Press release

OGC® Offers Online Multimedia Presentations of Web Services Initiative

March 13, 2006, Wayland, Massachusetts – The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC®) announces the availability of two online multimedia demonstrations documenting the milestones achieved in the OGC Web Services Phase 3 Initiative, (OWS-3).The focus of the presentations is to share the OWS-3 goals and to provide a synopsis of the final demonstration.The presentations are available at http://www.opengeospatial.org/demo/ows3/ The interactive demonstration uses the Macromedia Flash player to show short movies of client applications.Among the topics addressed are catalog services, digital rights management, Web mapping and sensor services.The specifications empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications.

March 13, 2006, Wayland, Massachusetts – The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC®) announces the availability of two online multimedia demonstrations documenting the milestones achieved in the OGC Web Services Phase 3 Initiative, (OWS-3). The focus of the presentations is to share the OWS-3 goals and to provide a synopsis of the final demonstration. The presentations are available as interactive Flash and Web-streamed video and illustrate the use of a variety of draft and approved OpenGIS(R) standards in an emergency response to a fictitious wildfire threat in Southern California. The presentations are available at http://www.opengeospatial.org/demo/ows3/The interactive demonstration uses the Macromedia Flash player to show short movies of client applications. These illustrate the use of draft and existing OpenGIS Specifications, as well as other standards from Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) in a variety of software clients in response to a toxic release caused by a wildfire. Among the topics addressed are catalog services, digital rights management, Web mapping and sensor services. The user can select specific scenes to watch via a menu or use an index to find specific topics.The 14 minute video, available in Windows Media, Real Player, and Quicktime formats, introduces the role the OGC and its Web Service Initiatives play in the important goal of geospatial interoperability. It dramatizes the wildfire scenario illustrating how the technology drives the actions of dispatchers and response personnel in an emergency operations center, in vehicles and in the field.Thirteen/WNET New York produced the presentations with the support of Rosettex Technology and Ventures Group. OGC launched OWS-3 in April 2005 and the final demonstration of capabilities were presented in October 2005. Participants worked in the following areas: * Common Architecture * Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) * Geo-Decision Support Services (GeoDSS) * Geo-Digital Rights Management (GeoDRM) * Open Location Services (OpenLS) * Integration of IEEE 1451 – and OASIS Common alerting Protocol (CAP) standardsInitiative sponsors included BAE Systems, IONIC Software, GeoConnections (Canada), Lockheed Martin, MAGIC Services Initiative, National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, NAVTEQ, Questerra, US Geological Survey (USGS) and other organizations. Forty-five OGC member organizations contributed to OWS-3 developments. OWS-3 is dedicated to memory and contributions of John Vincent.The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC®) Interoperability Program (IP) is a global, hands-on and collaborative prototyping program for rapid development of proven candidate specifications for consideration for consensus adoption and public release by the OGC Specification Program.The OGC® is an international industry consortium of more than 300 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 http://www.opengeospatial.org.”