The Harlow Report

The Harlow Report-GIS

2023 Edition


ISSN 0742-468X
Since 1978
On-line Since 2000


first published week of:   02/27/2023

Are the OGC's Standards Important? We asked ChatGPT

by Chris Harlow

Tell us if you agree or disagree with ChatGPT's answer

For no particular reason, I began wondering if the OGC's standards had an impact on the GIS industry. After all, the goto file standard is Esri's Shapefile (SHP), but it is not an OGC standard.

While I could have asked any number of friends and collegues in the industry, I decded to ask Tech's latest wonder, ChatGPT. The answer was quite thorough and is presented below. Still, I wonder if my readers agree. At the end of the ChatGPT's answer, let us know by choosing agree or disagree in the short poll.

Question: “How do OGC standards impact the GIS industry?”

ChatGPT Response

OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) standards have had a significant impact on the GIS (Geographic Information System) industry. The OGC is an international non-profit organization that develops and promotes open standards for geospatial data and services, which includes both hardware and software.

The use of OGC standards has facilitated interoperability and data exchange between different GIS systems, regardless of the software vendor or data format used. This has greatly improved the ability of GIS professionals to work together and share information. For example, a GIS professional using one software platform can exchange data with another GIS professional using a completely different software platform, which was not possible before the adoption of OGC standards.

The development and adoption of OGC standards have also led to the creation of new software applications and tools, which has further expanded the capabilities of GIS. For example, web mapping applications that allow users to access and interact with maps and geospatial data online have been made possible by the OGC's Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Feature Service (WFS) standards.

In addition, the use of OGC standards has enabled the integration of GIS with other systems and technologies, such as business intelligence tools and sensors. This has opened up new opportunities for GIS professionals to use spatial data to support decision-making and analysis in a wide range of industries, including transportation, agriculture, and environmental management.

Overall, the adoption of OGC standards has greatly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of GIS professionals and the GIS industry as a whole. By promoting open, interoperable standards, the OGC has helped to break down the barriers to sharing and exchanging geospatial information, and has facilitated the development of innovative new technologies and applications.