributors (open)

Several Web site contributors are desired to update pages and to improve the current structure. A future goal could be the move to a CMS system such as Drupal which would be a major effort. Wolf Bergenheim is currently working on the preparation of a OSGeo based Drupal server for GRASS.

Skills:

• knowledge of standard HTML (a single PHP function is used to construct menus)
• willingness to use plain text editors to write pages (to avoid that HTML cruft creeps in)
• familiarity (or willingness to learn use) with GRASS Web site CVS (see instructions)
• no programming skills required

Tasks:

• update outdated pages
• think about and implement "user stories" to make site more attractive
• think about and implement translation of important pages
• simplify structure
• add new screenshots with credits/CC license)
• regularly check if mirror sites work

Estimated workload:

• in average: 1-x h per week

Contact: Markus Neteler

Wiki manager (open)

The GRASS wiki (you are using it at the moment) requires continuous monitoring.

Skills:

• basic knowledge of mediawiki usage
• no programming skills required

Tasks:

• update outdated pages
• simplify structure where needed (merge pages)
• clean up Orphaned pages (link, merge or remove)
• keep Categories up to date (add at bottom of pages where needed)
• keep an eye on spammers

Estimated workload:

• in average: 1h per week

Contact: Markus Neteler, Martin Landa

Graphic design lead (open)

We need someone with good graphic design skills to maintain the artwork used in the various GUIs and the web site. The initial priority is to rework the icons used in the various GUIs and clean up the screenshot gallery.

Skills:

• Graphic design, graphic design software
• Artistic
• A sufficient level of familiarity with the GIS in order to capture the precise meaning of a button's task in a simple picture.
• No programming experience needed, but it would be helpful if willing to learn a little Tcl in the short term and more wxPython in the long term. (present and future GUI frameworks)
• Manage binary files in CVS. (fairly simple to learn)

Tasks:

• Create new icons for the various GUIs
• Work with website manager to create, solicit, and maintain screenshot gallery
• Work with the GUI team to perfect GUI layout and menu presentation.
• Help promotion and newsletter teams in preparing logo banners, layout ideas, etc.

Estimated workload:

• After initial work on icons: 1hr per week

Accepted positions (which were advertised here)

Translations manager

NEWS: Kindly accepted by Carlos Dávila

The translations manager is responsible for maintaining the translation of GRASS messages (translation page; [http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/translations mailing list)

Skills:

• knowledge (or willingness to learn use) of translation tools (kbabel, poEDIT)
• familiarity (or willingness to learn use) with CVS (see instructions)
• no programming skills required

Tasks:

• work with GRASS CVS-Head (latest GRASS)
• merging translation contributions (with 'msgmerge' of .po files or simply use po_merge.sh)
• invite translators to contribute (ask regularly, find new), make them use recent GRASS
• create template files for new languages ('make pot')
• update existing translations after having received latest submissions from translators ('make update-po')
• keep headers of .po files intact and up-to-date
• add new translators to AUTHORS file in source code

Estimated workload:

• in average: 1-2h per week or less

Contact: Markus Neteler

Public relations manager

NEWS: Kindly accepted by Malte Halbey-Martin

Despite the continuous growth of the user community, we seek "GRASS GIS awareness" especially for public administration and companies. A multi-language brochure is needed to promote GRASS in a more effective way. Funding for a high quality print is to be defined.

Skills:

• communication and design skills

Tasks:

• find like-minded people to form a GRASS promotion group
• communicate the existence of the GRASS project
• design of a multi-language brochure (both PDF and printed) in collaboration with the OSGeo-VisCom team
• create material to illustrate the GRASS functionality
• contact public administration and professionals in a non-spammy way
• collect success stories and render them usable for the Web site

Contact: Markus Neteler

Interested people

While we have to figure out the process, here a list of interested people. Please add yourself:

• Malte Halbey-Martin: Public relations Manager + Web site contributor
• Dylan Beaudette: Web site contributor (familiar with Drupal CMS)
• Scott Mitchell: Web site contributor, could possibly do the translation job, if nobody with translation tool experience volunteers
• Brad Douglas: Public Relations contributor (co-maintainer)

Existing jobs

• Bug tracker maintainer: Maciej Sieczka
  • Jachym Chepicky - code patches
  • Scott Mitchell - website patches
  • Martin Landa - doc patches
• Newsletter editor-in-chief: Martin Wegmann (+ Paul Kelly and MN) - for OSGeo: Tyler Mitchell
• CVS maintainer: Bernhard Reiter
• Main Web site/Infrastructure manager: Markus Neteler
• Mailing list manager: Markus Neteler
• Translations manager: Carlos Dávila
• Wiki manager: Markus Neteler (see above for open position)
• Public relations manager: Malte Halbey-Martin
• Binaries packager:
  • Fedora RPMs: Brad Douglas
  • Mandriva RPMs: Buchan Milne
  • Debian: Francesco Lovergine and the Debian GIS Project
  • winGRASS native: Moritz Lennert, Benjamin Ducke, Huidae Cho, Paul Kelly, Tim Sutton (QGIS/GRASS bundle)
  • MacOSX: William Kyngesburye, Lorenzo Moretti