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

[Cameron Shorter]

OSGeo Community,

Currently, voting OGC members are to decide whether to accept the 
"GeoServices REST API" as an OGC standard. This is already a contentious 
issue, with 13 votes for, and 10 votes against, 72 outstanding votes, 
with voting halted temporally, being reopened again in a few days, and 
closing 2 weeks after that. [1]

I'm wanting to hear whether people in the OSGeo community have strong 
opinions regarding this proposed standard, and whether we as a 
collective OSGeo community should make statements to the OGC, and voting 
OGC members, stressing our thoughts.

If there is sufficient interest, I'll raise this issue with the OSGeo 
Board, with the intent of drafting a statement on behalf of OSGeo.

As background:
* "The API was initially developed by Esri and implemented on the ArcGIS 
for Server platform." [2]

* The proposed GeoServices REST API specification overlaps with most OGC 
standards already deployed, including: WMS, WMTS, WCS, WFS, SE/SLD, 
CS/W. This effectively means that for most use cases covered by the 
GeoServices REST API, applications would now have two standards to 
support. Also, spatial infrastructure programs will be impacted, as OGC 
compliance won't necessarily equate to interoperability.

* Most (all?) current OGC web service standards to date have an Open 
Source reference implementation, which was often (always?) part funded 
by OGC testbeds, and open source implementations were tested against 
proprietary implementations during OGC testbeds. As far as I'm aware, 
there has been very little up-take from the Open Source community of the 
"GeoServices REST API", and I'm unaware of any testing of non-ESRI 
applications during OGC testbeds. (Someone may be able to correct me here).

[1] 
https://portal.opengeospatial.org/?m=projects&a=view&project_id=82&tab=5&subtab=0
(OGC member login required. Votes counted as at 4 May 2013)

[2] http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/requests/89

-- 
Cameron Shorter
Geospatial Solutions Manager
Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050
Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254

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