Local Spatial Data Infrastructures Based on a Service-Oriented Architecture

Sharing geographic information is an essential activity which has been sought since the early days of GIS, mostly due to the cost of information collection and maintenance. Having once depended on the establishment of data transfer standards, sharing initiatives gradually evolved towards the creation of clearinghouses, Web resources that centralize links to various GI sources, but are still data-oriented. The current focus on spatial data infrastructures changes that, by establishing a service-oriented view, thus allowing for the creation of shared, distributed, and interoperable environments through Web services. This paper explores, in a preliminary fashion, such an architecture as applied to distributed geographic applications, focusing on the potential for local services and local uses, and proposing specialized services deemed essential for urban-scale applications.