What are GIS Web Services?

ECSECC encourages you to share your GIS information through GIS Web Services or Downloads. Better access to good information leads to better decisions and reduced costs.

GIS Web Services are live links to real GIS information that you can use in your GIS software as if it was your data. You can choose to always use the live link or save the data to your PC. The GIS Web Services published here are OGC (http://www.opengeospatial.org/) compliant open web standards. Most modern GIS software can access and use some or all of these standard services, please refer to your software manual on how to connect to these services, as this varies for different software.

The benefits of maintaining the live information link is that it automatically updates the information if it changes.

NOTE: GIS WEB SERVICES DO REQUIRE ACCESS TO GOOD BROADBAND INTERNET.

The GIS Web Services published here are:

KML (Keyhole Markup Language) – use in Google Earth, Google Maps and some GIS software.
WMS (Web Map Service) – basic web service suitable for viewing in your GIS software only.
WFS (Web Feature Service) – Use in your GIS software as if it were your data, or save actual data to your PC.

WMS: http://geoserver.ecsecc.org/geoserver/wms

Please read your GIS systems help to set up access to a WMS Server.

May 2012