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Get Involved

Every Contribution Matters

Motivation

Why Contribute?

Open source geospatial software is built by people like you. Contributing helps:

  • Improve software you use daily
  • Build skills and gain experience
  • Connect with a global community
  • Give back to projects that have helped you
  • Shape the future of geospatial technology
Options

Ways to Contribute

You don’t need to be a programmer to contribute! Here are many ways to help:

Documentation

Write and Improve Documentation

Good documentation helps everyone. You can:

  • Fix typos and clarify explanations
  • Write tutorials based on your experience
  • Update outdated information
  • Add examples and screenshots

Translation

Translate Software and Documentation

Help make software accessible to speakers of other languages:

  • Translate user interfaces
  • Translate documentation
  • Review existing translations

Testing

Test and Report Bugs

Quality assurance is crucial:

  • Test new releases before they're official
  • Report bugs with clear reproduction steps
  • Verify that bug fixes actually work
  • Test on different platforms and configurations

Support

Help Others

Share your knowledge:

  • Answer questions on mailing lists
  • Help users on Stack Exchange
  • Mentor newcomers
  • Create video tutorials

Code

Write Code

If you're a developer:

  • Fix bugs (great way to start!)
  • Implement new features
  • Create plugins and extensions
  • Improve performance
  • Review others' code

Outreach

Spread the Word

Help grow the community:

  • Present at conferences and meetups
  • Write blog posts about your experience
  • Organize local user groups
  • Introduce colleagues to open source GIS
Start

How to Start

Your First Steps

A simple path to contribution

  1. Choose a project - Start with software you already use
  2. Read the contribution guidelines - Most projects have a CONTRIBUTING file
  3. Join the mailing list - Introduce yourself and ask questions
  4. Start small - Fix a typo, report a bug, or answer a question
  5. Be patient - Everyone is learning and improving together
Programs

Programs for New Contributors

Google Summer of Code

Mentored summer projects

Work on OSGeo projects with mentorship during the summer.

Learn about GSoC

Outreachy

Inclusive internships

Internships for underrepresented groups in open source.

Outreachy

Code Sprints

Collaborative coding events

Join coding events at FOSS4G and other conferences.

FOSS4G Events

First Contribution Ideas

Easy starts:

  • Fix a documentation typo
  • Translate a few strings
  • Answer a mailing list question
  • Test a release candidate
  • Report a bug you've found

Project Repositories

Recognition

Contributors are recognized through:

  • Commit credits in version control
  • Author attribution in documentation
  • Release notes mentions
  • Sol Katz Award for exceptional service

About Sol Katz Award

Code of Conduct

All contributors must follow our Code of Conduct, which promotes:

  • Respectful communication
  • Inclusive behavior
  • Constructive feedback

Read Code of Conduct