OGC Members Bring Interoperability To Key GIS Events in March

Wayland, MA, USA, February 25, 2003 – Today's technologies cannot exist in a vacuum. Government, business, academia and the public demand technologies that work together – allowing us to communicate and share information more effectively. Members of the Open GIS Consortium are prepared to show how that can happen using OpenGIS Interface Specifications at the 26th Annual GITA Conference in San Antonio Texas, March 3-6 and the GeoTec Event in Vancouver, British Columbia, March 16-19.Through local area network (LAN) and dial-up connections, vendors will demonstrate how their products take advantage of OGC interface specifications to optimize discovery, access, integration and application of geospatial information and applications on multiple servers accessible via the Internet. An array of vendors will be on hand to illustrate the ability of users to share data and applications across distributed networks, varying processing platforms and vendor brands. Conference attendees are encouraged to visit each of the participating vendors for a chance to win a high-tech prize provided by Hewlett Packard.Sessions at the two conferences will also highlight OGC's contribution to making geospatial data and services work together. At GITA, a conference seminar titled, “Open GIS-Improving Interoperability” will join papers addressing interoperability issues including, “Designing Open GIS Conformant System Architectures for the Enterprise,” “Providing Web Services With Legacy GIS,” and “The Role of Web Services for Spatial Data Delivery.” At the GeoTec Event, a three-paper session titled, “Open GIS and the Internet” highlights different approaches to solving interoperability challenges using OpenGIS interfaces. The event will also feature a presentation regarding the Geospatial Information for Sustainable Development Pilot — a public-private partnership to illustrate how improved interoperability can ease access to and use of geospatial data for sustainable development in Africa.Bob Samborski, GITA Executive Director notes “For the second year, GITA is pleased to provide conference attendees with a unique opportunity to see the impacts and potential of GIT interoperability. Our ongoing relationship with the Open GIS Consortium is expanding – and that's great news for our constituents from local governments, utilities and infrastructure-focused organizations of all types. The GITA/OGC partnership offers users and vendors alike a powerful combination of education about interoperable systems and the ability to actually see them work, all in one venue.”””The event theme, 'A Spirit of Collaboration', is designed to highlight progress toward geospatial interoperability,” said Matt Ball, show manager of the GeoTec Event. “Geospatial data initiatives and interoperability developments are breaking down barriers to unleash the collaborative power of geotechnology. The OGC Interoperability Showcase-organized with the help of GeoConnections, developers of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure-will offer attendees a glimpse of the amazing potential of these initiatives.”Further information about the GITA conference is available at www.gita.org and details about the GeoTec Event is available at http://www.geoplace.com/gt .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 –“