[OSGeo-Discuss] Would you be concerned if the "GeoServices REST API" became an OGC standard?

[Daniel Morissette]

I am also of the opinion that "single-vendor standards" such as KML and 
this GeoServices REST API are turning OGC into a rubber-stamping 
organization and this is not what the geospatial community needs. Don't 
get me wrong, it is good to see these openly published, but the 
publication should be by their owners (Google and ESRI in those case) 
and not be rubber-stamped by OGC.

What the geospatial community needs is an organization that provides 
direction around a consistent set of standards that guarantee 
interoperability between interchangeable software components.

The suite of WxS services built over the last 10-15 years is somewhat on 
the way of achieving this, even if some pieces still do not interoperate 
as smoothly as we wish. Is OGC trying to tell the world that it no 
longer believes in WxS?

OGC and its members need to decide whether they want the OGC logo to be 
perceived as the "guarantee of interoperability", or just as a 
rubber-stamping organization with a large portfolio of inconsistent 
standards.

Whether your source is open or closed is out of the question here, so I 
am not sure that a statement from OSGeo matters unless it is to point at 
this obvious slippery slope in which OGC is falling (a movement which 
started with KML a few years ago).

Daniel



On 13-05-06 3:41 AM, Jeroen Ticheler wrote:
> All,
> Having read this thread I support what has been said by Adrian, Bruce and others. If anything, acceptance of a set of standards that basically replicates what W*S standards already do will confuse customers. Maybe that is exactly what esri hopes to achieve, it definitely doesn't help our (the geospatial community) business. And as Bruce states, it will have serious impact on the OGC credibility. As OSGeo I can imagine that we then decide to start our own standardization process and build a standards brand around OSGeo products. Not a nice perspective, let's hope OGC won't go down that route.
> Jeroen
>
> On 6 mei 2013, at 01:08, bruce.bannerman.osgeo <bruce.bannerman.osgeo at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Cameron,
>>
>> My personal opinion is that if this proposal was accepted, it would be a bad move for OGC.
>>
>> Remember that OGC is a community and its Technical Committee membership are the people who vote on the acceptance of Standards. The TC comprises many different organisations.
>>
>>
>> I do understand that OGC are trying to be inclusive in their processes and to try and cater for alternative approaches to a problem, much the same as OSGeo does in supporting multiple projects that essentially handle similar use cases (e.g. GeoServer, MapServer and Degree).
>>
>> I have also personally witnessed ESRI's commitment to helping to further the development of Open Spatial Standards through their work on OGC Working Groups and at OGC Technical Committee meetings.
>>
>> ESRI also have made a valid point in their response to the 'NO' vote for the GeoServices REST API that the OGC has already allowed alternate approaches with the acceptance of netCDF as a data format and KML as a combined data/presentation format.
>>
>> With the GeoServices REST API, I think that the approach proposed:
>>
>> - is very divisive for the OGC community.
>> - essentially appears to propose an alternate way for working with spatial services that does not utilise or build on the W*S suite of services that have been developed through robust community processes for in excess of a decade.
>> - does not provide REST bindings to the W*S suite of standards that have been widely implemented in a range of software.
>> - will result in confusion within the user community that are trying to utilise 'OGC' services.
>>
>>
>> If this approach were to be adopted, I believe that OGC will go too far down the alternate solution approach and will risk losing its public acceptance as one of the key leaders of open spatial standards.
>>
>>
>> I'm interested in hearing other OSGeo members opinions as to how this proposal would affect their projects.
>>
>> Would you consider implementing the GeoServices REST API within your projects?
>>
>> If you did, would you maintain support for both it and traditional W*S services?
>>
>> Bruce
>
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-- 
Daniel Morissette
http://www.mapgears.com/
Provider of Professional MapServer Support since 2000