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| Subject: | Re: GISList: RE: OGC and Interoperability :: How Far ? |
| Date: |
12/12/2002 12:55:21 AM |
| From: |
Research .. NucleusGIS.com |
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I try avoiding such political issues: but this one is compelling.
With all its ascendants, OGC must have spent something over a decade trying
to achieve interoperability. How far does OGC find itself from this
fundamental goal ?
How many of OGC's members continue to sell proprietary data formats ?
How many of OGC's influential members are hand in glove with fellow members
for promoting proprietary data formats locked to proprietary applications
locked to proprietary hardware ? One of OGC's most influential members is a
hardware maker whose hardware works if and only if spatial data in a
proprietary data format (churned out by a fellow OGC member) is available on
the CD you push in. The application begins by asking you to obtain an unlock
code for some functions. No names, but both are highly respected members of
OGC.
Saving myself the time to write more on the subject (a 1000 page volume
won't be difficult if someone is willing to pay): I think the basic mission
of OGC is anti-business. Entry barriers are basic to business: just like
making money is basic to business. OGC has all along been trying to melt
these entry barriers. With the help & support of people who created those
entry barriers (to keep competitors at bay while they make money before
moving onto the next entry barrier).
Will you tell me your ATM passwords, particularly if you knew that I am
after your money ? Chances are you won't even if you're convinced I can't
rob your bank account.
That is just what OGC members (most if not all) are doing to OGC's cause of
interoperability. The holy veil of openness & interoperability, and....comes
free with the logo that proclaims "OGC Member" to serve a doubting customer
right.
Please take time to educate me if its any different.
Aarti
----- Original Message -----
From: <creediii@mindspring.com>
To: <gislist@geocomm.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 3:24 AM
Subject: GISList: RE: OGC and Standards, - a response
> Anthony,
>
> While I certainly appreciate the time you have taken to "look at" the
"issue"
> of the Open GIS Consortium (OGC), I want to suggest that you've not done
your
> homework as well as you might have.
>
> First off, let's discuss our membership. You are quite correct that some
of
> our members are the traditional GIS vendors. However, probably 80% are
not!
> The really good news is that more and more new members are coming from
other
> communities of use - location-based services, telecommunications, and
local
> government. Universities have become more and more active. At our last
> demonstration, highlighting interfaces developed in OGC Web Services
> Initiative, Phase 1.2, both George Mason University and the University of
> Alabama Huntsville participated. Among the GIS vendors, after the
"household
> names" of GIS (Intergraph, ESRI, MapInfo, and Autodesk) there are dozens
of
> what I might call non-traditional suppliers of geospatial technology,
sleek
> players (including Galdos, IONIC, Cadcorp, Polexis, Social Change Online,
Dawn
> Corp, CubeWerx, and Compusult) that see OpenGIS specifications as a key
part
> of their business process and software development plans. Other members
> include key geospatial stakeholders, such as: FGDC, US Census, US EPA, UK
> Ordnance Survey, US DOT, US FEMA, ERDC (Corp of Engineers), City of San
> Francisco, Natural Resources Canada, GeoSciences Australia, and Northrhine
> Westfalia (Germany). Please let me know of any other players whom you
think
> should have a role in the OGC process.
>
> Why do these members join and spend valuable time working in our process?
They
> achieve significant benefit in terms of their growth in the market place,
> networking with other OGC members, return on investment, and/or
achievement of
> business objectives. To put it bluntly, open specifications make their
jobs
> easier and increase return on investment. While OGC began with an
ideological
> vision, it's tied into a business model for members and the organization.
> More importantly, this process results in a diversity of plug and play
> technology offerings in the marketplace - take minute to review the
> Implementing Products listing on the www.opengis.org website.
>
>
> One aspect that our members find particularly valuable: our commitment to
> protecting both their corporate Intellectual Property Rights and the
> specifications developed by the membership. We never ask members to
include
> their proprietary technology in specifications. And, we are the defenders
of
> the OGC's Intellectual Property. Among other things, we police all claims
of
> conformance that are brought to our attention.
>
> As the number of the products that impleme
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