Pitney Bowes MapXtreme - Manual (Page 344)

Chapter 19: Web Map Service
Introduction to MapXtreme’s Web Map Service
MapXtreme v7.1 351 Developer Guide
Introduction to MapXtreme’s Web Map Service
The MapXtreme Web Map Service (WMS) allows clients to request and servers to deliver spatially
referenced map images over the Internet or private intranet. MapXtreme gives you the tools to both
deploy a WMS Server for others to query, and supports the incorporation of WMS Client capabilities
into your application to request images from a WMS Server. The WMS Server and Client
implementations are based on the 1.3.0 OpenGIS® Web Map Service Implementation Specification,
which can be found at
www.opengis.org . The MapXtreme WMS Server meets the compliancy
requirements for the 1.3.0 and 1.1.1 Web Map Service.
L
For more information on WMS 1.3.0 support, see the MapXtreme v7.1.0 Release Notes .
A basic WMS classifies its geo-referenced information holdings into layers and offers predefined
styles in which to display those layers. A WMS that conforms to the OGC specification may support
the transparent pixel definition for some image formats as well. Transparent pixels allow you to use
retrieved WMS images as raster overlays and not solely as the background layer for a map. The
quantity and quality of data available is determined by the individual WMS Server.
There is a growing amount of geo-spatial data available, provided by governments, corporations,
and other organizations, that users can retrieve to enhance the accuracy and completeness of their
maps. Companies with land use and water use data can add elevation and population information
from the U.S. Census Bureau, or from a local data provider. Combining traffic pattern data with store
location information can provide insight into establishing additional store locations or can optimize
marketing and product placement efforts. As a developer, you can customize routing requests to
include particular hotel, attraction, or vacation destinations by extending the WMS code. The
possibilities are limited only by your need and your imagination.
Understanding WMS Operations
MapXtreme WMS follows the 1.3.0 and 1.1.1 OGC specifications for basic WMS service. There are
three WMS operations:
• GetCapabilities
• GetMap
• GetFeatureInfo
GetCapabilities
Before requesting a WMS map, it is necessary to find out the names of available layers, styles in
use, spatial information in use, and other information that the WMS server provides. GetCapabilities
is an HTTP request that retrieves service-level metadata over the Internet or intranet, including the
server name, the layer names, abstracts about the data and the acceptable request parameters.
In MapXtreme, GetCapabilities is the first step in collecting information from a WMS server. The
capabilities are then used to request a map image.