2024 OASIS Board Candidate – Ed Parsons
Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist and EMEA Open Data Lead, Google
Biography:
Ed Parsons is Google’s Geospatial Technologist, with responsibility for evangelising Google’s mission to organise the world’s information using geography. In this role he maintains links with Governments, Universities, Research and Standards Organisations which are involved in the development of Geospatial Technology. Ed also leads Google’s efforts in maintaining a healthy Open Data Ecosystem in Europe.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Open Geospatial Consortium and was co-chair of the W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group. He also represents Google at the EMTEL committee of ETSI developing geospatial solutions for emergency telecommunications.
He is a Visiting Professor at University College London and has been an industry advisor to a number of international universities.
Ed is based in Google’s London office, and anywhere else he can plug in his laptop.
Additional Information:
OASIS, while it remains a leading proponent of open standards, faces challenges as do all SDO’s with the increasing complexity of emerging technologies and the need to balance rapid innovation with long-term stability.
Additionally, attracting and retaining a diverse pool of contributors is crucial for ensuring the standards reflect various industry needs, this is all the more important as we begin to better understand the impact of AI/ML on all industries.
Expanding outreach programs to engage developers and smaller enterprises would help broaden our impact, while at the same time making sure our activities are as representative of the needs of industry as possible.
From a government perspective, open standards are crucial for ensuring the interoperability of AI/ML solutions used in public services, promoting responsible and transparent use, and enabling greater innovation while protecting citizen interests. To tackle these challenges, OASIS could consider strategic partnerships with AI research bodies, organizations focused on AI ethics, and government agencies.
Fundamentally open standards remain essential for promoting interoperability, reducing vendor lock-in, and fostering a competitive technology landscape.