Transcript Words from OGC

Open GIS Consortium
Spatial connectivity
for a changing world.
Enabling Open Access to
Geographic Information
in UN Programs
Lance McKee
VP Corp. Communications & Public Sector Programs
Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC)
508-655-5858
[email protected]
http://www.opengis.org
© 2000, Open GIS Consortium, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
OGC
What is OGC?
• Not-for-profit, international, industry consortium of
commercial, government, and academic organizations.
• Vision: Complete integration of spatial data and spatial
processing in information systems worldwide.
• Mission: Development of OpenGIS Specifications (open
geoprocessing interface standards) through Technical
Committee and Interoperability Program activities.
• Industry standards group with strong ties to ISO TC/211
and other international standards groups.
OGC
Background - World Wide Web
• Internet computing is the
way of the future, new
economy, new paradigm.
World Wide Web
Clients
• Growing at phenomenal rate
Internet
• Interactive Web-based
technology maturing rapidly
• Growing number of online
databases, some spatial.
Servers
Email
FTP
Browser
OGC
Stovepiped, central:
•
•
•
•
•
GIS
Earth Imaging
CADD
AM/FM
Navigation Sys.
Few users, few
sources
Trends
Open, distributed:
• Web access to “views,”
not data
• Live map links
• Geo-Application Service
Providers
• Location Services for
position-aware devices
• Non-visual geospatial
services
Many users, many
sources
OGC
Opportunities in Web-based Mapping
• Application enablement:
–
–
–
–
Planning
Disaster management
Public safety
etc….
World Wide Web
Clients
• Fluid access to GI and services:
–
–
–
–
Inter-agency access
Inter-government access
Gov access to commercial GI
Commercial value-add to
Government data
– Citizen access to gov. GI
– (Services via plain browser)
• Metcalf’s law applied to GI:
value of GI increases with
number who use it.
Internet
Servers
Email
FTP
OGC
Painful Realities and OGC’s Challenge
• Painful realities...
OGC
addresses
these now.
– Limited ways to locate sources of data
– Lack of interoperability
– Institutional issues: security, privacy, certification, freedom of
information law, data fiefdoms, ...
– Data un-coordination, babel of feature names & metadata schemas
– Insufficient affordable bandwidth
• OGC’s challenge...
– Establish standard interfaces for interoperability.
1. Users define requirements.
2. Vendors reach consensus on how to do it.
OGC
Web Mapping Testbed 1
• Organize collaborative
development and cosponsorship.
• Quickly, develop minimal
interface to enable access,
display, and overlay of
simple map views.
• Enable interoperable
commercial geoprocessing
systems and components.
Web Client
Standards, Interfaces
Server
Data
Server
Data
Server
Data
OGC
Web Mapping Technology
- Definition
Catalogs
Map servers
• On-line discovery access,
integration, exploitation of
– Geospatial information
– Geographic analysis and
visualization applications.
• Access multiple servers
simultaneously.
App servers
Client
OGC
WMT 1 Produced:
• GetMap, GetCapabilities, GetFeatureInfo interfaces that
enable automatic overlay of “map views” from different
web-based map servers
– Raster or vector, but presented as .gif or other simple raster
– Based on earlier work in OGC on Coordinate Transformation.
Compatible with OpenGIS “Simple Features,” Catalogs, etc.
• “Cascading Map Server” middleware
• Prototype applications to demonstrate the above
• Inspiration for GML (XML encoding of spatial info)
OGC
WMT2 will produce:
• Better use of Catalog Services (including “cataloging of
catalogs”)
NOTE: OpenGIS Catalog Services depend on
metadata conforming to ISO and FGDC Metadata
Content Standards!
• Better portrayal (use of style sheets)
• Legends and other map marginalia
• Drill-down: cursor on pixel – “What’s this?”
• (Maybe: Simple services for location-aware devices.)
OGC
Coming soon, GML
• “Geo-XML,” standard XML encoding of spatial data
• XML is key to “Business-to-business” GI e-commerce
• XML is structured data that can be “styled” variously for
different applications
• “Recommendation Paper” on GML due soon from OGC
• WAP/W3C likely to embrace GML – Key infrastructure for
services supporting position-aware, Internet-connected
devices
OGC
OGC:
• Develops open geoprocessing interface specifications.
• Organizes sponsor-funded Interoperability Initiatives:
– Testbeds - rapid prototyping R&D efforts
– Feasibility Studies - tests of applicability of interoperability
approaches in a user setting.
– Pilot Programs. Rapid deployment and testing of new web
mapping capabilities, with leave-behind “seed systems.”
• Gives public sector organizations an “open Interface” to
private sector Interoperability Initiative participants.
• Maintains http://www.opengis.org to provide information
about OGC’s technical interoperability developments.