> You wrote:
> > What is really needed is the adoption of XML schemas for GIS (and for
> > document handling) that allow broadly-based data exchange.
>
> I'm new to the list (today), but
> have you heard of GML (Geographic Markup Language) found at
> www.jlocationservices.com ?
> Ian Clemens
> Anderson Economic Group
Ian -
Yes, it's a part of what the OpenGIS consortium recommends for one section
of their specification. I am not entirely familiar with the relation of GML
to XML, but the 'problems' with earlier markup languages like SGML can be
eliminated in XML while retaining 100% of the functionality (here, I'm
talking about commercial documents in the main - definitely not GIS).
I don't want to get into a discussion of XML, but one of its main features
is that it is self-describing.
If the GIS world uses 'schemas' that are appropriate to the data models /
object models (as OpenGIS is defining), then GML can be 'XML-compliant' and
essentially any 'GIS document' that is created can be self-describing. This
means that it is possible to read 100% of the data, 100% correctly - into a
target GIS system. OpenGIS lays down a roadmap for the 'target GIS systems'
to re-design their (internal) systems so that the data-conversion /
data-usage issue is less of a problem to the MapInfo or ESRI or whomever.
I.L. Thomas
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