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Web Feature Service (WFS) and Web Map Service (WMS)

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Encyclopedia of GIS

Synonyms

Internet mapping service; MapServer; ArcIMS; ArcExplorer; Web processing service; WFS; WMS

Definition

Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards for the exchange of geospatial data form a consistent foundation for the development of geographic information systems (GIS) software. The Open Geospatial Consortium (http://www.opengeospatial.org/) is a leading body in standards development in GIS, consisting of members across diverse scientific backgrounds [1]. The most widely adopted and popular of these is the Web Map Service (WMS), a specification which outlines communication mechanisms allowing disjoint software products to request and provide preassembled map imagery (“compiled” map images, which may contain both vector and raster data) to a requesting client. A similar service, Web Feature Service (WFS), allows clients to request vector data which is returned in a pure form (preserving the vector nature of the dataset). Another service which is raising in popularity...

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Recommended Reading

  1. Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. Filter Encoding Implementation Specification, OGC Website: http://www.opengeospatial.org/ (2001)

  2. Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. Vision and Mission, OGC Website: http://www.opengeospatial.org/about/?page=vision (2006)

  3. University of Minnesota. MapServer, MapServer Website: http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/ (2006)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, Geospatial Software Lab, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA

    Christopher D. Michaelis & Daniel P. Ames

Authors
  1. Christopher D. Michaelis
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  2. Daniel P. Ames
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Shashi Shekhar (McKnight Distinguished University Professor) (McKnight Distinguished University Professor)

  2. Management Science and Information Systems Department, Rutgers Business School Newark and New Brunswick Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA

    Hui Xiong (Assistant Professor) (Assistant Professor)

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© 2008 Springer-Verlag

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Michaelis, C., Ames, D. (2008). Web Feature Service (WFS) and Web Map Service (WMS). In: Shekhar, S., Xiong, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of GIS. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35973-1_1480

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