Major Implementation of Geospatial Fusion Services Demonstrated

Wayland, MA, USA, June 26, 2001 – The Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC) announces the successful demonstration of an operational geospatial fusion implementation at In-Q-Tel by an international vendor team. Geospatial fusion refers to the ability of interoperable technologies to integrate text with geoprocessing and web based services. For this demonstration, In-Q-Tel funded the integration of commercial component software, with integration made possible by candidate OpenGIS interfaces developed last year in OGC's Geospatial Fusion Services Testbed (GFST). The prototype system was built to evaluate the potential of OpenGIS interface-enabled Geospatial Fusion Services (GFS) technology in an operational setting. The vendor team included Ionic Software, Social Change Online, Polexis, Galdos Systems, ESRI, SAIC and Lockheed Martin. The demonstration was the conclusion of the Geospatial Fusion Pilot Project (GFPP), part of OGC's Interoperability Program.The demonstration showed three services working together: a geoparser (capturing geographic references in text), a gazetteer (using a dictionary of place names and their associated location) and a geocoder (putting the location on a dynamic digital map). Together these services would allow a researcher for example, to explore a dynamic, viewable map automatically filled with details based on text from a series of news articles and other documents. The application that builds the map might use a geoparser to search out geographic references in the text, consult a gazetteer to find the coordinates of each location, and then turn to a geocoder to post the location as a link on the map.The series of links (for instance, to imagery or related text articles) on a map can be packaged together in a Location Organizer Folder (LOF). This folder is an XML document created to share the results of a work session with any one else who has LOF client software.OGC and the pilot team envision a variety of geoparser, gazetteer and geocoder services, all with common interfaces, available on the Web and hosted by a variety of organizations worldwide. Common interfaces will assure that any combination of services can be brought together for a task and that the resulting information can be shared using a LOF. Students, analysts and professionals in education, the military, health care, crime prevention, marketing and many other disciplines can take advantage of this unique, interoperable and expandable way to look at information and its relationships.The Geospatial Fusion Services pilot validated the value of geospatial fusion services to initiative sponsors and participants and illustrated the flexibility and utility of these technologies. The technologies used in the Pilot will move into OGC's OpenGIS specification program to be considered as additions to the current list of OpenGIS Implementation Specifications.About In-Q-Tel, Inc.In-Q-Tel is a venture catalyst that combines strategic investing with technology expertise to partner with the world's leading information technology innovators. In-Q-Tel's strategy is guided by the needs of one of the most demanding technology customers in the world-the Central Intelligence Agency. In-Q-Tel is a private, not-for-profit company contracted by the CIA to identify and deliver the next generation of information technologies to support the CIA's critical intelligence missions.For entrepreneurs, In-Q-Tel offers a source of capital, and access to technical expertise and power users with some of the toughest enterprise IT problems today. For venture partners we bring an expert in-house technical team and agile and highly rigorous technical due diligence process. We also bring a team of experienced business builders and leaders who are committed to growing great companies that develop great products. In-Q-Tel has partnered with more than sixteen IT companies since launching bi-coastal operations in Northern Virginia and Menlo Park, California in the fall of 1999.Additional information about In-Q-Tel is available at www.in-q-tel.org .About OGC, Inc.OGC is an international industry consortium of over 200 companies, government agencies and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geoprocessing specifications. OpenGIS Specifications establish common interfaces that “geo-enable” the Web and mainstream IT, enabling 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 –“