[OSGeo-Standards] Simple Text Format For Transfer of Simple Spatial Features (Killing the GML 3 Beast)

[Jody Garnett]

Yet another format is never a great idea :-) If you really want another 
format why not punt H2 databases around? It is what the SQLLite file 
format crazy in the C++ world is all about ... think even FDO does 
something like that?

> [1] A CSV file in which the first row contains feature attribute 
> names, the second row identifies feature attribute data types using 
> standard XML data types and WKT for geometry attributes, and in which 
> the other rows contain the actual attribute values, one feature per row.
>
You are welcome to look at the property file format we use as an example 
in GeoTools.
>
> [2] A restricted form of GML 2 that will eliminate the need for an 
> external schema and simplify parsing. Think of this as “GML 2 
> Resurrected”.
>
This is the way to go;
- you will find that the OGC has a SimpleFeature profile of GML3 that 
can be put to good use.
- ESRI also has something insane to the same effect

Not sure you will every eliminate the need for an external schema - but 
why not put it inline at the top of the document? Consider it a "header" 
for the rest of the file ... that is how WSDL and MS does it.

Cheers,
Jody