[OSGeo-Discuss] FOSS participation in the OGC and other standards efforts

[Jo Walsh]

dear all,

Hah, I discovered how to post blog entries to the OSGeo.org site.
http://www.osgeo.org/node/513 is a writeup of a short-notice talk
given to the OGC's Mass Market WG at their last physical meeting,
giving an "Open Source Perspective" on their Mass Market effort.
I was attending on one of the "individual memberships" on offer to OSGeo
http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/Standards has more details on this.

I've also been reading with interest the first INSPIRE (European SDI)
drafts to come out of the "Network Services" team of experts for the JRC.
The Commission is soliciting "comments and reports on the usage of
SOAP/WSDL in the frame of setting up an SDI" from stakeholders 
(implementors, service providers, users), which would be greatly
welcome, given how much vendor puff one can imagine them receiving.
http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/FOSS_SDIC

Those implementing W*S clients and services should be aware that *if*
SOAP is mandated by the Directive, all public authorities in Europe
will be legally bound to provide SOAP bindings (in theory, anyway).
But it seems to me the claims being made for SOAP by the "experts" are
overstated and short-sighted. 
http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/SOAP

Meanwhile OGC are revising their specs to supply definite SOAP
bindings where none exist, so that testing and benchmarking can happen. 
Like it or not, this is all a standards-related marketing opportunity. 

Standards-***king! I had better go have a cold shower and write some code. 

felices fiestas,


jo


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