Inc. My car radio never delivered happier news than on March 13, when I heard about Al Gore's proposal to park an imaging satellite a million miles above the sunny side of the Earth and stream an image of Earth to Earth.
Good ideas take time, and deserve critical review.
So the natural consequence, and a direct subtext, of Gore's initiative is an urgent call for standards that enable the live earth broadcast to be a gateway to geospatial information and geoprocessing that will enlighten the globe's inhabitants about their small but rich and beautiful world. Interoperability is the key Gore knows we need standards. The GIS industry is seeking to address many of these issues through the Open GIS Consortium. Geoprocessing interoperability is the key to the Digital Earth, and that is what OGC works toward. We at OGC hope Congress will approve money for Gore's project, and our staff and members stand ready to help in whatever way we can.