In one part of the demo, the returned information consisted of .gif files, and in another part of the demo, the returned information was vector data or remote sensing data. Web Mapping Specification conformant software gives data suppliers a way to sell or give away information on the web without necessarily delivering or compromising the underlying source data. OpenGIS conformant interfaces let vendors expose their added value to virtually all users, because the requirements on the user side are so modest. The vendor gets more customers, justifying more investment in product development. The vendor s software becomes integratable with systems of all kinds, so the vendor can spatially empower the enterprise, the consumer, and the citizen.
Many stories are in progress.
Some remote users need to be able to edit the data held by the server, so comprehensive specifications for operations on vector features and grid coverages are needed. Domains like telecommunications, utilities, transportation planning, etc. have special open geoprocessing needs. We look for happy endings as agencies, major corporations, and consortia weave their corporate stories into new OGC testbed requirements scenarios leading to standards-based commercial solutions.