Press Release

Cadcorp announces enhanced support for OpenGIS Web Servers with Cadcorp SIS Version 6

Cadcorp, the developer of the popular Cadcorp SIS – Spatial Information System – digital mapping and geographic information system (GIS) software suite, has announced that the latest release of its software, Cadcorp SIS Version 6.0, announced last year, now provides enhanced support for the OpenGIS Consortium (OGC) Web Services.

Having had an active involvement in OGC’s original Web Mapping Testbed (WMT1), Cadcorp first introduced support for the OGC Web Map Service (WMS), as part of Cadcorp SIS Version 5.2, in 2000. Now, with the release of Cadcorp SIS Version 6.0, this support has been extended to include four services: Web Map Service (WMS - serving raster images of maps); Web Feature Service (WFS - serving vector data in GML format); Web Terrain Service (WTS - serving raster images of 3D views); and Gazetteer Service (finding geographic locations based on attributes). All are included as standard as part of the Cadcorp SIS Map Modeller package, once again placing Cadcorp at the leading edge of OGC standards implementation. Such is the leading edge nature of these standards that the WTS and Gazetteer services are still, in OGC terminology, “public discussion papers” not yet “adopted implementation specifications.”

“Since 1999 the OGC has been researching the feasibility of heterogeneous 'open' GIS systems that achieve interoperability and break with a history of proprietary 'closed' GIS technology”, says Martin Daly, Cadcorp Technical Director. “Cadcorp has been an active supporter of this since the beginning, taking these services beyond simple Web interfaces, and making them available in a fully-fledged GIS.”

The aim of the WMT1 according to the OGC, was to ‘...increase users' ability to access and overlay maps and earth images available from other vendors’ Web map servers’. Within this and the subsequent OGC Testbeds, many data providers and curators have successfully combined disparate data and systems via the Internet.

Serving maps on the Web

Taking one of the OGC Web Services as an example, Cadcorp SIS Map Server can act as an OGC WMS providing its users the ability to quickly and easily serve maps on the Web in the form of rendered raster images. This means that Cadcorp SIS can be used to create maps that can then be easily distributed around an organisation and even its customers, with images of any of the 50+ formats it supports 'out of the box'.

To create and serve these maps requires only three elements: a map, a server and a client. A map is produced using Cadcorp SIS Map Manager, Map Editor or Map Modeller and saved in Cadcorp SIS in the normal way as a Saved Window Definition file, or SWD. To then serve the map on the Web, Cadcorp has used the Internet Server Application Program Interface (ISAPI) to create Cadcorp SIS Map Server. Cadcorp SIS Map Server uses ISAPI to extend the standard Microsoft web server, Internet Information Server (IIS), to allow standard Web browser clients to request map information, get that information back, and display it on a Web page.

With Cadcorp SIS Map Server it is possible to set up a WMS that can perform the following tasks:

Display a map in any standard browser without the need for 'plug-in' software.
Display in a browser a list of available maps stored on the server.
Display a map window with basic information about the content of the file, such as the list of overlays within it and its scale. It also provides the possibility to perform basic zoom and pan commands.
Provide information in XML format about the SWDs found with additional information, such as their name, current extents, scale and co-ordinate systems.


	Cadcorp SIS – Spatial Information System™ user interface to connect to an OpenGIS Web Map Server as a client.

The same principles are applied to serving vectors (WFS), raster images of 3D views (WTS), and Gazetteering using Cadcorp SIS Map Server.

Cadcorp SIS provides all of these OGC Web Services 'out of the box' with the Map Modeller package at no extra cost. In addition to using standard HTML browsers as clients, Cadcorp SIS itself can also act as a client of Cadcorp SIS Map Server, or any other OGC WMS, WFS or GAZ, adding significantly to the flexibility and possibilities of deploying these low cost OGC Web Service implementations in an organisational setting.

In addition, the Cadcorp SIS Active Server Component (SIS ASC) can also act as a WMS, WFS, WTS or Gazetteer. With additional flexibility over-and-above Cadcorp SIS Map Server - in particular server-side scripting capabilities and dynamic map creation - SIS ASC provides the ultimate in OGC Web Services.

About Cadcorp SIS

Cadcorp SIS - Spatial Information System - is a suite of Windows-based and Web-enabled end user and developer digital mapping and geographic information system (GIS) software products. The desktop suite comprises: Map Viewer, which provides support for over 50 graphic and data formats, thematics and hard copy; Map Manager, which provides the mainstream user the ability to view, explore, query, symbolise and print digital map and associated tabular data; Map Editor, which in addition to the facilities provided by Map Manager, provides the GIS data custodian with tools to view, manage and edit map and tabular data; and Map Modeller, which adds 3D modelling, terrain analysis and several thematic and analytic mapping tools.

ActiveX based developer toolkits and Viewer, Manager and Modeller based runtime licences are popular products for the development and implementation of bespoke applications by third parties that take advantage of Cadcorp’s GIS know-how.

Cadcorp ASC (Active Server Component) extends the functionality of Cadcorp SIS for use over the Internet or a company-wide intranet. It is a dynamic, server-side Web-based GIS, not merely a map-publishing tool for pre-authored images. Cadcorp ASC provides a true, interactive Web-based solution for real time map creation and analysis.

Cadcorp SIS MasterMap Loader is supplied with Map Modeller for the loading and management of OS MasterMap data in relational databases.

Cadcorp apSIS is programmable component software for the development of geospatial applications for the desktop and Pocket PC platforms.

Cadcorp mSIS is a data collection package that incorporates a desktop data capture management application and a Pocket PC based data collection tool.

About Cadcorp

Established in 1991, Cadcorp is a leading developer of digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software. With offices in the UK, USA and Australia, Cadcorp’s distribution and VAR network stretches worldwide. The company also plays a pivotal technical role in the OpenGIS Consortium. Cadcorp SIS is currently the only complete product family to attain OpenGIS conformance certification.

Cadcorp SIS applications are used extensively in local government, central government, emergency services, insurance, oil & natural gas, mapping and surveying, commerce, broadcasting and many other markets.

ENDS

For further information, contact: Chris Holcroft, Tel: 01438 747996, e-mail: chrish@cadcorp.com

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