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CGDI Interoperability Pilot
April 10 2007
Background
One of the tenets of the CGDI is the widespread dissemination of data which
is at the same time managed at or near its source. Late in 2005, GeoConnections
commissioned AMEC of Oakville, Ontario to investigate the use of technology
based on the Open Geospatial Consortium's Web Feature Service (WFS) standard
to better meet this objective. Recommendations made in the ensuing AMEC 2006
report, "Web Feature Services, Considerations for CGDI Government Partners"
included taking primary steps to properly adopt and effectively use WFS within
the CGDI.
In spring of 2006 some CCOG members approached GeoConnections about enhancing their current services in order to provide framework data to GeoBase within a distributed computing environment. As a follow-up to the AMEC report and CCOG requests, GeoConnections then invited CCOG and IACG members to participate in a pilot project to assess the opportunities afforded by WFS technology to improve the management and dissemination of CGDI data.
Objectives and Benefits
The renewed GeoConnections program is primarily focused on both enhancing and
applying the CGDI. This opportunity for working in collaboration with the provincial
partners will test better mechanisms for the distribution and updating of framework
data, providing users with access to the most current and authoritative data,
avoiding version disparities, and minimizing duplication.
Provincial partners have communicated interest in establishing WFS as a standard for providing wide access to data from distributed locations closest to their source. As source data providers for GeoBase framework data, provincial stakeholders will receive assistance with the implementation of onsite WFS components both in a technical and business sense. Assistance will be made available in the form of financial contributions for labour, software, and data publishing. This will allow providers to maintain control over the data they own while contributing at the same time to a national view of that data. Project results will aid CCOG members in planning the future production implementation of a distributed architecture for GeoBase data management and distribution.
Data users require authoritative geospatial information, accessible directly from as close as possible to its source, in order to make timely and effective decisions. Evolving the GeoBase portal to operate in a more distributed fashion and making maintenance transactions more efficient will help to meet those user requirements. Such GeoBase improvements will be realized through the development of partnerships, data standards and encouragement of sharing. Working with data providers to improve the maintenance of GeoBase framework data is a particular priority for GeoConnections.
Private sector technology providers will be brought into the project through a competitive process. They will assist the project partners in the deployment of the WFS technology.
Scope
This project proposed by GeoConnections in conjunction with CCOG members will
focus on three vector-based data themes:
- Geographic Names;
- National Road Network;
- Administrative Boundaries
The functional scope of this project includes investigations in the following areas:
- Access by users to closest-to-source data
- Transactional updates exchanged between data suppliers and GeoBase
- Use of a distributed services architecture to support performant end-user online applications
The project will include participants from provincial and federal agencies and from the private sector. Agencies will participate at different levels, some will work with private sector partners while others will use their existing infrastructures to provide access to manage and disseminate data. The information gained during the execution of this project will benefit all project participants as well as the broader CGDI community.
Schedule
Discussions with potential project partners for this project were initiated
in the second half of 2006. A contract with Open Geospatial Consortium, Herndon,
Va., to provide technical management and architecture support was initiated
in January 2007. Refinement of the requirements and the Project Concept document
is completed in March 2007 and the competition to select industrial partners
will be completed by May 2006. The technology deployments will be complete by
October 2007 and this will be followed by a 6 month pre-operational phase.