GeoServer Improvement Proposals

GeoServer Improvements Proposals (GSIP) are the formal mechanism used to manage any sort of major change to GeoServer. Examples of changes which are managed by the GSIP process include:

  • major features
  • code re-architecture
  • community process improvements
  • intellectual property

How a GSIP works

The typical life cycle of a GSIP is as follows:

  1. Developer has an intent to perform a major change
  2. Developer communicates with the community about the change
  3. Developer goes off and implements the change
  4. Developer writes a GSIP and presents it to the community for feedback
  5. The PSC votes on the GSIP
  6. Developer commits changes upon receiving a positive vote

Voting on a GSIP

One of the duties of the GeoServer Project Steering Committee is to vote on GSIPs. The voting process works as follows:

  • Each PSC member gets a single vote, which can be one of +1, -1, 0
  • Any PSC member that votes negatively against a proposal must provide a reasonable explanation as to why
  • Any PSC member that votes negatively against a proposal has a limited time to provide constructive feedback as to how the vote can be turned
  • The GSIP author must incorporate any reasonable feedback into the proposal
  • Any negative vote is reviewed to determine if criteria has been met to turn it to a positive vote
  • The proposal is considered successful after a majority of positive votes is a achieved and all feedback from any negative votes has been addressed

Implementing a GSIP

GSIPs are written up on the wiki. To make a GSIP:

  1. Navigate to the proposals under discussion page
  2. Log in to the wiki and click the Add Page link
  3. Use the Proposal template to create the new page
  4. Name the new page “GSIP ## - <TITLE>” where:
    1. ## is the number of the GSIP
    2. <TITLE> is the title of the GSIP
  5. Fill in the information in the page template, and click Save when complete.

GSIP FAQ

Q. When do I need to make a GSIP?

A: Generally you will make a GSIP when you want something major done in GeoServer and need feedback from others. GSIPs are needed for things that will have an impact on other community members, and thus should be talked about.

GSIPs are not intended to be a way to get feedback on experimental work. There are alternate mechanisms for this such as creating an R&D page on the wiki, svn branches and spikes, etc... Often once the idea is formalized through experimentation it can be turned in to an official GSIP.

Q. Who can comment on a GSIP?

A: Anyone and everyone can comment on a GSIP including regular users, and it is encouraged. Comments an take place on the email lists, or as comments on the wiki page for the GSIP itself. Feedback from the user community is definitely desired so that the developers do not just making decisions in a vacuum. If you speak up your voice will be heard.

Q. Who can vote on a GSIP?

A: Only PSC members can officially vote on a GSIP. But more often than not this vote is based on general feedback from the user community.

Q: What happens if I propose a GSIP but I don’t have the time to implement it?

A: If a proposal is made but is not completed then it will be taken from a release schedule and live as a deferred proposal. A deferred proposal can be picked up by the original developer or another developer, or it can live in limbo until it officially gets rejected.

Q: If I am a PSC member and I make a GSIP, do I still vote on it?

A: Yes.

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