History

About Sol Katz

Sol Katz (1948-1999) was a pioneer in the open source geospatial movement. As a software developer at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Sol created and maintained numerous free geospatial utilities and libraries. He freely shared his work with others, laying the groundwork for today’s open source geospatial ecosystem.

Sol’s generosity and commitment to sharing knowledge inspired countless developers and established a tradition of openness that continues to define the geospatial community.

Recipients

Award Recipients

All Recipients

YearRecipientContribution
2026Ian TurtonGeoTools co-founder, GeoServer
2025Nyall DawsonQGIS
2024Tom KralidisGeoPython, pygeoapi, pycsw, OGC standards
2023Howard ButlerPDAL, GDAL, PROJ, GEOS
2022Sandro SantilliPostGIS, GEOS, librttopo
2021Malena LibmanCommunity building, FOSS4G
2020Anita GraserQGIS advocate, developer, and leader
2019Even RouaultGDAL, PROJ
2018Astrid EmdeOSGeo and FOSSGIS leadership
2017Andrea AimeGeoServer, GeoTools
2016Jeff McKennaSpreading FOSS4G and OSGeo globally
2015Maria BrovelliFOSS4G and GeoForAll
2014Gary ShermanQGIS founder
2013Arnulf ChristlOSGeo co-founder, incubation mentor
2012Venkatesh RaghavanFOSS4G founder, community leader
2011Martin DavisJTS Topology Suite
2010Helena MitasovaGRASS GIS
2009Daniel MorissetteMapServer, OGR
2008Paul RamseyPostGIS, GEOS, uDig
2007Steve LimeMapServer founder
2006Markus NetelerGRASS GIS
2005Frank WarmerdamGDAL/OGR

View Recipients on the OSGeo Wiki

Nominate

Nomination Process

Nominations for the Sol Katz Award are open to all members of the geospatial community. The award committee evaluates nominations based on:

  • Impact - Significance of contributions to open source geospatial
  • Sustained effort - Long-term commitment to the community
  • Leadership - Mentoring others and fostering collaboration
  • Technical excellence - Quality of code, documentation, or other work

How to Nominate

  1. Submit a nomination to the award committee
  2. Include details of the nominee’s contributions
  3. Provide supporting information and endorsements

Submit a Nomination

Award Details

Presented at: FOSS4G Annual Conference

Selection: Award Committee

Nominations: Open annually

Past Recipients Wiki

View the complete list of past recipients on the OSGeo wiki.

Full Recipients List