One of the measures of the success of a technology is its ability to move from early adopters to those who are "just regular people." Here in the U.S. wireless computer connections have made that leap. And, I think OpenGIS Specifications are making the leap, too. Two cases in point are detailed in this issue of OGC User.

GIS innovations typically are first taken up in commercial arenas, and in corners of the federal government. When they move to the state and local level, it's time to take note. That's what's happening in North Carolina. A pilot project has the state and a dozen local governments (one in neighboring South Carolina) exploring what's possible if they agree to use the Web Map Service (WMS) Specification.

Archeology and GIS

Archeology was one of the first social sciences to tap into the power of GIS to map and manage data acquired during excavations. Such systems document the location of finds large and small, the age of the artifacts, and store detailed measurements. The GIS may also contain insights into the people or creatures that might have lived there and then.

While archeologists are keen on finding where relics are buried, they are also called upon to determine if areas are void of such finds. Maps of "archeologically negative" areas are equally important to locate, especially when present day construction is planned.

by Zsolt Nagy and Julia Harrell 

"If you build it…"

Remember the film Field of Dreams and its tagline, "If you build it, they will come"? That's not how they do things in North Carolina, at least not when it comes to GIS. In North Carolina, they drew on as many players as possible from the beginning, and had them participate, not just in the building, but the planning and the vision definition of an interoperable statewide data sharing application. And, it's worked. The NC OneMap Regional Demonstration Site has been online for several months, and has provided its creators with key insight into future solutions.