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Spatial Web Services Applications in Bahrain
Dr Raj Mukta Sundaram
Project Manager
GEOMATEC, Bahrain Center for Studies and Research
Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
Email: rajs@geomatec.com.bh
Sunil Gupta
GEOMATEC, Bahrain Center for Studies and Research
Email: sunil@geomatec.com.bh
Neeraj Dixit
GEOMATEC, Bahrain Center for Studies and Research
Email: neerajd@geomatec.com.bh
Abstract
Spatial Web Services is a fast developing concept in web-based GIS application development and data delivery services. The main intention is to minimize the cost and efforts associated with application development, data, hardware and GIS software. In last few years concept of web services has been gaining attention and appreciation as a powerful and efficient technology for connected & distributed computing.
The spatial web service relieves users from purchasing expensive GIS data, software, Expertise and hardware, while the service provider could develop content and applications independent to heterogeneous software or hardware environment. Spatial web services data and application providers can take benefit of seamless application integration capability of web services and offer their combined services transparently and efficiently to users.
GEOMATEC has developed spatial web services for the first time for GIS community in the Kingdom of Bahrain, to provide on demand data and application. With GEOMATEC web services one can access, up-to-date GIS data for Bahrain, perform geocoding, reverse geocoding, routing and mapping.
GEOMATEC spatial web services are hosted at GEOMATEC, and provide extremely simple methods of integrating with existing websites or standalone applications in a very cost effective manner.
Some of the major applications of GEOMATEC web services include -
1. Location based services offered to MTC-Vodafone Bahrain, which lets MTC-Vodafone subscriber to perform proximity search for any Points of Interest, or find location of Friend on map,
2. Access to Bahrain Explorer on mobile devices with Routing and turn-by-turn instructions,
3. On demand mapping and spatial information access to various government and commercial clients,
This paper describes the technology, benefits and future challenges regarding the implementation of GEOMATEC spatial web services in Bahrain.
Introduction
Web service is self-contained application components that provide specific functionality to other applications over the network (intranet or Internet). Technically it is a URL addressed software resource that executes functions or methods and provides useful results. The systems in the network interact with the Web service in a prescribed format, typically conveyed through XML request and response structure along with other web standards.
Web service is not a website as it does not have any user interface like websites. The technology behind web services removes the need for human interaction allowing different software applications to communicate and share information themselves in a well defined structured way wherein all the processing takes place as a back office activity. The applications access web service through web protocols such as HTTP and XML without concern for how each web service is implemented. Application developers integrate web services with other applications to develop a complete solution.
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