The Open Geospatial Consortium Inc. (OGC) will launch an Interoperability Experiment on "geospatial linking" on Jan.15, 2007. The Geospatial Linking Service Interoperability Experiment will test methods for linking attribute data (typically records in a database) to those data records' geospatial representations (typically stored as digital maps) when both data and geospatial representations are stored at separate locations on the Internet.
The experiment is expected to validate the functions of Web services specified in the "Geospatially Linked Data Access Service (GDAS)" and "Geospatial Linking Service (GLS)" OGC Discussion Papers. Experience gained in the experiment will be used to improve these specifications, which may then be submitted for further development and adoption by the OGC membership as OpenGIS Specifications.
The initiators of the Interoperability Experiment are: Natural Resources Canada (Geoconnections), Safe Software Inc., and Graphical Data Capture Ltd. Other organizations are encouraged to participate in or sign on as observers for this Interoperability Experiment.
