[geo-discuss] What to expect from the next INSPIRE implementing rules

[Jo Walsh]

dear all,

Last week I got to attend the EC-GIS workshop in Porto, at which many
of the sessions dealt directly with INSPIRE. There was some reportback
on the progress of the next sets of Implementing Rules which will come
out for public consultation - Network Services, and Data Specification

Network Services
----------------

As it stands, the draft Rules will *mandate SOAP, WSDL and UDDI* for 
online transfer of geodata. This means WMS, WFS, WCS, CSW, et al, will
all have to be retrofitted - not only in implementation, but also in
specification - to provide a SOAP interface. Without it, if this draft
stays the same, a system will not be INSPIRE compliant. Oh, and
ISO19119 for service description metadata may be mandated too.

W*S "have to be Web Services as defined by the W3C" as SOAP, in 2004.
http://www.myspotter.com/soap_rest.shtml
I look forward to hearing a much fuller set of rationales 
as to why this decision was taken. 

The JRC will undertake implementation-stresstesting
of whatever is recommended, and if it works well or 
better than the REST-ful interfaces now common in use,
OGC standards improved where necessary to document 
their alternative SOAP interfaces. 

Data Specification
------------------

The DT is not yet producing implementing rules on 
data specification. The work is coming in 2 phases:
one of "methodology" and the other of "data models".
Up to this point they have produced as phase 1 a 
documented "process of creating harmonised data 
specifications" and this will be published for 
consultation among SDICs/LMOs in August. 

This exists in order to give it to the Spatial 
Data Theme Communities who will actually be responsible
for describing data models for each of the 40 themes
in the INSPIRE Annexes I-III. 

These data models will be legally binding for all 
public authorities publishing geodata in Europe. 

INSPIRE went on the statute books on May 15th and 
from that date there is 2 years to implement the Directive
eg to do what the Implementing Rules say you should do
and also to transpose the Directive into national law.

INSPIRE is a legal framework, its technological dictates 
are accidents of legal ones. The "Implementing Rules" exist 
so that we can have a gauge for INSPIRE compliance.

Metadata
--------

This committee took an approach of finding a minimal abstract model -
imposing no format and lookign ahead to "future distributed computing
platforms". It was mentioned that amongst the commentary they received
was a desire to know what was informative and what normative. 
They got 500 *distinct* comments through the SDIC/LMO process.

I would like to see more of all of this process open in earlier stages.


jo 
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