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This year Gary Sherman received the Sol Katz Award. According to OSGeo’s description, this honor recognizes individuals who have demonstrated leadership in the geospatial free and open source software community. The award acknowledges those whose contributions have meaningfully advanced open source principles in geospatial fields.

The author previously conducted interviews with Sherman about QGIS’s origins. Sherman’s creation of QGIS and decision to open source the code has profoundly impacted countless people globally. The author notes receiving regular correspondence from users worldwide describing how QGIS improves their work and lives.

The author expresses that this award represents overdue recognition for Sherman’s role in establishing QGIS, which has become “the rally point for an incredible, diverse and friendly bunch of people.” The software serves hundreds of thousands of daily users who may not know its founder’s identity. The author concludes with enthusiastic praise for both QGIS and Sherman’s contributions to the geospatial community.