Welcome to the first issue of OGC User. This new quarterly publication is intended to illustrate the value of OpenGIS® specifications in action in the global user community. I believe that the sharing of our collective experiences in application of interoperable solutions at the community level is important. Community examples connect us with the innovative ways that users are drawing on standards-based solutions to apply new technologies quickly, to reduce integration costs, and to expand the systems and enterprise solutions flexibly. These examples form the basic elements of a Return on Investment (ROI) model that others can use to better understand and apply interoperability to advantage. OGC User will also provide you with information on availability of products that use OpenGIS specifications.

 Vaud is a state in Switzerland. And, like states all over the world, Vaud, via its Central Administration (CA, the state government) plays a key role in the collection and distribution of geographic data for the region. Many other organizations - public and private - within the state and country provide spatial data as well. That's part of the reason the state decided ten years ago, before any OpenGIS® specifications were approved, to pull those resources together. The state wanted to provide the rich datasets to anyone, and enable searching for specific resources via a metadata catalog. Vaud also wanted to simplify and streamline data ordering so that interested parties need visit only one website (prototyped in the graphic below) to gather data from many organizations.

Say "MassGIS" in at any gathering of GIS professionals in Massachusetts and they think of one thing: data. But that's changing. MassGIS is rolling out new data delivery tools and a variety of geospatial Web services that take advantage of OpenGIS® Specifications to help maximize information sharing and delivery. As a result, in time, MassGIS may also be thought of as a provider of Web services that power the Commonwealth's agencies' and partners' map-enabled websites.