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| Subject: | RE: GISList: OGC and Standards |
| Date: |
01/07/2003 11:20:54 AM |
| From: |
Anthony Quartararo |
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Chris makes a good point, and an important one. Thanks Chris. There is a
difference between a GIS Professional and someone who uses geospatial
technology (witting or otherwise). I've struggled with this eventuality
(mentally of course) for some time: in order for the technology and it's
underlying value to become more integrated with mainstream technology and
common to everyone's daily routine, the technology it's needs to fade into
the fabric of everyday technology and not be the sole dominion of a
professional "few". However worrisome I personally am about such
underappreciated knowledge and technology getting into the hands of
uneducated "consumers", it is pointless and counterproductive to "wish" GIS
to stay in the domain of professionals. That being said, simply having
products, interfaces, etc. conformant to OGC specs does not magically allow
the uneducated general consumer to use the technology properly (effectively
perhaps, but not necessarily in the right way or to the right ends). I'm
not claiming it's OGC's responsibility to ensure dumb people don't make
maps, etc. but it does pose a bit of a quandary and potential backlash for
companies providing services that get dumb people into trouble, OGC
conformant or not. It's rather tangential I know, but it gives new meaning
to liability (and don't think it won't happen, especially when kids can sue
McDonalds for making them obese).
I'm still waiting for some more answers to my questions and especially a
living-breathing, published case study of an OGC implementation that is on
the market today that is in a profitable business solving a real problem.
That's what is comes down to doesn't it? This is not an academic exercise I
hope, it's all about money, either spending less of it (users) or making
more of it (vendors).
Anthony
-----Original Message-----
From: Markel, Chris A. [mailto:cmarkel@geodecisions.com]=20
Sent: Monday, December 23, 2002 4:59 PM
To: gislist@geocomm.com
Subject: RE: GISList: OGC and Standards
I'll chime in with my two cents worth of opinion on this issue. I found
Sonny Parafina's comments to be closest to what I feel about the issue,
though I certainly don't fully agree with him. I'll focus on two areas.
First, I think it is true that the GIS user with desktop or even
server-based GIS software available for their use is now in the minority of
total GIS users, and this 'GIS Specialist' category will continue to get
smaller in percentage. Most GIS users do not know what GIS is, nor should
they know. They are using various enterprise-level applications, through the
Web or desktop or client-server configurations, and make use of spatial
information and/or spatial operations as part of their use of that
application. I am not talking about 'MapQuest users', I am talking about
people at local government level, state agency, engineering firms, or
private enterprise, who are using specific business-process applications
that contain GIS. This use of GIS will continue to grow, and grow rapidly.=
=20
The OGC is involved in work that I feel will benefit this growing use of
spatial information, and I applaud those OGC folks who are providing their
time and talents in doing so. But, the OGC is not focusing on this audience
of users at the expense of all others.=20
I started off in GIS almost 20 years ago as one of the 'GIS Specialists' who
performed all types of GIS operations with the ultimate result being getting
some product out to the boss or the client, with the product being a map,
some data, a chart, a report, etc. The 'GIS Specialist' will continue to be
with us. Does the OGC ignore or somehow trivialize us folks? No, they don't.
We are part of their constituency, but not all of it or the most important.
No one use of GIS is most important.
Second, GML has some promise for use in GIS. This promise is in
inter-application exchange of spatial information. Should it be used as a
data format or as a distribution medium? Certainly not in its present
iteration, even if the UK's OS has gone down that road. GML can be used to
transfer points and lines representing a query from one application to
another, however. I would hope that work continues in this vein.
As background, I'm with a private firm in GIS that has no involvement, prior
or present, with OGC. We have relationships with many GIS vendor and service
organizations, in OGC and not in OGC, though no relationship involves
software sales. We do try to make things easier for the majority of our
clients, however, so that they only have to use their business applications,
and not have to learn GIS software, whether it is ESRI or Manifold or
anything else.
Chris Markel
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