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| GeoCommunity Mailing List |
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| Subject: | RE: GISList: OGC and Standards, - a response |
| Date: |
01/07/2003 11:20:53 AM |
| From: |
sonny |
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After reading through all the posts, I am dismayed that this discussion has
deteriorated to a debate about data formats instead of exploring the issues
that started this thread.
First, I will disclose and say that I have been an OGC member in two very
different capacities. My first role was as a major sponsor of several
interoperability initiatives, testbeds, and pilot projects. My second and
current role is of a software vendor of OGC compliant software.
In my opinion as a former sponsor and current vendor, OGC's current thrust
in in distributed geoprocessing via the Interoperability Program is not
about "the average GIS user." In fact the "average GIS user" is a miniscule
part of the folks that use spatial data on a daily basis. OGC is about
making geospatial processing available to everyone, not just technical
specialists with desktop systems.
When I talk to people about OGC standards, there are two take-away messages
that I always try impress upon them (I must credit Jeff Harrison, OGC
Interoperability Program Executive Director for these concepts).
The first message is the concept of the "geospatial dial-tone." The idea
behind the the geospatial dial-tone is that like a 2600 Hz signal either a
person or a machine knows what to do request information from a service and
what to do with the information that the service provides. I was recently
driving in Europe and called a business associate in the US on my US cell
phone. I was amazed at the technology that connected me to a foreign cell
carrier, sent my call across the Atlantic, and negotiated the different
networks to reach another cell phone roaming in the US. What makes this
possible are service level contracts based on international standards that
tie together loosely coupled information systems. OGC is striving for this
level of transparency for geospatial processing and it is succeeding. In
numerous testbeds and pilots, OGC participants/vendors have demonstrated the
capability to access services (developed by multiple vendors built on their
technology and platforms) and perform the sponsor specified tasks and
functions in various thick and thin clients.
The second message is the concept of "no files." I would venture to say
that 75-80% of the activites related to GIS is related to
handling/mangling/transforming/cleaning GIS data. Current GIS systems also
treat analysis as a file handling task, e.g. performing an operation
returns a result in the form of a new file. OGC specifications are derived
from sponsor requirements, many of which require that the end user to only
interact with the information that they need to perform their specific
tasks. The OGC referencee architecture enables information architectures
that provide the only the information requested when its requested.
Applications and users use only the data they need in the form of maps and
features, not the entire files of geographic entities.
These two concepts are core to a new way of thinking about geospatial
information services. OGC has indeed thrown out the old model of desktop
GIS and file based processing, and OGC members are developing a new model
that turns geospatial data and processing into commodities that can be
delivered transparently through information networks. Think of it as the
geospatial information cursor or mouse that you point at an object and it
returns the information you want. Think of it as business opportunity.
I encourage the members of this list to read, ask questions, and participate
in OGC activities. Why? Because OGC delivers a coherent architecture for
distributed geoprocessing developed through a concensus process by your
peers (this includes both the market leaders, upstart companies,
Universities, and government).
Is the work done? Hardly, there is much work to do and it requires your
input whether its a request, a criticism, or assisting in developing
specifications. Rather than accepting what a vendor hands you, OGC is an
organization where the "average GIS user" can make a change.
Is there a lot of politics? You bet, as with any organization politics is a
normal part of the process. However, it is a concensus based process and
from my observations the drive has been towards a better technical solution
and not ensuring the dominance of market leaders.
Why does it take so long to release a spec and why are they so mind numbing?
Specifications are mind numbing by nature because they have to consider such
small details such as the difference between lat/lon and x/y or how to
encode a comma in a URI. Specs also require precise language, which leads
to obtuse terminology that may run counter to defacto terms. These details
take time to resolve and also OGC specs are tested through technical
integration experiments among OGC members. For service level contracts to
work, all these details must be specified - but think of the cell phone
anecdote
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