Evaluation of Open Geospatial Consortium Standards fur Use In LLNL Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Abstract

The objective of this project is to evaluate existing and emerging Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards for use in LLNL programs that rely heavily on geographic data. OGC standards are intended to facilitate interoperability between geospatial processing systems to avoid duplication of effort, lower development costs, and encourage competition based on improved capability and performance rather than vendor lock-in. Some of these standards appear to be gaining traction in the geospatial data community, the Federal government, DOE and DHS. A serious evaluation of this technology is appropriate at this time due to increasing interest and mandated compliance in the Federal government in some situations. A subset of OGC standards is identified and reviewed with a focus on applications to LLNL programs. Each standard or recommendation reviewed was evaluated in general terms. In addition, for specific programs such as Gen&SIS and NARAC, a specific evaluation was made of several of the standards and how they could be used most effectively. It is also important to evaluate the acceptance of these standards in the commercial arena. The implementation of OGC standards by the largest GIS vendor (ESRI) was reviewed. At present, OGC standards are primary useful in specific situations. More generally, many of the standards are immature and their impact on the government and commercial sectors is unclear. Consequently, OGC and related developments need to be observed. As specific standards or groups of standards mature and establish their relevance, these can also be incorporated in LLNL programs as requirements dictate, especially if open implementations and commercial products are available.