OGC and IPE Announce Classes in Geospatial Interoperability

Wayland, MA, February 27, 2003 – The first classes resulting from collaboration between the Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC) and the Institute for Professional Education (IPE) are now available for registration. IPE and OGC agreed to collaborate in the development and delivery of GIS related education for advancement of interoperability favorable to the interests of their members and the public, and to raise awareness of and interest in the organizations’ missions.Randy Shingler, president of IPE commented on the partnership with OGC. “OGC has provided IPE with the opportunity to quickly develop interoperability based GIS seminars by providing access to high caliber resources through its members. We are confident that our relationship with OGC will enhance our seminar offerings in the near future, and enable us to reach out to the international community as well.”IPE recently announced the first two course offerings for 2003, developed by Global Science and Technology, Inc. (GST), an OGC member. GST’s Geospatial Interoperability Group is a private consulting organization that specializes in the development, integration, and implementation of standards and protocols and related training programs. One class aims to introduce technical managers to the value and utility of open source standards in technology program development and acquisition. The other addresses the needs of software engineers in implementing OGC-based solutions.Geospatial Interoperability for Managers , an interactive 2-day course provides managers with a firm understanding of the elements required to enable geospatial interoperability within their organizations. Valuable to technical managers who are looking for a road map for integrating geospatial standards in their existing systems or incorporating them in future ones, the course provides a high level view of relevant OGC, ISO and other specifications and standards, without going too deep into the technical details. An invaluable resource for managers new to GIS or poised to oversee GIS implementation in existing or planned applications, this interactive seminar ties the topics presented with specific problems faced by participating managers in their day-to-day work. http://www.ipeseminars.org/GIS/interoperability.htmGeospatial Interoperability for Software Engineers , a challenging 4-day course, is designed for software engineers seeking to integrate geospatial standards within their existing or planned applications. The course provides a working analysis of geospatial interoperability vocabulary, standards and technologies for rapid implementation of spatial components in applications. Students will examine relevant standards in the areas of data and data access, coordinate reference systems, metadata and catalogs, and maps and visualization. The course also highlights the latest ISO standards and OpenGIS® specifications as well as the emerging OGC Web Service architecture. http://www.ipeseminars.org/GIS/interoperabilitySE.htmTo register or find out more about either course, visit www.ipeseminars.org, or call IPE at 703.527.8700.The Institute for Professional Education, (IPE), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1975 by a group of senior technical and managerial professionals, provides advanced, post graduate level professional development seminars in the fields of statistics, research, simulation, forecasting, and management.OGC is an international industry consortium of more than 250 companies, government agencies and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface specifications. OpenGIS Specifications support interoperable solutions that “geo-enable” the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. The specifications empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications. Visit the OGC website at www.opengeospatial.org .– end –“