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Contact for Media Credentials and Speaker Interviews

Maryann Karinch
m.karinch@opengroup.org
+1 650.726.7020

Future of Web, High-Profile GIS Case Study on Day One of The Open Group's "Boundaryless Information Flow: The Role of Web Services" Conference

OGC's Carl Reed to Deliver "How to" of GIS Interoperability

San Francisco, CA - June 24, 2002 - Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee will set the stage for high-profile case studies on Web Services, including Alan Leidner's look at New York's needs and goals for GIS-related Web Services at The Open Group's upcoming conference. The conference on "Boundaryless Information Flow: The Role of Web Services" will be held in Boston July 22-26. The Open Group's vision of "Boundaryless Information Flow" expresses the goal of people in an enterprise having access to information with relevance and purpose, and the ability to exchange it seamlessly, securely, and in a timely manner with customers, vendors, and other business associates.

Berners-Lee, also the Director of W3C, will open plenary sessions at the "all-user" conference by discussing the rationale and progress towards the Semantic Web.

Leidner, Director of Citywide Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for New York City, will address "Geographical data integration: The Value, Challenges and Future." As GIS Director of NYC Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), Leidner played a central role in post-September 11 efforts supporting rescue operations being conducted by the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). Illustrated with examples from these efforts, his presentation will examine the challenges of GIS data integration in current practice and the roles Web Services have in data integration. Leidner will explore what is needed to make this economic, manageable and secure.

Carl Reed, PhD, Executive Director for the Open GIS Consortium (OGC) Specification Program, will describe the current OGC Web Services-related activities. He will also specify a set of requirements for the non-geospatial aspects of Web Services needed to support OGC goals for geospatial interoperability within a Web Services framework.

About The Open Group

The Open Group, a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, has a vision of Boundaryless Information Flow achieved through global interoperability in a secure, reliable and timely manner. The Open Group's mission is to drive the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow by working with customers to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, establish policies, and share best practices; working with suppliers, consortia and standards bodies to develop consensus and facilitate interoperability, to evolve and integrate specifications and open source technologies; offering a comprehensive set of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and developing and operating the industry's premier certification service and encouraging procurement of certified products. More information on our organization can be found at www.opengroup.org