Adding an Interoperable Server Interface to a Spatial Database: Implementation Experiences with OpenMapTM*

Many organizations require geographic data originating from diverse sources in their day-to-day operations. It is often impractical to maintain on-site a complete database, due to issues of ownership, the sheer size of the data, or its dynamic nature. OpenMapTM is a distributed mapping system that allows displaying together geographic data acquired from disparate data sources. In this paper, we report our experiences with building a “specialist” for OpenMap, allowing the OpenMap map browser access to data stored in SAND, a prototype spatial database system. DLG data from the U.S. Geological Survey were used to demonstrate the combined system. Key features of the OpenMap and SAND systems are described, as well as how they deal with the DLG data.