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| GeoCommunity Mailing List |
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| Mailing List Archives |
| Subject: | Re: GISList: Interior e-gov tack irks GIS vendors (Geospatial One-Stop
initiative) |
| Date: |
04/19/2003 11:25:01 AM |
| From: |
Paul Ramsey |
|
|
On Saturday, April 19, 2003, at 02:36 AM, Michael Gould wrote:
> At 12:43 18/04/2003 -0700, Paul Ramsey wrote:
>> Dimitri Rotow wrote:
>>
>>> Let's try a thought experiment: suppose agencies really wanted to=20=20
>>> share
>>> data - why not use SDTS and simply put everything up for free=20=20
>>> download via
>>> FTP?
>>
>> Dmitri is right, the problem of GIS data sharing has alot more to do=20=
=20
>> with organizational intent than with technology. In many ways,=20=20
>> OpenGIS technology could make the problem worse, by convincing=20=20
>> organizations that they can have their cake and eat it too: provide=20=
=20
>> access to data via OGC interfaces without losing "control" over their=20=
=20
>> oh-so-precious data.
>
> Arrrrrrrrgh! You don't open the data (or your source code), you open=20=
=20
> the INTERFACES!!!!
That's exactly what I said. All I questioned was the uniform orthodoxy=20=
=20
that the end result of all this talk about open interfaces was actually=20=
=20
going to improve the overall ability of people to work with integrated=20=
=20
data. A cascaded WMS service (might) look pretty, but you cannot=20=20
answer many (any) analytical questions with it. If organizations=20=20
remain unwilling to provide access to actual data, it is irrelevant=20=20
whether they fail to provide access via WFS or fail to provide access=20=20
via an FTP site full of SDTS files. My point is that the technology is=20=
=20
not the hard part, yet it receives for more attention than the actual=20=20
problem, which is organizational intransigence. In some cases, it is=20=20
being substituted for solving the actual organizational problem ("aha,=20=
=20
we can 'publish' our data via WMS and then people can look at it=20=20
without actually touching it"). Is a half measure better than no=20=20
measure? It depends on whether the half-measure is relieving the=20=20
pressure to solve the whole problem.
Do you see?
Paul
>
>> The experience here in BC has certainly been instructive. On the one=20=
=20
>> hand, a government employee created a heirarchical FTP site and=20=20
>> placed as much licence-free BC data into has he could find, all in=20=20
>> the same format and projection (unfortunately the format was E00, but=20=
=20
>> c'est la vie). On the other hand an agency build a massive web portal=20=
=20
>> for ordering data (including the free stuff, which can be had for=20=20
>> free from the web site if you have the patience) for several million=20=
=20
>> dollars.
>>
>> I've used the portal zero times and the FTP site hundreds of time.
>>
>> However, that was the *last* ten years. The *next* ten years could be=20=
=20
>> vastly different, since theoretically the location of data will=20=20
>> become irrelevant as long as you can programatically discover and use=20=
=20
>> it via standard interfaces. Theoretically. :)
>>
>> --
>> __
>> /
>> | Paul Ramsey
>> | Refractions Research
>> | Email: pramsey@refractions.net
>> | Phone: (250) 885-0632
>> _
>>
>>
>>
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=20
>> __
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>
> ----
> Michael Gould
> Depto. Lenguajes y Sistemas Inform=E1ticos
> (Information Systems Department)
> Universitat Jaume I
> E-12071 Castell=F3n (Spain)
> mailto:gould@lsi.uji.es
> http://www.mgould.com
> Vespucci summer school http://www.vespucci.org
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe, write to gislist-unsubscribe@geocomm.com
> _______________________________________________________________________=
=20
> _
> GeoCommunity GeoBids - less than $1 per day!
> Get Access to the latest GIS & Geospatial Industry RFPs and bids
> http://www.geobids.com
>
> Online Archive of GISList (and numerous others) available at:
> http://spatialnews.geocomm.com/community/lists/
>
> Setup a GeoCommunity Account and have access to
> the GISDataDepot DRG & DOQQ Catalog
> http://www.geocomm.com/login.php
>
>
P
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