OGC Requests Input to Build Directory of Interoperable Products

Wayland, MA, USA, November 7, 2001 – The Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC) announces the development of an authoritative index of software products that implement OpenGIS® Interface Specifications. OGC requests the assistance of technology developers worldwide to help establish a directory that will be the ultimate source of information about software products and services that use OGC's interoperability specifications. The public directory will be the “go to” website for those looking for interoperable solutions, including software vendors, system integrators, and end-users.Interest in solutions with built-in OGC interoperability is growing rapidly. The list of products implementing OpenGIS Specifications such as the Web Mapping Server and GML (Geography Markup Language) is growing, with more organizations purchasing software based in part on the plug and play capabilities provided by use of interfaces that implement OpenGIS Specifications. The current listing includes 93 products from 25 companies that implement these specifications and 19 products from 7 companies that have passed conformance testing. An expanded directory of products implementing OGC's interfaces will be a valuable resource for users seeking improved interoperability of geospatial and location based services.Since 1998 when the first publicly available OGC Interface Specification was announced, an additional five interface specifications have been approved and released through the OGC consensus process for use by technology developers worldwide. The currently available OpenGIS specifications include: Simple Features for SQL, OLS/COM and CORBA, Catalog, Coordinate Transformation, Coverages, Web Map Server, and GML 2.1. In addition, there are numerous OGC Discussion and Recommendation papers for a group of draft interface specifications. These include Geocoding, Geoparser, Gazetteer, Web Coverage Server, Web Terrain Server, and Style Layer Descriptor.Individuals or organizations interested in listing their implementation(s) in the directory are invited to submit information at Implementing Product Registration . Details of the product, which specification(s) are used, and the submitting organization's contact information will be gathered and provided in the directory. OGC Membership is not required for inclusion. The directory is a free, public service maintained by the OGC.OGC is an international industry consortium of over 220 companies, government agencies and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface specifications. OpenGIS Interface Specifications support interoperable solutions that “geo-enable” the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT, and 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 –“