[ows.js] Introduction

[Eric Lemoine]

My name is Éric Lemoine. I work for Camptocamp (french office), and
currently spend a lot of time on OpenLayers 3.

I'd be interested in an OGC library that works well with OpenLayers 3.
(You had guessed it already.)

OpenLayers 3 includes XML formats/parsers for features (e.g. KML,
GML). These formats basically create ol.Feature objects from XML
documents, and vice-versa. These formats are tightly coupled to
OpenLayers 3 because they serialize from/deserialize to ol.Feature
objects. So OpenLayers 3 won't use external parsers for features.

But for things like Capabilities, DescribeFeatureType, OWSContext,
etc. it may indeed make sense to create formats in a separate library
(ows.js). I'm wondering where that library would stop though. For
example would the library create OpenLayers or Leaflet WMS layer
objects from a WMS Capabilities document? Or would it just create
plain JavaScript objects, or objects of its own types?

At Camptocamp we have decided to use Closure Compiler (in advanced
mode) for OpenLayers 3 applications we develop. So we're obviously
trying to use libraries that are compatible with Closure Compiler. If
ows.js eventually includes formats for many OGC standards then a given
application will probably use a very small fraction of ows.js. With
Closure Compiler we'd be able to write applications that just pay for
what they use. This is very important for us.

These are just high-level ideas for now. I'm also interested to talk
about it at FOSS4G. I won't be there for the sprint but a BOF would
sound good to me.

Thanks!

-- 
Eric Lemoine

Camptocamp France SAS
Savoie Technolac, BP 352
73377 Le Bourget du Lac, Cedex

Tel : 00 33 4 79 44 44 94
Mail : eric.lemoine at camptocamp.com
http://www.camptocamp.com